NOTE: The opinions expressed here are Guy Burgess's and not necessarily those of the Boulder Area Trails Coalition.
The recent agreement between the City of Boulder and the Devil's Thumb Homeowners Association raises important issues associated with an increasingly sharp differences between the limited Open Space access provided to the general public and the much better access provided to Open Space neighbors. This online slideshow explains: 1) why I believe that we have a two tier access problem, 2) how this problem might be limited, and 3) how the proposed DTHA agreement relates to this larger issue. My analysis is focused upon the "National Park" class properties at the foot of Bear and South Boulder Peaks (the prairies and mesas between Bear Creek and South Boulder Creek). As you can see from the poster reprinted below, this is a tract of land that plays an important role since it was the vision of people dancing in these meadows that helped sell the voters on the original Greenbelt/Open Space program.
NOTE: This inequitable access problem is not unique to this area. It plagues public lands throughout the Boulder county and the West.