The Board meets every 3rd Thursday of the month. The meetings begin at 7PM and generally last for about two hours. Board meeting locations vary from month to month. Contact any board member for meeting locations and agendas.

BATCO members and the public are welcome to attend. Please join us!

Articles In This Issue

Our efforts with local land management agencies continue to yield positive results (and a few disappointments).

We were encouraged with the City of Boulder's continuing focus on the short-term trail projects that the Open Space Board of Trustees had previously approved. Boulder County opened a new multi-use trail at the Heil Valley Ranch and made progress on the Rock Creek/Coal Creek trail system. We were disappointed to see new user restrictions on the County's Betasso Preserve, but we encourage all our members to respect the new regulations.

The public process continues to be difficult. We endeavor to bring some balance to the discussions and to accurately represent what we believe is the majority viewpoint of our citizens. Thank you for your continuing support.

After more than a decade of involvement with issues concerning public land management, recreation, and the environment we've observed the same people expounding the same viewpoints over and over again in various public forums. The viewpoints they present are often extreme and their rhetoric emotional.

Issues concerning trails often prompt such presentations. Recent examples include opposition to a short trail because of presumed impacts on endangered swallows (there are no endangered swallow species) and opposition to a proposed Open Space purchase of a mountain building site because some of the property might be used for a trail (apparently a large trophy house would have less impact).

Since the squeaky wheel often gets the oil, it's important that we understand who is really being represented. Are our public land managers just hearing from a vocal minority or are they getting a balanced presentation of the community's consensus? Those speaking claim to represent a large, not present, majority. Based on county and city surveys things are not so black and white. There seems to be more balance in the public at large than we see represented in some meetings.

The survey data indicate that the vast majority of our citizens are both environmental and recreational supporters. In fact, the proportion of our citizens who see recreation as the primary purpose of open space is as large as the proportion who see environmental preservation as the primary goal.

The surveys show support for environmental protection and a public willingness to accept restrictions on recreational activities in sensitive areas. These responses are often cited. The survey data also show support for recreational activities and for providing additional land and trails for recreation. These responses are seldom cited. (We've included some survey data with recreational pertinence below. Visit the BATCO website for the full survey texts).

Although we applaud the dedication of our most concerned environmental advocates, we believe extreme positions tend to polarize the discussions and alienate potential allies. Recreational access and environmental preservation are not mutually exclusive. Nor are they seen to be by most of our citizens. If our land management programs are to be successful they need support from us all. A little more attention to all the public concerns and a little less emotional rhetoric would help immensely.

County wide 46%

Boulder City 44%

Protecting wildlife habitat 96%

Hiking 93%

Preserving agricultural lands 90%

Nature study 87%

Growth management 86%

Urban buffers 86%

Mountain biking 61%

Walking dogs 61%

Horseback riding 57%

Hike 93%

Bike 45%

Walk dogs 33%

Ride horses 12%

Growth management 39%

Recreation 23%

Preserve wildlife & habitat 23%

Crowded or moderately crowded 71%

(appropriate or somewhat appropriate)

More user education 89%

Buy more land for recreation 87%

Building more trails & entrances 69%

(not appropriate)

Building more trails & entrances 10%

Last fall the County Commissioners voted to impose a two-day-a-week mountain bike ban in the Betasso Preserve. Mountain bikes are prohibited on the Canyon Loop Trail on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On the remaining days of the week bikers are also now required to ride the loop in only one direction. Signs at the trailhead specify the direction du jour (which will be changed periodically). Please respect the new regulations.

We've seen some progress on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (COBOSMP) projects. The COBOSMP Board of Trustees in their August 23, 2000 meeting adopted five "near-term" projects following a series of discussions of BATCO trail recommendations.

The first of these, a connection north from Lookout Road to the Cottontail Trail was completed and opened last spring. Although short (approximately 0.7 mile) the trail provides a significant enhancement to the local trail system. The new bridge over a large irrigation ditch replaces a potentially dangerous unofficial crossing. The city staff did a nice job on the trail design, incorporating curves and contours to make the best of limited alternatives.

Two of the remaining projects, the Greenbelt Plateau to Coalton Trail connection and a connection via the C-93 Underpass from Greenbelt Plateau to Flatirons Vista Trailhead, received significant attention this past year.

The COBOSMP staff took BATCO members, Open Space Board of Trustees members, and representatives of other interested organizations (including the Boulder County Nature Association and Plan Boulder County) on tours of the general trail corridors. There was a great deal of discussion of trail alignment details.

BATCO was concerned that the initial proposal for the Greenbelt Plateau to Coalton Trail placed the entire 2 mile trail alignment in the Highway 128 right-of-way. Our concerns focused on safety issues (for equestrian users in particular) due to the proximity of the highway and on the poor quality of the visitor experience. The staff worked with us to define an alignment that is on open space at the east and west ends and on the road right-of-way in between. The final alignment reduces safety exposures and environmental impacts by using open space where appropriate. The alignment also provides an improved experience for all visitors. We appreciate the staff's willingness to consider our concerns during this process.

The trail project to use an existing Highway-93 underpass to connect the Greenbelt Plateau and Flatirons Vista trailheads also received attention. Despite a last minute effort by a few individuals to kill this project, it appears to still be in the plan. We believe the improvement in the safety of the highway crossing and the minimal impacts of this connection make it a desirable addition to the system.

The other two adopted trail projects are still planned, but are presently "on hold" pending the resolution of various issues.

The 1-mile Boulder Feeder Canal trail segment from Boulder Reservoir to Niwot Road is the first link of a regional trail that would eventually extend to Lyons. The canal is used by the Northern Colorado Conservancy District to transport water from Carter Lake to a water treatment plant near the Boulder Reservoir. Boulder City Utility Department concerns about water quality impacts appear to have stalled this project despite offers from the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department to take mitigation actions that may actually improve water quality. Because of the importance of this regional trail BATCO will continue to pursue the issues with the City of Boulder.

The 3.5-mile Marshall Mesa to Superior trail will run east from the Marshall Mesa Trailhead to 66^th Street, south along 66^th Street to Coal Creek Drive, and then east to the Town of Superior. The County plans to vacate the southern portion of 66^th Street and the western portion Coal Creek Drive to provide for the trail corridor. Various legal complications have delayed the process, but the trail is still under active consideration for construction in the next few years.

On October 5 the second phase of the County’s Heil Valley Ranch Trail System officially opened to the public. The first phase of the system, the 1.3-mile Lichen Loop pedestrian trail, opened two years ago. Since then members of BATCO, BOA, BCHA, and the general public have participated in a series of projects to help in the construction of this second phase of the trail system. The new Ponderosa and Wapiti trails provide a round trip in excess of seven miles and are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. As part of this phase a short new section was also added to the Lichen trail to provide a continuos loop for pedestrians.

The third phase of the trail system will be an extension of the multi-use trail that will provide a connection north to Lyons. This phase still in the planning stages. Finding an appropriate location for the northern trailhead is the primary difficulty. The County recently purchased a 115-acre property adjacent to the northeastern end of the Heil Valley Ranch from CEMEX. This new property has legal access from Highway 36 and may help to resolve the issue. As a possible alternative, a private entity has acquired an option to purchase the Olson property in Lyons specifically to facilitate a trail connection from Heil to Hall Ranch. BATCO will continue to pursue this opportunity with Boulder County.

BATCO members have been providing input on the new Longmont Open Space program’s acquisition and trail priorities. The St. Vrain Greenway will soon be extended from its current terminus at Main Street east to Sandstone Ranch in Weld County. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the City voted to ban horses from the middle segment of this trail. We will continue to advocate for shared use as Longmont develops the St. Vrain Greenway west of town toward Lyons.

There's some progress to report on the Rock Creek and Coal Creek trail system. Ultimately the system will consist of two trails following Rock and Coal Creeks from west of Highway 36 in Superior to the east County border where the trails will join together. Today a large portion of the Coal Creek east of Highway 36 trail is a reality. The trail stretches continuously from Dillon Road in Louisville to 120th Street. Attention is now being focused on the western end of the alignment.

Louisville has obtained the necessary rights-of-way for the trail segment west from Dillion Road to Highway 36. Construction on this segment may begin this summer. On the other side of the highway, Superior, Boulder County, and the City of Boulder are planning a trail component west of McCaslin Road on the new Mayhoffer/Singletree Open Space. The western end of this segment will eventually connect with a future trail alignment along Coal Creek Drive and the eastern end will pass under McCaslin Road and Highway 36 to connect with the eastern portion of the Coal Creek Trail. This Mayhoffer/Singletree trail section is scheduled for completion by 2003. The timing for the link from McCaslin Road to Highway 36 is unclear, but the completion of the surrounding trail segments should provide motivation to finish this section as well.

Progress has also been made on the Rock Creek trail component of the system. The County has completed the construction of new trail alignments at the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve/Rock Creek Farm. Included in the new construction is a grade level crossing of the Burlington Northern RR that connects with Broomfield’s Lac Amora trail.

The RTD has acquired property for a parking lot between Highway 36 and Rock Creek Farm that could provide connections under Highway 36 to Interlocken and Superior. The lot is scheduled to open in late 2002 or early 2003. Detailed planing is underway and the RTD has indicated a willingness to consider trail connections in the designs.

Progress on the connection east from Rock Creek Farm to the Coal Creek Trail will probably have to wait until C-470, the new toll road from I-25 to Highway 36, is built. The county has requested that the highway plans make provisions for the completion of the trail system.

In last November's election Boulder County residents approved a 1/10th of a cent sales tax to go towards a seven year Boulder County Transportation Improvement Program. This tax will raise approximately $35 million over seven years and more than double available County funds (the new total is $56 million). Some of the money will go toward regional trail projects. Although the planning is just beginning, the list of potential trail projects includes a new, separate hard surface trail following the diagonal highway from Boulder to Longmont. This trail will be separated from the highway and could include a soft surface component for joggers and equestrians. Also under consideration are some badly needed highway underpasses (one on Highway 52 to connect the Cottontail trail with the Niwot trails and another under the Diagonal Highway and railroad northeast of Boulder to connect the Cottonwood Trail with the bikeways to the north).

If you wanted to know -- right now – what official trails exist in Boulder County, you would have to obtain almost a hundred different maps. Even then, you still would not have complete knowledge because some land jurisdictions don’t produce any maps showing their trails. You’d also have a jumble of information because each jurisdiction’s maps are at different scales, show different information, and offer no visible relationship between their holdings and adjacent areas. You’d have to invest a significant amount of time tracking down all this information, and a fair amount of money purchasing all the maps (only a few small ones are free).

Last fall BATCO applied for a Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant to support a map project that will eliminate these problems. The map project will produce a single map covering the entire county. For the first time ever, trail users and planners will be able to see all the designated trails in Boulder County on a topographic base. Only officially designated trails will be shown. Trails will be color- and pattern-coded to show routes open to various user groups, trail surface (such as single track, 4WD road, or concrete), as well as showing urban bicycle routes and other recreational amenities (including picnic areas, campgrounds, boating, fishing, and nature areas). Each public land management agency’s acreage will be shown in a distinctive color, so people will be able to understand on whose land their favorite trails are located. This will help resolve present confusions about ownership and changing regulations along a particular trail as it passes from one jurisdiction to another. Our map system will enable people to visualize, and to select their trail experience before embarking on a trail-related adventure.

The BATCO map will provide additional benefits to people by indicating how to get around on off-street trails and on-street bike lanes, enhancing recreational opportunities and transportation alternatives to automobile travel in Boulder County. The map will be useful to land managers by showing for the first time where the existing trails are, as well as future opportunities for well-planned trail connections. Before going to press we will verify all the information with each of the public land management agencies represented in Boulder County.

An added benefit, not often included on trail maps, will be information about each agency’s trail regulations and contact persons; suggestions for trail etiquette and safety; material about various outdoor and environmental organizations; and user-friendly sketches, photographs, and text pertaining to observing and protecting Boulder County’s diverse natural resources.

Finally, here’s the really exciting and unique part of our proposal! We plan to commit a substantial portion of the proceeds from map sales directly to local trail projects as well as to future editions of the map.

For more information or to offer your assistance (financial or otherwise) for this project please contact Suzanne Webel 303-485-2162.

We are happy to do whatever we can to support local applications for GOCO grants to improve trails and recreational opportunities. Every year we write letters in support of various projects. This year's letters included support for projects by the Boulder County Horse Association, the Boulder Off-Road Alliance, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and the Forest Service.

Last year we noted an agreement between the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and the Forest Service which specifically recognized that bicycles are non-motorized and should be managed distinctly from motorized activities. Last year the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released a draft plan that differed fundamentally from the Forest Service plan by grouping mountain bikes with motorized vehicles. We're pleased to report that the BLM has subsequently responded to IMBA's concerns and modified their draft plan to recognize differences between bike and motorized use.

BATCO memberships are for the calendar year. We ask that members renew in the spring. Memberships received during the last quarter of the year are considered paid in full for the next year. (You can use the membership form in this newsletter to avoid the spring rush!)

We've included a BATCO brochure in this newsletter. If you know people who would like to help in our efforts, please pass it on to them. Additional brochures and newsletters are available from board members, or send us e-mail via our web site and we'll be delighted to provide you with some.

We maintain an e-mail list of BATCO members. We use the list for special announcements that we think may be of immediate interest to our membership. We do not share the list with other organizations or allow it to be used for commercial purposes. To be included in our notices, send us your e-mail address (via snail mail, the response options on the BATCO web site, or e-mail to ericvogelsberg@cs.com). If you have been receiving e-mail from BATCO and do not wish to continue to receive it, just reply with a request to be removed from the list.

Our thanks to local public radio station KGNU for featuring BATCO for a week in their community announcements.