A BLM Wildlands Outing to Ecology Park Saturday, November 17, 2018 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Trailhead to Trailhead times)
Ecology Park is located just southwest of Canon City and south of Royal Gorge, and is jointly managed by the BLM and the City of Canon City. This scenic and recreational area offers hiking trails and access to Grape Creek and Temple Canyon. This hike, following-up our May 2018 outing, is approximately 5 miles with 500 feet elevation gain and will explore the western end of the area.
Parts of this area are threatened by proposed BLM oil and gas leasing, as well as mining, which we will discuss on this outing. We also will learn about the BLM’s current Resource Management Plan revision, and how it could affect the area and local wildlife.
This hike is sponsored by Wild Connections, Pikes Peak Group Sierra Club, and Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition. Bring lunch, snacks, water, clothing and footwear suitable for the weather conditions. An optional carpool from Colorado Springs will be arranged.
Maximum 15 participants.
For more information or to register for the hike, contact Jim Lockhart at 719-385-0045 or jlock@datawest.net.
Grand Canyon Hills at Grape Creek, Ecology Park. Public Hike atop hogback overlooking Grape Creek. 2015. Photo John Sztukowski.
Wild Connections 2018-2019 South Park Alpine Restoration Projects, made possible in part by Park County Lands and Water Trust Fund
In the summer of 2018, Wild Connections, working with long-time partners, USFS South Park Ranger District, Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative (MRHI), and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV), completed two large South Park Alpine restoration projects, in a series of South Park restoration projects that will continue into 2019. The headwaters of both North Tarryall Creek and Beaver Creek in the USFS South Park Ranger District had been negatively impacted by illegal motorized activity, which heavily damaged the alpine wildlife habitat and connectivity, as well as these riparian areas and watersheds. Over three full workdays in August 2018, Wild Connections and partners, with 40-50 volunteers each day, completed projects to reclaim about two miles of illegal road via raking, seeding, and mulching at North Tarryall Creek, located west of Como, and another mile at Beaver Creek, just north of Fairplay. This was followed up with a successful two-day project in September to construct a non-motorized trail at Beaver Creek.
Wild Connections and our partners are excited to continue these important South Park Alpine restoration projects into 2019, with additional restoration work at Beaver Creek, as well as Sheep Mountain, located west of Fairplay. This work was made possible in part by the Park County Land and Water Trust Fund. The LWTF is supported by a 1% sales tax in Park County and is dedicated to defending, protecting and restoring Park County’s remaining water resources.
Over the past 20 years, these funds have been leveraged 2:1 to protect over 7,000 acres of wetlands, restore 40 miles of streams, create public access to streams and lakes, and defend water rights in court.
The LWTF is up for renewal on this year’s ballot, so when you vote in Park County, please remember the importance of this program. To learn more, please visit www.friendsofparkcountylandandwater.org.
Wild Connections' 2018 South Park Alpine Restoration Project at North Tarryall Creek. Photo Wild Connections.
Wild Connections' 2018 South Park Alpine Restoration Project at Beaver Creek. Photo Wild Connections.
And check out Friends of Park County Land and Water's new short video, which provides additional information and education:
Congresswoman Diana DeGette introduced the 2018 Colorado Wilderness Act on July 24, 2018 at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver, CO.
The Colorado Wilderness Act began as the Citizen’s Wilderness Plan, developed by a group of concerned citizens and organizations, including Wild Connections, who inventoried federal lands throughout the state to identify pristine lands that met the criteria for Wilderness designation.
The proposal was modified after discussion and was presented to Congresswoman Diana DeGette. She agreed those lands required protection and introduced a bill to designate the areas as Wilderness, which is the strongest level of land protection in the country. The need for this protection has only grown as more people have moved or traveled to Colorado to enjoy the natural splendor here.
Congresswoman DeGette has introduced the Colorado Wilderness Act in every Congress since 1999. The new bill reflects the efforts of grassroots activists to update the inventory of Colorado’s lands with wilderness characteristics. It aims to protect lower-lying BLM lands that have historically been less of a focus than the higher, alpine-zone areas for which Colorado is more well-known.
The 2018 Colorado Wilderness Act designates 31 areas in Colorado as Wilderness and two areas as Potential Wilderness, totaling more than 740,000 acres! Many of the proposed areas are mid-elevation ecosystems that are underrepresented in currently designated Colorado Wilderness, and they provide valuable habitat for a staggering variety of plants and wildlife. These areas include stunning red cliffs, winding river-ways, and steep, rocky ridges.
The proposed wilderness areas in our region include Browns Canyon in the Upper Arkansas River Valley, Badger Creek, Table Mountain, McIntyre Hills, and Grape Creek in the Arkansas River Canyonlands, and Beaver Creek, located between Canon City and Colorado Springs.
Table Mountain Proposed Wilderness, taken from McIntyre Hills Proposed Wilderness. Photo Kate Spinelli
Sangre de Cristo Mountains over Beaver Creek Proposed Wilderness. Photo Kate Spinelli.
Support
Wild Connections'
2018 Give! Campaign
& Colorado Gives Day
The donations that we receive through these campaigns help us involve our communities to do more to protect our precious natural resources and public lands in Central Colorado.
Give! is a year-end philanthropic initiative created to encourage everyone in the Pikes Peak region to give back and get involved with local nonprofits.
In 2017, Give! helped raise over $1.5 Million for 75 local nonprofits. This year’s campaign runs November 1st Through December 31st, 2018.
Colorado Gives Day® is a statewide movement to increase online giving, presented onDecember 4, 2018.
Colorado Gives Day ® is one the most successful events of its kind in the nation. Since its inception in 2010, the event has raised more than $182 million for Colorado nonprofits!
