Beaver Brook Watershed Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
OPEN SPACE MANAGEMENT PLAN CLEAR CREEK COUNTY COLORADO July 17, 2006 Prepared for Clear Creek County Open Space Commission by: Hogan-Darrow Design Partners Evergreen, Colorado BEAVER BROOK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN Approved by the Clear Creek County Open Space Commission Date: Frank Young CONTENTS Page Page List of Tables Existing Conditions Table 1: Local Recreational Supply 12 Clear Creek County Open Space Program 7 and Demand Existing open space 7 Table 2: Natural Resources Actions 20 and Implementation Plan About Beaver Brook Watershed Table 3: Recreational Uses Actions 30 Location and description 7 and Implementation Plan History and background 7 Table 4: Management Actions and 36 Agreements and regulations 8 Implementation Plan Natural features 8 Table 5: Recreational Facilities Actions 42 Non-natural features 9 and Implementation Plan Surrounding uses 9 Table 6: Data Collection and Data Bank 44 Access points 10 Actions and Implementation Plan Table 7: Continuum of Alternatives for 51 Beaver Brook Watershed Management Plan Managing and Controlling CCCOS mission 13 Recreational Uses Beaver Brook Watershed mission 13 List of Maps Management Planning Process Map 1: Beaver Brook Watershed – 5 Process and participants 14 Open Space Purchase Open Space management and planning 14 Map 2: Beaver Brook Watershed – 11 principles Existing Conditions Open space system perspective 14 Map 3: Beaver Brook Watershed – 38 Public demands 14 Trail Map (Proposed) Integrity of natural resources 14 Acknowledgements, Art Credits, Partnerships, Elements of Plan And Planning Team Members 4 Issues 15 Goals and recommendations 15 Executive Summary 6 Actions and implementation plans 15 Purpose of the management plan 6 Natural Resources Goal and Recommendations 16 2 Page Page Appendices Natural Resources Actions and 19 A. Additional uses to be considered 46 Implementation Plan B. Alternatives for managing recreational uses 47 Recreational Uses Goal and Recommendations 23 C. Alternatives to control recreational uses 50 Management areas 23 D. CCC Open Space rules and regulations 52 Recreational carrying capacity 23 E. Issues (from public open house) 60 Recreation in Beaver Brook Watershed 24 F. Scientific names of species in BBW 61 Recreational uses goal 25 G. Organizations and acronyms 62 Defined multiple recreational use 25 H. Summary of Comments: 63 Recreational use recommendations 26 Public Open House Meeting June 28, 2006 Recreational Uses Actions and 29 Implementation Plan Management Goal and Recommendations 31 Management Actions and Implementation Plan 35 Recreational Facilities Goal and 37 Recommendations Recreational Facilities Actions and 41 Implementation Plan Data Collection and Data Bank 43 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PARTNERSHIPS Lookout Mountain Water District We wish to acknowledge the following individuals and groups, US Forest Service who collectively ensured completion of this management plan: The Evergreen Naturalists Audubon Society Mountain Area Land Trust Colleen Gadd, Kim Frederick, Amy Ito – Jefferson County Friends of Beaver Brook Watershed Open Space Department State Land Board Gary Nichols, Park County Great Outdoors Colorado Ty Petersburg – Colorado Division of Wildlife Colorado Division of Wildlife Ron Stewart. Boulder County Open Space Department Bob Campbell, Bruce Epstein – Team Evergreen PLANNING TEAM MEMBERS David Richards – Intermountain Branch Jefferson County Kay Axtell, Friend of Beaver Brook Watershed Horse Council (IB-JCHC) Matt Sailor, Clear Creek County Ron Benson, Cheryl Matthews – Douglas County Open Space Candy Decker, Clear Creek County K-Lyn Cameron, Larimer County Open Lands Frank Young, Clear Creek County Brooke Gebow, Ramsey Canyon (The Nature Conservancy) Fran Enright, Clear Creek County Pete Helseth, Clear Creek County ART CREDITS Sue Howell, Clear Creek County Ginny Ades, Friends of Beaver Brook Watershed Logo Design by TLC Unlimited, Evergreen Amy Norton, Friends of Beaver Brook Watershed Public Meeting Power Point (June 28, 2006) presentation Jonathon Moore, Clear Creek County Citizen by Chris Habgood, Denver Becky Cook, Clear Creek County Citizen Pages 9, 10, 18, 19, 25, 27, 31, 35, 37, 39, Illustrations by William Seifert, Lookout Mountain Water District Marilyn Hogan, Evergreen John Roscoe, Lookout Mountain Water District Page 29, Illustration by Kit Darrow and Marilyn Hogan, Christina Shea, Lookout Mountain Water District Evergreen Don Ranta, Lookout Mountain Water District Page 40, Illustration by David Cuin, Evergreen Lori Denton, US Forest Service Maps provided by Clear Creek County Mapping Department 4 MAP 1: Beaver Brook Watershed – Open Space Purchase 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: overuse or resource damage are recommended. One or two BEAVER BROOK WATERSHED trails may be designated hiking only or hiking and equestrian MANAGEMENT PLAN only. Hunting and fishing are also allowed, with limitations. The Open Space includes two management area designations: Sensitive Areas, covering primarily riparian areas, or areas Beaver Brook Watershed (BBW) is the along streams and creeks, and Natural Areas, which include the newest Open Space parcel in Clear remainder of the parcel. Sensitive Areas may be closed to Creek County. It is located 3.5 miles visitor use, or other protective actions may be taken as needed west of Bergen Park on Squaw Pass to protect natural resources. Road, the westward continuation of Jefferson County Route 66. Its stunning Because strong public support exists for the BBW to maintain beauty encompasses a relatively intact or improve its ecosystem integrity, facilities and amenities will ecosystem, joining with surrounding be limited to only those that are absolutely necessary. Trails are lands to form a 17-mile wildlife and open space corridor from designed to use the existing road system as much as possible, the Mt. Evans Wilderness to Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen. and several old roads are recommended for closure and Beaver Brook Watershed Open Space consists of 1,442 acres. revegetation. New trail development will be kept to a The watershed itself stretches beyond the Open Space area, minimum. encompassing a total of 6,000 acres, and serves as the water source for the Clear Creek High School and 500 homes on One of the major recommendations is to explore management Lookout Mountain. options and sources of funding. Clear Creek County Open Space (CCCOS) will need secure sources of funding for BBW Purpose of the Management Plan management in the future. These issues are discussed in the chapter on management. The purpose of the management plan is to provide a comprehensive, useful, flexible tool to manage public Included in the plan are implementation actions, time frames recreation opportunities while protecting the natural resources and estimated costs. A list of organizations and acronyms used in the BBW. The management plan has been developed with often in this plan is shown in Appendix G, page 62. invaluable input from a wide variety of constituencies and citizens. The priority for decision making in this management plan is the protection of the natural resources in the BBW. All the recommendations in this plan are considered in view of the standard of protecting natural resources. For this reason, the allowed uses are non-motorized and include hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Management techniques to limit 6 EXISTING CONDITIONS also provides Open Space and outdoor recreation opportunities to eastern Clear Creek County. Parks are provided by the Clear CLEAR CREEK COUNTY OPEN Creek Metropolitan Recreation District, the Clear Creek SPACE PROGRAM County School District, the towns of Empire, Georgetown, Idaho Springs, and Silver Plume. Clear Creek County Open The Open Space Program began when Space consists of approximately 4,500 acres. To view a the voters approved a mill levy increase summary of outdoor recreation supplies and demands near in 1999 for the purposes of open space BBW, see Table 1, page 12. land acquisition and management. This has resulted in an approximate budget of ABOUT BEAVER BROOK WATERSHED $180,000 per year at this writing. Clear Creek County specifies that 25% of this amount can be used for Location and Description administration and site management. Beaver Brook Watershed is a unique open space in the Front The Open Space Commission (OSC) was appointed in April, Range in that it is one of the last remaining undeveloped 2000. The mission of the OSC is “to preserve and maintain the subalpine forests. Its wildflower-filled meadows, bubbling county’s unique character and natural environment by streams bounded by lush vegetation, forested slopes, abundant protecting our streams, woodlands, meadows, wildlife habitat, wildlife, and dramatic rock outcroppings are beloved to many recreational opportunities, prominent vistas, geologic features, people. Only 3.5 miles west on Squaw Pass Road from Route and cultural resources to enhance the quality of life for 74 in Bergen Park, it consists of 1,442 acres. Because of its residents and the enjoyment of the out-of-doors for residents proximity to Evergreen and the Denver metropolitan area, it is and visitors.” easily accessible to visitors. See Map 1, Open Space Purchase. Existing Open Space History and Background The United States Forest Service (USFS), the municipalities of Rich in cultural and natural history, this land has provided a Clear Creek County, the City of Denver Mountain Parks variety of uses as the Rocky Mountain area developed. (DMP), the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), the Georgetown Historical