Wednesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 3 Summaries

Annie Pepper
3 June 2010
Main points:

-During the 1960-70’s Boulder was buying land to protect urban sprawl. When then looked at a map that was made in 1999 and there was no more land to buy.
-Boulder felt that “growth is coming” and the city needed to buy as much land as possible to stop growth.
-The main people in charge of what land to buy was real estate people. The downside is that these people did not have the environmental knowledge
-Then the citizens wanted to know when they could use the land, for which the Visitor Master plan (VMP) starts. (this plan includes bikes as passive recreation). VMP adopted in 2005.

PROCESS: A staff makes a plan, then they show it to the citizens, and the citizens citizens/put their input to the plan, then the staff revises and tries to meet everyone’s needs.
-However, sometimes the revised plan does not make everyone happy, the staff tries to find a medium.

-In 1983 bikes are band in mt parks because of their impact.
-Bikers want same experiences as hikers.

Dogs
-there is some user conflict
-debate between preservation and reservation
-dogs peeing in environment add Nitrogen to soil and changes ecosystems

TSA PROCESS: offshoot of VMP. A staff builds a solution to a trail, the community comments, then revision—process can be extremely controversial. Staff is in the middle and everyone ends up angry.

Trying a new approach:
The cities approach to different plans: Get a representative from the different interest groups, have these representatives make a draft plan. These different groups make up the CCG.
-These representatives are voted upon the interest people through a caucus.
-The CCG: tries to find a balance between the competing groups, and also helps the staff from being pulled/yelled from the different competing groups.

The debate on how to manage trail usage. (Bikes, hikers, horses) Have biker’s bike on odd days and hiker’s hike on even days. There can be a separate tail for bike users and a separate trail for hikers.

CULTURE debate: There are also some archeological sites in the areas where the trail is. Should we allow these sites to be investigated or preserved? (the finding of the arrowhead)
-There is a CCG representative for this.

How trails where made:
Social trails- trails people made by walking
Some trails where made by wild game and people started to use these trails.
Designated trails- trails that are official trails and are on the map.

Things discussed at the meeting:
-Making south boulder for mountain biking.
-The owners who lived near or had boarder property to the OMSP complained about all the visitors
-there was some uproar about the alternated speaker and whether he was stating everything the representative wanted to say.
-update the web site to make it more user friendly
-North Boulder trails should have a leash, because the dogs are scaring the birds away to re-habitat the area
-more easier ways to contact the representative
-ways to find trails to re habitat an area and does not run through other people’s property
-Discussion of where trails should be put: they do not want to put them in the middle because it splits the habitat, but they do not want to put trails by property, because these edges are transition zones (ishness)
-Some trails are barriers for animals (but not mountain lions)
-the issue of trashcans along the trails (Funding issue and practical issue)
-Finding ways to show maps that people can tangablity understand (Google earth)
-having an email list that is sent out to the community so they are all on the same page.


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1)What are some alternative ways to accommodate all trail users?
A:Have odd days be used for bikers and even days be used for only hikers. Or build a separate single track for bikers so they are not in the hikers way.

2)What are some of the people’s concerns at the meeting?
A: Mt biking, dogs and the leash debate, trash cans, the website usability, ways to contact representative, closing trails to re-habitat area, where trails should be put

3)How many visitors does Boulder OMPS receive a year?
A:2
B:500
C: 2 Million people
D: 100,000

4)What do the mt bike people want in Boulder parks?
A:jumps
B:access to trails
C:picnic tables
D:water

5)How does Visitor Master Plan make a solution to a problem?
A: Makes a plan, has the community comment, then revises and acts

6)What are some factors/issues that are up for debate in the parks?
Dogs and whether they should have a leash or even be allowed in
Trash cans, parking, bikes, horses access. Where the trails should be made, what areas should be closed for re vegetating

7) What does the CCG do?
A: tries to find a balance between competing groups
B:helps the VMP staff from being pulled/yelled at by competing groups
C: both A and B

8)Majority of the trails in Boulder are for:
A:Hiking
B: Mountain Biking

9)What are some problems in the forest ecosystems? (Choose 3)
A: too much under growth, and growth of trees
B: fire danger
C:non native plans not re vegetating, and protecting species
D: Getting too much solar radiation because of the altitude

10) After hearing the debates and research, do you believe OSMP should make more trails or fix the trails that are in operation to make them more suitable for bikers?
A: opened ended question…