Posts tagged Mount Sanitas
Seasonal raptor closures to begin Feb.1
Jan 31st
The City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department will institute seasonal closures to protect area raptors on Saturday, Feb. 1. The closures – which protect peregrine falcons, prairie falcons and golden eagles raising their young in nests located along Boulder’s mountain backdrop – will be in effect from Feb. 1 until July 31. Closures may be lifted sooner if monitoring indicates that raptors are not present.
High-quality habitat and rich food resources make cliffs on OSMP lands a regionally important area for nesting birds of prey. The following areas and formations will be closed:
- Lefthand Canyon Palisades, at the intersection of Lefthand Canyon Drive and Olde Stage Road (Buckingham picnic area remains open);
- Mount Sanitas, First Buttress, accessible from the Mount Sanitas trailhead, a half mile west of Fourth Street and Mapleton Avenue (no closures to the bouldering areas along the ridge; Mount Sanitas trail will remain open);
- Third Flatiron, including the East and West Ironing Boards, Queen Anne’s Head and Jaws, and WC Pinnacle, accessible from Chautauqua trailhead;
- Flagstaff Mountain: the north side of Flagstaff Mountain will be closed (the Boy Scout Trail will remain open);
- Skunk Canyon, including Ridges 2, 3 and 4, the Aechean Pronouncement, the Dreadnaught, the North Ridge and the entirety of Sacred Cliffs, accessible from NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- The Back Porch and The Box, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- Bear Creek Spire, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- Fern Canyon, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road¡¡ (the designated Fern Canyon hiking trail will remain open);
- Shadow Canyon and the Matron, accessible from the South Mesa Trailhead (the Maiden will remain open and accessible from the east; Shadow Canyon Trail will remain open).
- The Sphinx and The Wings, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- The entire Mickey Mouse wall, accessible from the Goshawk Ridge Trail.
Boulder-area volunteers and staff have been monitoring important raptor nesting and resting areas on OSMP lands since 1984. They are an integral part of efforts to protect the species and adaptively manage the closures.
Prairie falcon
Trespassing into closed areas can result in a summons with penalties up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.¡¡ OSMP relies heavily on the public to respect the closures, and the cooperation of visitors to these areas is greatly appreciated.
Please visit Open Space and Mountain Parks’ website at www.osmp.org for detailed maps and up-to-date information on raptor closures or call 303-441-3440.
–CITY–
C
OSMP: More trails open by the day
Sep 25th
City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) department opened trails on Mount Sanitas today; department will open many more trails in the days ahead
The City of Boulder is making headway in allowing visitors to return to its extensive network of trails by opening key trails on Mount Sanitas today. On Tuesday, OSMP opened:
- The Mount Sanitas, Dakota Ridge, East Ridge and the Goat trails on Mount Sanitas. However, the Centennial trailhead parking area remains closed. Visitors to Sanitas trails must walk into the trail area.
- Cottontail Trail in East Boulder.
All open trails are listed at http://bit.ly/15msF85 and at BoulderFloodInfo.net. Please check either of these websites for more updates.
Newly opened trails will be accessible from dawn to dusk, and visitors must remain on-trail because of safety risks. All other OSMP trails not listed at http://bit.ly/15msF85 remain closed under an emergency order.
There are some potential safety risks on re-opened trails. These may include rocky and gullied terrain, as well as other potential hazards associated with a major flood event. OSMP stresses that the re-opened trails are substantially different from pre-flood conditions.
–CITY–
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Songdogs a threat to pets on Sanitas
Apr 12th
OSMP:
temporary leash requirements at Sanitas due to recent coyote activity
The City of Boulder OSMP is temporarily requiring dogs to be leashed on the Mount Sanitas Valley trail, effective immediately, as a result of several encounters between dogs and coyotes. Although Voice and Sight control is normally allowed in this area, OSMP is enacting the temporary leash restrictions in order to provide the best possible protection for both dogs and coyotes. Advisory signs have been posted to educate users on the issues.
“In the last two weeks there have been several reports of dogs interacting with coyotes. In each of these cases the dog guardian had either lost sight of his or her dog or was unable to call the dog back and the dog charged a coyote that was seen near the trail. At least one of these encounters resulted in significant injuries to the dog,” Ranger Supervisor Joe Reale said.
The type of coyote behavior reported suggests there may be a den site in the area that the coyotes are defending. An off-leash dog may be viewed as a threat to a coyote that has young nearby.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officer Kristin Cannon said, “This time of year coyotes will be active providing food and protection to young pups. It is important that we keep unleashed dogs away from areas where coyotes are hunting and raising young. Eventually the coyotes will disperse from the area, and the risk to both dogs and coyotes will be reduced.”
OSMP will monitor the situation at Mount Sanitas and will inform the public when it is once again safe to walk dogs under voice and sight control.
Please visit www.osmp.org for detailed maps and up-to-date information on regulations, closures, temporary or otherwise; or call 303-441-3440.
–CITY of Boulder press release–
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