[BikeLongmont] 5 minutes for amazing trails

Wed Aug 10 06:29:24 MDT 2005

Please e-mail your support TODAY (last day) for improved trails from HAll Ranch to Heil!

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BOULDER OFFROAD ALLIANCE
ACTION ALERT

www.boa-mtb.org 

August 4, 2005

To subscribe or unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom

This is one of those moments where 5 minutes of your time can make the difference for new riding opportunities in Boulder County.

Please take a few minutes of your time RIGHT NOW to help create great new riding opportunities in Boulder County. Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) is reviewing options for new trail construction to connect Heil Valley Ranch to the Town of Lyons (and ultimately to Hall Ranch). A small but vocal minority opposes new trail construction; we need a larger and equally vocal majority supporting new trails in Heil Valley Ranch. 

The County will only take comments until August 10th, so we have included a sample letter.. Construct your own, take parts, or cut and paste the whole thing if you like.

Send an email supporting new trails at Heil to tnielsen at co.boulder.co.us NOW. 

Please send this email to a couple of friends that like trails too - 

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To: BCPOS 

From:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Heil Valley Ranch trail planning process. 

The 1996 Management Plan for the North Foothills Open Space includes a linkage trail between the town of Lyons and Heil Valley Ranch and two loop trails within the property. Today access to Heil Valley Ranch is severely limited, with mountain bikers restricted to a single corridor within the property. Opening the additional loop trail envisioned in the management plan and the link to Lyons would improve my recreation experience, mitigate trail conflicts, and reduce the trail impacts caused by concentrating all users along a single corridor. Please consider the following points:

  a.. I'd like to see more loop trails open to mountain biking constructed at Heil Valley Ranch. We should use trail option B in conjunction with either trail option C or D. This will disperse users, reducing user conflict and trail impact while improving the recreation experience. 
  b.. I prefer narrow winding trails because it improves the trail experience, reduces user conflict (slowing down bikes), and minimizes resource disturbance by narrowing the trail cut. 
  c.. Trails that abut private property are not acceptable to trail users or private property owners. New trails should be set back from private property to improve the recreation experience and respect private property. 
  d.. BCPOS should consult with the Lyons Pathways Commission and the Lyons Chamber of Commerce to connect the Heil Valley Ranch connector trail to other public lands near Lyons, especially Bohn Park. 
  e.. BCPOS should fast track trail development at Heil Valley Ranch to expedite citizen enjoyment of Boulder County's first premier recreation trail system. 
I am pleased to support the present planning process and trust it will deliver a high quality user experience for all the citizens of Boulder County. As a Boulder County taxpayer and resident, this is important to me. 

Thanks again for the opportunity to comment on this process.

 Sincerely,

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For those of you who like to know more about what is going on:

The 1996 Management Plan for the North Foothills Open Space included construction of a linkage trail between the town of Lyons and Heil Valley Ranch, and two loop trails within the property. Almost 10 years later we have only a single loop. BCPOS held a meeting in Lyons on Tuesday, July 26 to discuss new trail construction with the public. The potential for new trail looks good, but a small vocal minority opposes new trail construction. We should remind the BCPOS that there are a lot of us that want to see the County follow through on the management plan, especially by building a new loop at Heil Valley, not just a connector to Lyons. 

See this website for details from BCPOS:

http://www.co.boulder.co.us/openspace/management_plans/hall-heil_trail-alignmt.htm

There are several conceptual trail options, A,B,C and D. To download the map:

http://www.co.boulder.co.us/openspace/management_plans/hall-heil_align/open_house2/oh-map2_07-27-05.pdf

Option A requires dealing with land leasing issues with the quarry. It could not conceivably open for at least 20 years. Unacceptable. Options C and D pass through existing wildlife restriction areas. The area option C passes through was closed because of a Goshawk nest that blew down in a storm 6-7 years ago. The goshawks have not returned to nest since then. The closure D passes through hosts a golden eagle nest site, but the eagles do not use most of that land because they hunt in open plains areas, not wooded land. Option B offers the best second leg of a link with either C or D because it removes the potential bottleneck on the Waipiti and Ponderosa Loop trails. Option E is an integral part of options B, C and D, so the county does not treat it separately.

Tired of seeing trails closed to mountain bikes in Boulder County? Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! Join the Boulder Offroad Alliance and join the fight to open trails. Send a $25 check to BOA, PO Box 4954, Boulder, CO 80306, check our website at www.boa-mtb.org, or call 303-667-2467 for more information 

      Boulder Offroad Alliance - 1831 Spruce St. , Boulder, CO, 80302, United States  

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