MEETING OF THE PARKS & OPEN SPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

Regular Meeting Minutes

Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 6:30 P.m. - 8:30 P.m.

Third Floor Hearing Room

County Court House

1325 Pearl Street, Boulder

Members Present:

• Janet George
• Tony Lewis
• Trace Baker
• Paula Fitzgerald
• Drew Adams
• Jackson Moller

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1.

Call to Order

2.

Roll Call

3.

Election of Vice Chair

Drew Adams nominated Tony Lewis for Vice Chair. Paula Fitzgerald seconded the nomination. The majority voted to approve Tony Lewis for Vice Chair. 

4.

Approval of Last Month's Minutes

Paula Fitzgerald moved approval of the March meeting minutes. Janet George seconded. The meeting minutes are approved by an unanimous vote.

5.

Public Comment Period for Items Not on Agenda

Wendy Sweet, Executive Director of Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, 3600 Dartmouth, Boulder. She was glad to see the hard work done on the Wapiti Trail. She said Heil trail building will be difficult due to soil conditions. She said public was not involved in trail rebuilding discussions.

Tess McDonald,376 JJ Kelly Rd, Lyons. She was concerned about pesticides being used with no notification. Concerned that people are unaware of the spraying. Also, expressed concern about the effects to soil and climate from the pesticides.

Kathleen Sands, 1612 Green Pl., Longmont. She is part of Lyons Climate Action and she is concerned about pesticide use. She said there was about 50 years of topsoil left. She expressed concerns about public values versus POS values and how they differ.

6.

POSAC Members Comment Period for Items Not on Agenda

Tony Lewis asked for more information about the process of how trails are laid out.

Therese Glowacki responded that staff does an assessment of the area for conservation values, including wildlife and rare plants, and then look to see what areas would be appropriate. In the case of Heil Valley Ranch, the US Fish & Wildlife Service said we could not have a trail so close to the new golden eagle nest. BCPOS staff are also aware that rare plants are present in the area. This information that was considered in the process, which limited our options. In many instances of trail planning, public comments are considered, but this was not a case where this was appropriate.

Kristine Johnson asked how public feedback is considered in the matter of construction of a trail.

Therese Glowacki responded that the public and volunteer groups are often included in those considerations.

Paula Fitzgerald asked if BCPOS was planning to add barriers to prevent cross cutting by visitors where there are switchbacks. 

Therese Glowacki responded that our trails are monitored and Heil Valley Ranch has a onsite caretaker watching for problems. 

Jarret Roberts, Recreation & Facilities Division Manager, added that the trails crew is using dead trees from the burn area to use as barriers in the area of switchbacks.

7.

Presentations

7.1

Cultural Resources Update

Staff Presenter: Carol Beam, Cultural Resource Specialist

Action Requested: Information only

7.2

Cultural Responsiveness & Inclusion Strategic Plan (CRISP) Update

Staff Presenters: Mary Olson, Landscape Architect and Ernst Strenge, Senior Planner

Action Requested: Information only

7.3

Agricultural Resources Program Update

Staff Presenter: Mike Foster, Agricultural Resources Division Manager

Action Requested: Information only

8.

Director's Update

• The East Boulder Creek Management Plan is entering Phase 2, which will include field trips, open houses, and a second online survey. The first survey in Phase 1 received over 1,000 comments.
• Earth Day events included thirteen volunteers at Hall Ranch to work on trail reroutes to lesson the number of closures due to muddy trails.
• New bilingual sign panels will be installed at Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm soon. Our department has hired a second position to the Signs staff.
• There will be construction in the parking lot at Heil Valley Ranch to replace bridges that were lost in the Calwood fire. No trail closures are planned during this work.
• The Agricultural Heritage Center is implementing the stabilization of the McIntosh barn, so it can stand for many more years.
• The Boulder County community sort yards are reopening: Nederland on May 3, Meeker Park on May 17.
• The five-county area along with NoCo Places is pushing COTREX as the go-to app for finding trails. https://trails.colorado.gov/
• The bridge culvert on the Hidden Star Trail, which is part of the Niwot Loop trail system, has been fixed and expanded as part of our maintenance backlog projects.
• The Redbelly Dace Project, which has raised and released the fish locally, has been expanded to include Northern Leopard Frogs, a species of special concern.

9.

Adjournment