The Next 40 Years of Jeffco Open Space Conservation, November 2013

Save the Date:
Saturday, November 16th, 2013

Plan Jeffco, with co-sponsorship from the Open Space Department and the Open Space Foundation, will be holding a conference November 16 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The conference will focus on “The Next 40 Years of Jeffco Open Space Conservation.” The conference will be on that Saturday morning, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

It will be a great opportunity to learn:

What the demographics of the metro area are and how they will change.

How the recreation needs of the population will change.

How local climate change will affect the parks.

How outdoor activities benefit the populace.

How to balance expanding the areas of preservation with increased use of the parks.

How Jeffco Parks (Open Space, Fairgrounds, CSU Extension) plan to accommodate these changes.

The scheduled speakers and their subjects include:

Amy Ito-Jeffco (Planning and Construction Manager-Jeffco Open Space Department) – “2013 Parks Plan Update”

Dr. Mike Bowker (National Forest Service) – “Recreation Trends and Preferences in Front Range National Forests”

Dr. Mark B. Johnson (Executive Director of Jefferson County Department of Health and the Environment.) – “Health and the Outdoors”

Dr. Daniel Jerrett (Regional Economist, Denver Regional Council of Governments) – “Economic and Demographic Trends in the Denver Region”

Dr. Jim Hurrell (Director of Earth Science Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research) – “The Science of Climate Change: From Global to Local Scales”

John Sovall/Pam White (Colorado State University, Colorado Natural Heritage Program) – “Jeffco Survey of Critical Biological Resources/the Benefits of Conserving Biodiversity”

Dr. Sarah Reed/Dr. Sarah L. Thomas (Colorado State University/Center for the American West at University of Colorado) – “Balancing Recreation Access and Conservation Objectives in Open Space Programs”

Dr. Mat Alldredge (Wildlife Researcher -Colorado Parks and Wildlife) – “Impacts of Humans on Wildlife in the Front Range”