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Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 | |
What is a turkey's favorite dessert? Peach gobbler. | |
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Parks Advisory Board Votes on E-Bikes
A split decision by COS Parks Advisory Board will send the proposed E-Bike policy to City Council. The issue attracted a packed house with supporters and opponents. Those speaking against the proposal want a public vote on the TOPS ordinance. A slim Board majority voted to allow Class 1,2 and 3 e-bikes on urban trails and allow Class 1 e-bikes on soft surface trails in parks and open spaces including TOPS properties. The proposed ordinance updates the city code and provides definitions that classify e-bikes as non-motorized across the entire park system. The policy aligns with recent survey results and e-bike use in COS. Should the policy be adopted, park staff has promised a phased in approach that includes education and enforcement.
The goal is to make trails safer for all users.
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TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE COALITION NEWS | |
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TOSC x Snooze Hike
TOSC staff led staff and families from Snooze AM Eatery, on a hike in North Cheyenne Canon Park. Snooze (TOSC's Business Partner of the Year) has made an impact by helping promote TOSC's One Bag Challenge and leading an in-store fundraiser this past spring. This hike was a celebration of a blossoming partnership.
Every guided program TOSC leads includes a One Bag Challenge component. Several participants carried One Bag Challenge bags and picked up litter along the trails. The group removed about 5 lbs. of litter from the park. The most unusual item was a near complete deck of weathered Uno cards. Most of the litter found were recklessly discarded bottles and cans.
Does your business want to become a TOSC Business Partner? Let's Chat!
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Celebrating Partnerships and Community Connections through the Urban Walk Series
Our collaboration with RISE|Southeast on the Urban Walk series continues to bring exciting opportunities! We recently connected with the General Manager of the Satellite Hotel, and the owner of Kamayan Hideaway, a vibrant restaurant located in the iconic building. Their enthusiasm to support our Get Out Get Healthy and RISE Urban Walk initiatives is inspiring, and their location adds a unique touch to our efforts in Southeast Colorado Springs.
The first community Urban Walk was a wonderful success! Starting at the Satellite Hotel, participants enjoyed a scenic 1.7-mile stroll to the historic Audubon Bird Sanctuary property, a hidden gem just steps away. Despite the chilly and damp weather, spirits were high as the group explored the area and learned about exciting plans for the wetlands' future as a thriving habitat.
Adding to the momentum, TOSC Board President Jerry Cordova and Allen had the pleasure of touring the site later with District 4 City Councilor Yolanda Avila. Together, they highlighted neighborhood connectivity, shared the high-level vision for the upcoming wetlands project, and took in the stunning fall colors that showcased the property's natural beauty.
We’re thrilled to see these initiatives come to life and can't wait to continue building connections, fostering health, and showcasing the treasures of Southeast Colorado Springs. To find out about upcoming Urban Walks, please follow RISE|Southeast on Facebook and Event Calendar, and we will also promote them through our TOSC social media channels and Trail Talk!
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Rock Island Trail on the Prairie
This past Sunday, Allen and a group of like-minded pedalers visited Falcon to meet up with Mike Pach, the owner of 3 Peaks Photography & Design. Mike is working on a project and wanted to capture a bit of action on the Rock Island Trail, and we knew just the cyclists who would enjoy the experience…and be cool with the required “work”. Pedal a short bit, capture photos, and repeat. Being an active sport model is tough work, but we at TOSC are eager to assist when needed to help promote our regional parks, open spaces, and trails!
After the required images were captured, the team of riders embarked on a little connectivity tour traveling miles along the Rock Island Trail and enjoying the historic railroad bridges and wide-open (and flat!) expanse of trail. They continued by accessing the urban trail network that heads north towards Horseshoe Park in Woodmen Hills development. What a delightful trail it is, meandering up through the beautiful greenway space that honors the wetlands habitat and features a disc golf course.
We connected from the trail to the off-street sidewalk network and the Purple Toad Social Tap & Grill for a late lunch. We appreciated being able to connect to destinations throughout their community and will work to advocate for expanding their network of trails that will allow additional miles of enjoyable recreation and off-street transportation. Here is a link to our route, we encourage you to experience the trails in Falcon as well.
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Guess the Park:
One Star Reviews
Can you guess which local park received this one star review on Google?
"It's a desert in the middle of nowhere. Giving this a star rating compared to other things in Colorado is laughable. If you're bored out of your mind, take a walk, but don't expect anything at all."
This review came from a park that has a 4.8 star rating out of 6,857 reviews on Google. Over 5,000 of these reviews are 5 stars with people amazed by what they found in this park.
Click here for the answer!
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Exciting Update: TOSC Social Club Walk & Roll at Adams Open Space Will Be Rescheduled!
We were so eager to explore the stunning #hiddeninplainsight gem that is Adams Open Space with our amazing Social Club walkers and bikers this past Saturday. However, Mother Nature had other plans! The recent Albuquerque Low storm left the trails covered in slushy snow and mud, so in honor of our Leave No Trace commitment, we made the thoughtful decision to reschedule.
Our team worked hard to get the word out through event pages, Facebook and emails to registered participants. While we regret that a few folks made it out to the Fountain Library before learning about the change, we truly appreciate your patience and understanding. Your time and enthusiasm mean the world to us!
To stay connected and ensure smooth communication, we encourage everyone to register for future events through our free TicketStripe link. This helps us share updates directly with you and keep you in the loop.
Stay tuned for the new date—we can't wait to share the beauty of Adams Open Space and other trails managed by the City of Fountain Parks Department with you soon!
Thank you for being part of our amazing TOSC community!
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Season of Giving
GIVE CAMPAIGN: Nov. 1st to Jan. 3rd - The Give Campaign is the Pikes Peak region's largest community philanthropic event. Donations can be made to TOSC anytime during this window of opportunity. Give to TOSC HERE.
GIVING TUESDAY: Dec. 3rd - Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity.
COLORADO GIVES DAY: Dec. 10th - TOSC is participating in Colorado Gives Day this year. Donations can be made HERE.
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Welcome Anna!
Rock Ledge Ranch is one of our many park gems. For those new to Colorado Springs, the Ranch is nestled next to Garden of the Gods Park and free to enter.
Anna Cross, the new Park Operations Administrator wants residents to delight in this “living history museum”, enjoy the horses and farm animals, historic buildings and walk the trails. Anna’s love of horses and
passion for historical preservation brought her here from California. She is still learning the property and is eager to put her marketing and management skills to work turning this gem into one of the city’s Crown Jewels. Already popular with tourists, she hopes residents will return to the ranch again and again. The usable 80 acres becomes a popular and unique outdoor classroom for school children who learn about nature, history and culture. On any given day you might find Anna mucking stalls or grooming and feeding the horses. Next time you stop by Rock Ledge Ranch, say hello to Anna!
Want to learn more about Rock Ledge Ranch? Click on the links below!
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Garden of the Gods Park:
Road Closure Alert | Nov. 18th - Nov. 22nd
Temporary Traffic Changes Due to the Waterline Instillation Project
From Monday, Nov. 18, through Friday, Nov. 22:
- Inbound lane to Gateway Rd. will be closed to all traffic (vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians)
- Juniper Way Loop between the intersection of Gateway Rd. to Parking Lot 6 will be closed.
- Alternate entrances: Balanced Rock, Ridge Rd., & Beckers Ln.
- Shuttles will run from Lot 1, Friday-Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (no shuttle service Nov. 18 & 22).
Some trails and climbing areas are also temporarily closed—check ColoradoSprings.gov/GOGWaterlineProject
*Graphics below created by the Friends of Garden of the Gods
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US Forest Service - PSICC National Forest:
Impassable Roads
Due to recent weather events, some forest roads are not passable because of snow, snow drifts and ice. Roads may still be open, but a portion or the whole road may not be accessible due to winter conditions. Many roads on or near national forests are operated and maintained by other local, state or federal agencies and may also not be passable.
Please contact your local Forest Service office for additional road information.
Pike Ranger District:
719-636-1602
South Park Ranger District:
719-836-2031
General FS-PSICC Information
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Trail Conditions
"Plan ahead and prepare." That is one of the seven Leave No Trace Principles.
During mud and ice season, learning trail conditions will save you from surprise sticky (and slick!) situations.
Fremont Adventure Recreation (Fremont County): Trail conditions and news webpage
Colorado Springs Trail Conditions: Facebook & Instagram
Hiking Bob: Recently on Facebook, he has been on the search for dryer trails.
Pikes Peak Highway: Updates on Pikes Peak Highway conditions and closures can be found by calling 719-385-7325 and selecting option 1.
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El Paso County Parks:
Did You Know?
Did you know? Per capita support for El Paso County parks, trails, open space and nature centers will be $5.58 in 2025. That means general fund support for county park properties divided by our county population comes out to the cost of a fancy cup of coffee. While higher than last year, it’s still considerably lower than most counties to our north.
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Paint Mines Master Plan
Please take time today to read the Paint Mines Interpretive Park Master Plan and provide comments.
Read the Draft Plan HERE.
The plan addresses key concerns: preserving the rocks, providing more parking, adding
signage, improving trails, managing large number of visitors and improving the user
experience.
The plan provides great historical information, participant feedback and best practice
solutions. One of the proposals is to make all signs bilingual.
The project cost estimate without the Visitor Center is $4.77 million. Adding a Visitor
Center would add $1.5 to 2 million to the total cost.
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Quick Bits
Western Colorado University: Southwestern Forests Burn only a Fraction as Often as they Once Did
...but when they do, the consequences are more severe. Read their research HERE.
Gazette: New Trail on Pikes Peak Continues Push Toward Tree Line
Seth Boster with The Gazette sits down with staff from the Rocky Mountain Field Institute to discuss the progress being made on the Devil's Playground Trail reroute project. Read more HERE.
Castle Rock: Lost Canyon Ranch Open Space Master Plan Process
The Town planners are looking for your feedback! What kind of things would you like to see at the new Lost Canyon Ranch Open Space? They are in the master planning phase and would like to hear from all different user types! Survey is open until 12/13.
Chime in here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LostCanyonRanch
Colorado's Tava Sandstones Provide New Evidence for "Snowball Earth"
Geologists have uncovered evidence that glaciers covered Earth down to the equator hundreds of millions of years ago. "Tava" sandstone, which is present in local parks and open spaces where the Ute Pass Fault passes through, is the center piece of this research. Read HERE. Learn more about Tavakaiv sandstone HERE.
What are "Foothills?"
Colorado Public Radio interviews experts to find out the answer to where foothills end and mountains begin. Read more HERE.
Continuing Coverage of the U.S.F.S Hiring Freeze:
Colorado Sun: Forest Service won't Hire Seasonal Workers Next Year, will rely on Colorado Volunteer Groups to "Fill Gaps"
Jason Blevins, with the Colorado Sun, does a great job finding out how Colorado's National Forests will be impacted by the forecasted hiring freeze. Expect major impacts to volunteer projects. Read more HERE.
Local Podcasts:
Loving the Springs - Loving the Springs celebrates the launch of the Give Campaign. Listen HERE.
Outdoors with Hiking Bob - Bob sits down with Fox21 Chief Meteorologist, Matt Meister, to chat about the complexities of predicting Pikes Peak region weather. Listen HERE.
Pedal the Springs - Host Torie Giffin chats with members of the Manitou Spokes Cycling Club. Listen (and watch) HERE.
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Community & Volunteer Events | | | | |
