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In the spring of 2000, the first Visitor Plan Advisory Committee (whose members had been hand selected by the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department) developed a report which was published in March of 2000. A second Visitor Plan Advisory Committee was created at the beginning of 2003 to continue the process. The following material deals with the second Visitor Plan Advisory Committee process. Information on the first Visitor Plan Advisory Committee process and BATCO's comments are available at Visitor Plan Advisory Committee One.
As we noted in our comments on the results of the first Visitor Plan Advisory Committee, we had some concerns with the process and the results. The second Visitor Plan Advisory Committee process started out on a positive note. Instead of having the committee members directly appointed by the department staff the OSMP Board of Trustees asked for applications from interested members of the public. BATCO members and representatives of a number of other recreational groups (including the Accesss Fund, FIDOS, and BCHA) submitted applications only to discover (at the end of the process) that the Board had decided to disqualify any applicants that admitted an association with such organizations. Since we had been previously told that representation of such a group would get be a positive consideration during the selection process we were somewhat disappointed. Clay Evans wrote a Daily Camera column describing the situation (see Clay Evans Daily Camera Column, January 26, 2003).
Despite our unhappiness with the initial selection process, we have continued to observe and attempt to interact with the new Visitor Plan Advisory Committee. We've had some opportunities to provide input to the committee. We've submitted our assessment of the present state of the Open Space and Mountain Parks properties (see BATCO OSMP Current Conditions) and proposals for strategies to address visitor management issues (see BATCO Strategies to Meet Visitor Plan Targets).
In June of 2003 the second Visitor Plan Advisory Committee published a second report focusing on current OSMP conditions, critical concerns, and future management strategies (see 2003 Visitor Plan Advisory Committee Report). After initial sections dealing with the previous Advisory Committee report, the charter of the second Advisory Committee, and assessments of current conditions and critical concerns, the bulk of the report details five objectives and recommended strategies to meet those objectives. The five objectives (and the number of pages in the 28 page report devoted to the objectives) are:
We are concerned that the Visitor Plan Advisory Committee focus was almost exclusively on negative visitor behaviors and perceived conflicts. Dog issues and off trail travel received a great deal of attention and several rather heavy-handed approaches have been suggested to eliminate the perceived problems. Since the staff's own assessment of existing conditions is positive (ratings are Fair to Good), we believe there is a real danger the committee's recommendations may lead to needlessly restrictive responses to minor problems with a resulting loss in public support and compliance. Hopefully the staff's final Visitor Master Plan will support a balanced approach. See BATCO Visitor Plan Advisory Committee Report Comments for BATCO's detail comments on the report.
Since the Visitor Plan Committee Report was published BATCO has been working with several other groups, including the Boulder Off-Road Alliance (BOA) and the Boulder County Horse Asssociation (BCHA), to create a common set of proposals for the management of Open Space and Mountain Parks properties.
Our Management Area recommendations and strategies are available at BATCO Management Areas.
Maps of our recommended Management Area boundaries are available at BATCO Management Area Maps.
For much more information about the second Visitor Plan Advisory Committee visit the City of Boulder OSMP Visitor Plan Website.