Posts tagged Parks and Open Space
Boulder Walker Ranch Management
0November 8, 2012
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department will host a review of the Management Alternatives proposed by Parks and Open Space staff for the Walker Ranch Management Plan Update.
What: Walker Ranch Management Alternatives meeting
When: Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
Where: Boulder County Transportation office, second floor 2525 13th St., Boulder
Staff will give a presentation of the management proposals followed by a question-and-answer period.
Ideas received at a public open house in 2011 have been incorporated into the proposals. Staff will present those proposals at this meeting and take public comments and questions. This will not be the last opportunity for public input.
Based on public responses to the alternatives and information gathered during alternatives review, staff will develop and update the plan and present a draft final management plan to the public in December. A 30-day comment period will follow the December presentation. The final proposal to the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee and the Board of County Commissioners will be scheduled in early 2013.
For more information about the Walker Ranch Management Plan Update, visit www.bouldercounty.org/os/openspace/pages/walkerplan.aspx or contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or jrounds@bouldercounty.org.
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Boulder County schedules oil and gas hearing
0February 16, 2012
Commissioners to consider oil and gas development at March 1 public hearing
Boulder County, Colo. – The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on March 1 to consider terminating, renewing or otherwise amending the temporary moratorium that has been placed on Boulder County’s processing of applications for oil and gas development in the unincorporated county.
As part of this proceeding the commissioners will consider the need for staff to continue evaluating, drafting and processing appropriate amendments to the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code governing future oil and gas development.
What: Public hearing on oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County
When: Thursday, March 1 at 4 p.m.
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
The hearing will also be streamed live at www.bouldercounty.org/government/pages/hearings.aspx.
The commissioners will first hear presentations from county Land Use, Parks and Open Space, Transportation, and Public Health staff on their roles in overseeing oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County. The presentations will include information on past and anticipated future drilling statistics and trends, observed impacts of oil and gas operations, application of current regulations, and concerns about future trends, impacts and regulatory needs.
Residents and other interested parties will then have time to comment (three-minute limit per individual speaker). Comments may be also submitted to commissioners@bouldercounty.org.
On Feb. 2 the commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on the processing of the required development plans for local oil and gas permits under the county Land Use Code (Resolution 2012-16) and released a statement detailing their concerns about the potential for significantly expanded oil and gas drilling within the county.
Visit www.bouldercounty.org/live/property/pages/oilgas.aspx for more information.
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No consensus for GMOs, pesticides, “experimental farming” in #Boulder County’s cropland policy
0December 13, 2011
Commissioners to consider Cropland Policy at Dec. 20 public meeting
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners will deliberate on public testimony and comments received concerning the Cropland Policy Advisory Group’s (CPAG) policy recommendations for Boulder County Open Space croplands on Dec. 20 from 1-3 p.m.
What: Public meeting for the Board of County Commissioners to consider the proposed Cropland Policy for Boulder County Open Space agricultural lands
When: Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m.
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St.
Alternative viewing: Watch the meeting live online the day of the deliberations
The meeting on Dec. 20 is open to the public, but no further public testimony will be taken. All comments submitted to the commissioners via regular mail, electronic mail, phone calls and in-person testimony leading up to the Dec. 20 meeting date will be taken into consideration.
The meeting will be Web streamed live on Dec. 20. Members of the public can view the meeting online at:www.bouldercounty.org/government/pages/hearings.aspx. A taped version of the meeting will also be posted on the website as part of the commissioners’ video archive.
Background
The CPAG, consisting of nine members appointed by the commissioners, held meetings over a nine-month period to create a comprehensive Cropland Policy for Boulder County Open Space agricultural lands. The policy recommendations address soil health, economic sustainability, pest management, program administration, water, livestock, recreation and natural resource protection on agricultural lands. Through a consensus process, CPAG developed more than 80 policy recommendations. Three areas failed to achieve consensus: genetically engineered crops, use of certain pesticides, and experimental farming practices.
On Dec. 8, the county commissioners held a public hearing attended by more than 500 people, many of whom signed up to speak. At the hearing, the commissioners and attendees received a staff presentation on the county’s existing practices and programs, an overview of CPAG’s recommendations and a summary of input from the Food and Agriculture Policy Council (FAPC), the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC), and Parks and Open Space staff. The presentation was followed by 8 ½ hours of open public comment.
Members of the public have been providing input over the nine-month period, and all comments have been recorded as part of the public record. In addition to the many open meetings and hearings held by CPAG as they formed their recommendations for the cropland policy, several subsequent public meetings have been held to consider the draft policy: a staff presentation and joint public hearing on Nov. 15 to FAPC and POSAC, FAPC deliberations on Nov. 16, POSAC deliberations on Nov. 17, and the public open comment hearing with the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 8.
For a copy of the Cropland Policy provided to the commissioners and information about the policy, please visit the Cropland Policy website or contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or croplandpolicy@bouldercounty.org.
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Boulder County: GMOs, pesticides, herbicides all on the table?
0December 5, 2011
Cropland Policy public hearing set for Thursday
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners will hear public testimony and comment on the Cropland Policy Advisory Group’s recommendations for Boulder County Open Space croplands on Thursday evening.
What: Cropland Policy public hearing
When: Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
Where: Longmont Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Circle
The evening will begin with a presentation from Parks and Open Space staff. The presentation will cover existing practices and programs, the CPAG’s recommendations, and input from the Food and Agriculture Policy Council, the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee, and Parks and Open Space staff..
The presentation will be followed by open public comment to the commissioners. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to provide input, and comments will become a part of the public record. Speakers may sign up starting at 5 p.m. Speakers are held to a three-minute time limit and can pool time up to 10 minutes as long as everyone who signed up is present.
The CPAG, consisting of nine members appointed by the commissioners, held meetings over a nine-month period. Its policy recommendations address soil health, economic sustainability, pest management, program administration, water, livestock, recreation and natural resource protection on agricultural lands. Through a consensus process, CPAG developed more than 80 policy recommendations. Three areas failed to achieve consensus: genetically engineered crops, use of certain pesticides, and experimental farming practices.
Three public meetings have taken place: a staff presentation and public hearing on Nov. 15, FAPC deliberations on Nov. 16, and POSAC deliberations on Nov. 17. Members of the public provided input, and all comments were recorded as part of the public record.
For a copy of the Cropland Policy provided to the commissioners and information about the policy, please visit the Cropland Policy website or contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or croplandpolicy@bouldercounty.org
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Boulder County gets lottery “star” for trail network
0November 8, 2011
Boulder County awarded Colorado Lottery Starburst Award for Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail
Boulder County, Colo. – The Colorado Lottery will present Boulder County with the Starburst Award for the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail project. The ceremony will take place this Thursday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Boulder County Courthouse in Boulder in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room.
The Starburst Awards recognize excellence in the use of lottery funds for community and conservation projects. Starburst nominations are reviewed by lottery commissioners and winning projects are chosen based on the creativity of the project, economic and social impact to the community, and whether the project achieved its goal.
In 2009 and 2010, the Boulder County Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments added 1.5 miles of new trail in eastern Boulder County near the Town of Superior that provided a tremendous opportunity for recreational trail users with the assistance of a lottery-funded Great Outdoors Colorado trails grant.
This trail extension completed a 13-mile loop trail that includes the City of Boulder’s Greenbelt Plateau, Community Ditch Trail and Cowdrey Draw trails that now connect to the Town of Superior and Boulder County trails. The project area includes the former route of the Morgul-Bismarck Loop of the Coors International Bicycle Classic from the 1980s. This new section of trail also provides a highly anticipated link to the City of Boulder Marshall-Mesa trails, the Rock Creek Trail system and the Coal Creek Trail system.
Trail users can now connect to significant open space in Boulder County, including the Southern Grasslands open space complex to the south of this trail, to the City of Boulder open space, to Eldorado State Park open space, U.S. Forest Service open space to the west, Town of Superior open space, City of Louisville open space, City of Lafayette open space and City and County of Broomfield open space to the east.
Project partners include:
- Boulder Area Trails Coalition
- Boulder County Horse Association
- Boulder County Parks and Open Space Foundation
- Boulder County Youth Corps
- Boulder Trail Runners
- City of Boulder
- Colorado Lottery
- Great Outdoors Colorado
- Town of Superior
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Boulder County cropland policy–GMOs?– meeting set
0November 4, 2011
Cropland Policy open house set for Nov. 7
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department will host a Cropland Policy open house on Monday at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Exhibit Building.
When: Monday, Nov. 7, 5-8 p.m.
Where: Exhibit Building, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont
The event will include a short presentation on the Cropland Policy process at 6 p.m.
The open house will cover the policy proposed by the Cropland Policy Advisory Group, introduce some of the existing programs for promoting local food and growth in the agricultural economy, and highlight some of the work Parks and Open Space does with its farmer partners.
Cropland Policy
The effort to develop a management policy for county-owned croplands began in 2010 with public outreach, including farm tours, an open house, a Sustainable Agriculture Forum and a Farm and Ranch Panel Discussion.
In 2011, the Board of County Commissioners convened the Cropland Policy Advisory Group to formulate policy recommendations, which are available atwww.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/croplandpolicy.
For more information about the policy, upcoming meetings and public involvement opportunities, visit www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/croplandpolicyor contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or croplandpolicy@bouldercounty.org.
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Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail opening July 14
0July 7, 2011
by Ron Baird, news editor
in News
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments, along with the City of Longmont, will open the north segment of the Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail on Thursday, July 14.
The trail segment is nearly three miles long and stretches from the Lefthand Valley Grange Trailhead on North 83rd Street to the North 95th Street bridge at Lefthand Creek in Longmont. Trail segment map.
“We are very excited about the completion of this section of the LoBo trail because it provides a long-awaited off-street alternative between Gunbarrel, Niwot and Longmont,” said Kristine Obendorf, Boulder County’s Regional Trails Planner.
A public ribbon-cutting ceremony with officials from Boulder County and Longmont will take place on July 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Lefthand Valley Grange Trailhead near the corner of 83rd Street and Niwot Road.
Group bike rides from Longmont and Boulder that will meet at the Lefthand Valley Grange Trailhead for the ribbon-cutting ceremony are being organized. Information about the ride from Longmont is posted online. Contact Sue Prant at bikesue@gmail.com for information about the ride from Boulder.
The new trail crosses Lefthand Creek just north of Oxford Road using a refurbished pedestrian bridge from the City of Boulder that was part of a three-way bridge swap among Boulder County and the cities of Longmont and Boulder.
“We are happy about the partnership with Boulder County as we were able to replace a functionally obsolete bridge and replace it with a new structure that meets all current standards and allows for a trail underpass,” City of Longmont Project Manager Tom Street said.
The joint project between Boulder County and the City of Longmont includes both the bridge and trail connection and was funded by Longmont, a federal transportation grant awarded to Boulder County in 2007, and the countywide transportation sales tax approved by voters in 2001.
The majority of the land provided for the trail is either within county road right-of-way or is on county open space property purchased with Parks and Open Space sales tax funds.
The project comprises the northern most section of the planned 12-mile Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail that begins on the City of Boulder’s Cottonwood Trail and terminates at the Lefthand Greenway in Longmont. The LoBo Trail is primarily a soft-surface path that provides a continuous off-road link along the Diagonal Highway corridor.
Missing links at Jay Road and Lookout Road are in the planning phases as is a new connection to the Boulder Reservoir underneath the Diagonal Highway. Please visit the Boulder County Regional Trails Program webpage for more information.
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Forestry project at Heil Valley Ranch begins Monday
0June 17, 2011
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department has hired a local contractor to mechanically treat approximately 150 acres of ponderosa pine forest in Heil Valley Ranch beginning on Monday, June 20.
The thinning project will conclude in September. Park visitors will likely hear the operations along the Ponderosa Loop Trail during the next three months and are strongly advised to stay on-trail for personal safety and that of the equipment operators.
“Like so many ponderosa pine forests, this area is unnaturally dense due to years of fire suppression,” Parks and Open Space Outreach Coordinator Pascale Fried said. “This project will create a mosaic of openings and uneven-aged groupings of trees. The goal is to have a healthier forest that is less susceptible to insects, disease and catastrophic wildfires.”
The treatment utilizes a harvester that fells, delimbs and bucks trees into standard log lengths, and a forwarder to haul wood material away from the site. The logs will be used in biomass plants that heat the county Parks and Open Space and Sheriff’s Office buildings.
Smaller wood material, including branches and small trees, will initially be used as a road base for equipment to prevent erosion, then piled and burned in the next few years as conditions permit.
For additional information, contact Forest Specialist Nick Stremel at 303-678-6290 or nstremel@bouldercounty.org.
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Coalton Trailhead, Meadowlark Trail grand opening to be held June 2
0May 24, 2011
by Ron Baird, news editor
in News
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments, along with the Town of Superior, will celebrate the grand opening of the Coalton Trailhead and Meadowlark Trail on Thursday, June 2 at 3 p.m.
A ribbon-cutting will take place at the trailhead – located near the new roundabout intersection of McCaslin Boulevard and Coalton Road in Superior (map) – followed by a guided nature hike.
Amenities for the two-acre area include a shelter with two picnic tables, restrooms, bike racks, trash cans, a dog station, and an information kiosk. The parking lot accommodates 27 cars, two handicapped spaces and three horse trailers, one with horse hitching rails. The trailhead also includes native varieties of trees, shrubs and grasses.
The new 2.7-mile, multi-use Meadowlark Trail extends from the Coalton Trail at its south end to the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail at the north end. This trail extension completes an approximately 10-mile loop that includes the City of Boulder’s Greenbelt Plateau, and Community Ditch and Cowdrey Draw trails that now connect to the Town of Superior and Boulder County trails. The project area includes the former route of the Morgul-Bismarck Loop of the Coors International Bicycle Classic from the 1980s. This new trail also provides a highly anticipated link to the City of Boulder’s Marshall-Mesa trails, and the county’s Rock Creek and Coal Creek trail systems.
Funding for the improved intersection, trailhead, and multiple phases of the trail system has come from the Boulder County Transportation Improvements sales tax, federal transportation funds distributed through the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Transportation Improvement Program, and the Town of Superior. Planning was a joint effort of the county’s Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments.
The majority of the land provided for the trailhead and trails is Boulder County Open Space property purchased with Parks and Open Space sales tax funding, with additional parcels provided by Superior.
For more information, please visit the Coalton Trailhead web page.
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Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks board to receive the (CCG) final proposals for land west of Boulder
0January 15, 2011
The Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) monthly meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the New Vista High School auditorium, 700 20th St. in Boulder. The purpose of this meeting is for the OSBT to receive the final recommendations from the Community Collaborative Group on the management of the West Trail Study Area (West TSA). Time for public comment on the recommendations will be provided at the meeting. A group of local residents has been working with city staff since September 2009 to develop recommendations on practical and feasible ways to improve community services in the West TSA. The CCG includes representatives from recreation, conservation and cultural resource interests, as well as neighborhoods adjacent to the West TSA. After 14 months of meetings and field trips, the CCG is prepared to present its final recommendations to the board. The CCG’s recommendations will become an integral part of the West TSA Plan. The plan will provide management direction for OSMP lands north of Eldorado Springs Drive, south of Linden Avenue and west of Broadway/Colorado Highway 93, for the next ten years. Background documents, including the CCG’s recommendations, are available at the West TSA website, www.westtsa.org. “We are extremely grateful for the commitment to the collaborative process, time, and creativity contributed by CCG members. They deliberated and debated many difficult issues and are presenting an extensive and well‑balanced mix of recommendations,” said Steve Armstead, project manager for OSMP. “This community-based process has broadened everyone’s perspectives and provided a strong grassroots foundation for the West TSA plan.” For information on OSMP planning processes or to learn how to get involved, please visit www.westtsa.org or call 303-441-3440.
