Management Plan Into One Document
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Parks and Open Space 5201 St. Vrain Road • Longmont, Colorado 80503 MEMORANDUM TO: North Foothills Plan FROM: Jesse Rounds RE: Plan Organization In an effort to consolidate files online, Boulder County Parks and Open Space has combined the many files regarding the North Foothills Management Plan into one document. The document attached to this cover note includes the following documents: • North Foothills Open Space Management Plan Volume I • North Foothills Open Space Management Plan Volume II Also included are the documents relating Amendment I of the plan that had to do with access to Hall and Heil Valley Ranches from the Town of Lyons. The documents included are: • Memorandum to BOCC Outlining Staff Recommendations • Summary of the January 12, 2006 BOCC Hearing • Hall to Lyons Map • Heil Valley Ranch Closure Amendment • Heil to Lyons Map By clicking on the above links users can access specific parts of the document. Cindy Domenico County Commissioner Ben Pearlman County Commissioner Will Toor County Commissioner <> DRAFT NORTH FOOTHILLS OPEN SPACE MANAGEMENT PLAN VOLUME I RESOURCE EVALUATION PREPARED BY: BOULDER COUNTY PARKS AND OPEN SPACE MARCH 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES ............................................ 4 LANDSCAPE SETTING ......................................... 5 1.0INTRODUCTION .................................... 5 2.0RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES .................. 5 3.0GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTIES ............... 10 3.1Acquisitions ............................... 10 3.2Physical Characteristics ................... 11 3.2.1Location ......................... 11 3.2.2Climate .......................... 12 3.2.3Topography ....................... 12 3.2.4Geology .......................... 16 3.2.5Soils ............................ 17 3.2.6Hydrology ........................ 20 3.3Land Use Considerations .................... 21 3.3.1Context of Properties ............ 21 3.3.2Adjacent Land Use and Ownership .. 22 3.3.320th Century Land Use ............ 23 3.3.4Current Leases ................... 24 3.3.5Easements, Right-of-ways, Decrees and Other Rights ................. 25 RESOURCE EVALUATIONS ...................................... 26 4.0VEGETATIVE RESOURCES ............................ 26 4.1Historic Ecology ........................... 26 4.1.1Changes is Forest Structure ...... 26 4.1.2Adventive Plants ................. 27 4.2Resource Inventories/Current Conditions .... 28 4.2.1Plant Communities ................ 28 4.2.2Forests .......................... 31 4.2.3Range ............................ 35 4.2.4Weeds ............................ 39 4.3Significant Resources ...................... 39 4.3.1Rare Plants ...................... 40 4.3.2Natural Communities and Conservation Sites ............... 40 5.0WILDLIFE RESOURCES .............................. 46 5.1Historic Ecology ........................... 46 5.2Resource Inventories/Current Conditions .... 48 5.2.1Mammals .......................... 48 5.2.2Birds ............................ 54 5.2.3Amphibians and Reptiles .......... 55 5.2.4Fish ............................. 55 5.2.5Invertebrates .................... 56 5.3Significant Resources ...................... 56 1 5.3.1Mammals .......................... 57 Page 5.3.2Birds ............................ 58 5.4Maintaining Habitat Effectiveness .......... 65 6.0CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................. 67 6.1Cultural History ........................... 67 6.1.1Prehistoric Context .............. 67 6.1.2Historic Context ................. 68 6.2Cultural Sites and Structures .............. 72 6.2.1Prehistoric Sites ................ 73 6.2.2Historic Sites and Structures .... 74 7.0VISITOR SERVICES ... ............................ 76 7.1Recreation Potential ....................... 76 7.1.1Significant Resources ............ 77 7.1.2Trail System Considerations ...... 78 7.1.3Other Recreation Resources ....... 78 7.2Existing Fencing ........................... 79 7.3Safety Considerations ...................... 82 LITERATURE CITED .......................................... 83 APPENDICES ................................................ 90 APPENDIX 1 SOILS INFORMATION ..................... 90 APPENDIX 2 PLANT ASSOCIATIONS .................... 94 APPENDIX 3 SPECIES RARITY RANKING SYSTEMS ........ 96 APPENDIX 4 POTENTIAL RARE PLANT SPECIES .......... 98 aPPENDIX 5 POTENTIAL MAMMALS ...................... 99 APPENDIX 6 BREEDING BIRD SPECIES ................. 101 APPENDIX 7 AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES ............... 104 2 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1Location Map ............................... 13 Figure 2 Property Locations ......................... 14 Figure 3Topography ................................. 15 Figure 4aSoils - Hall Ranch ......................... 18 Figure 4b Soils - Heil/Trevarton ..................... 19 Figure 5Vegetation Types ........................... 29 Figure 6Range Condition Inventory Locations ........ 37 Figure 7aSignificant Plant Associations and Butterfly Habitat - Hall Ranch ............. 42 Figure 7bSignificant Plant Associations and Butterfly Habitat - Heil/Trevarton ................... 43 Figure 8Natural Heritage Conservation Sites ........ 44 Figure 9 Bighorn Sheep Overall Range ................ 50 Figure 10a Avian Conservation Areas .................. 60 Hall Ranch Figure 10b Avian Conservation Areas .................. 61 Heil/Trevarton Figure 11a Existing Fencing - Hall Ranch ............. 80 Figure 11b Existing Fencing - Heil/Trevarton ......... 81 3 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1North Foothills Open Space - Acquisitions, Protection and Other Public Land ........... 11 Table 2Characteristics of Soils ................... 17 Table 3Range Condition Inventories ................ 38 Table 4Natural Heritage Conservation Sites ........ 41 Table 5Mammal Species of Special Concern .......... 57 Table 6Bird Species of Special Concern ............ 58 Table 7Land Ownership/Patenting Activity .......... 71 4 NORTH FOOTHILLS OPEN SPACE MANAGEMENT PLAN (Covering Hall Ranch, Heil Ranch, Trevarton Ranch and other adjacent public and protected private lands - 11,048 acres) LANDSCAPE SETTING 1.0 INTRODUCTION The lands west of Lyons between the North and South St. Vrain creeks, and west of Foothills Highway between Lefthand and St. Vrain creeks, have long been recognized as significant for their beauty, natural resources and cultural value. The initial Boulder County Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1978, designated these lands as having high scenic value. The undeveloped nature of these lands has been retained from prehistoric peoples to homesteaders, and continued with current day ranchers and farmers. Formal County actions to protect these lands for future generations began in 1990 with the acquisition of Trevarton Open Space and Conservation Easement. These actions have continued through 1996 with the acquisition of Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch, as well as conservation easements being placed on portions of the Loukonen Ranch. Additionally, the County is under contract to acquire 162 acres of the Mack Property. Hopefully, protection will continue by securing adjacent State Lands and BLM parcels. The result of the above described actions is the saving of 11,048 acres of land. Together, they are being called North Foothills Open Space (NFOS). They represent one of the most significant land saving ventures ever undertaken in the county. The natural and cultural values of these properties will be protected for current and future citizens to enjoy. They also represent important steps in protecting an ecosystem from the Continental Divide to the Great Plains. We wish to express our gratitude to the Hall, Heil, Loukonen, Trevarton, Edwards and Mack families who decided to take the necessary land saving actions and protect their lands from development for the benefit of all citizens. We also wish to express our gratitude to all the citizens of Boulder County who have provided the means to acquire these ranches. 2.0 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES Those goals in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan of particular relevance to the North Foothills Open Space include: B.1Unique or distinctive natural features and systems and cultural features and sites should be conserved and preserved in 5 recognition of the irreplaceable character of such resources and their importance to the quality of life in Boulder County. Other resources should be managed in a manner which is consistent with sound conservation practices, while enhancing compatibility between natural and man-made characteristics. B.3Critical wildlife habitats should be conserved and preserved in order to avoid the depletion of wildlife and to perpetuate and encourage a diversity of species in the County. B.4Significant natural communities (including significant riparian communities) and rare plant sites should be conserved and preserved to retain living examples of natural ecosystems, furnish a baseline of ecological processes and function, and enhance and maintain the biodiversity of the region. B.5Wetlands which are important to maintaining the overall balance of ecological systems should be conserved. B.7Productive agricultural land is a limited resource of both environmental and economic value and should be conserved and preserved. C.1Provision should be made for open space to meet human needs throughout the County in order to protect and enhance the quality of life and enjoyment of the environment. C.3Open Space should be promoted as an urban-shaping method and as a