TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: WHAT WE NEED A. Introduction B. Why Open Space? C. Why Trails? CHAPTER 2: WHAT WE FOUND A. Context 1. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 2. CULTURAL RESOURCES B. Prior Planning and Policies 1. 2009 DEWEY-HUMBOLDT GENERAL PLAN a. Land Use Element b. Crculaton Element c. Open Space/Trals Elements d. Envronmental Plannng Element e. Water Resources Element 2. State AND REGIONAL PLANS a. Arzona State Trals Plan b. Prescott Natonal Forest c. BLM Resource Management Plan d. BLM Travel Management Plan e. BLM Recreaton & Publc Purposes Plan f. Yavapa County Trals Master Plan g. Town of Prescott Valley Parks, Recreaton Master Plan and Bke/Pedestran Plan h. Hstorc Humboldt . Arzona Preserve Intatve C. Process and Public Feedback 1. OPEN Space AND TRAILS ADVisory COMMITTEE a. Open Space Dscusson b. Trals Dscusson 1) Our Users a) walkers/runners/hkers/pedestrans b) equestrans c) OHV users d) bcyclsts (road/tourng) Open Space and Trails Plan Town of Dewey-Humboldt A DYE DESIGN INC. August 17, 2010 e) mountan bkes f) persons wth specal needs 2) Tralheads 3) Tral Character 2. COMMUNITY FEEDBACK 3. THE VISION CHAPTER 3: WHAT WE PROPOSE A. Introduction B. Open Space/Trail Parks C. Neighborhood/Local Trail Loops D. Regional Trail Connectors E. Floodplain Conservation F. Trail System Design Guidelines 1. TRAIL PARKS 2. REGIONAL Connector TRAILS 3. NEIGHBORHOOD/LOCAL TRAILS 4. BACKCOUntry TRAILS 5. GRADE-Separated CROSSINGS 6. TRAILHEADS 7. SIGNS CHAPTER 4: HOW WE GET THERE A. Policy and Procedures Recommendations B. Project Recommendations C. Funding Opportunities D. Citizen Involvement Opportunities E. Partnership Opportunities APPENDIX A. References/Bibliography B. Sources for Potential Partners/Funding C. Project Prioritization Processes D. Arizona Recreational Use Statute E. Future Trail Corridor Analysis Process F. Typical Generalized Cost Estimates Open Space and Trails Plan A DYE DESIGN INC. Town of Dewey-Humboldt August 17, 2010 PLAN PARTICIPANTS OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Sandra Goodwn, Char Jack Hamlton (former Char, January-May) Carol Barker, Vce Char Skp Gladue Hed Remakel Norman Perry Kevn Leonard Judy Kerber (January – Aprl) TOWN STAFF Wllam Emerson, Town Manager A regular meeting of the Dewey-Humboldt Open Space and Trails Committee (OSAT) Denns Prce, Communty Development Drector Joel Berman, Town Engneer Lnda Baker, Records Manager/Admnstratve Assstant Judy Morgan, Town Clerk TOWN COUNCIL (2009-2010) Mayor Len Marnacco Vce Mayor Dense Rogers Dave Hles Nancy Wrght Floyd Wrght Mark McBrady (apponted July 2010) Terry Nolan Dave Nystrom Researching cultural resources CONSULTANT TEAM A DYE DESIGN INC., (PRIME CONSULtant) Angela D. Dye, FASLA Jeff Lothner, ASLA Tffany L. Halpern, ASLA Josh Trommler, ASLA COFFMAN STUDIOS James D. Coffman, ASLA Shepard-WESNITZER, MAPPING Rchard Aldrdge, PE Roger McCormck SAGE ENVIRONMentaL/ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Brad Stone, Senor Archeologst & Envronmental Planner Conducting field research Bran Sager, ASLA CANYON ENVIRONMentaL CONSULTING LLC Bruce Pavlck, Senor Bologst and Senor Envronmental Planner Open Space and Trails Plan Town of Dewey-Humboldt A DYE DESIGN INC. August 17, 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Black Canyon Trails Coalition www.bctaz.com Bureau of Land Management Hassayampa Field Office/ Stephen Cohn City of Prescott Chrs Hoskns, Trals Supervsor Prescott National Forest Bruce Fahrn, Recreaton Team Leader Jason Wllams, Trals, Wlderness Dspersed Recreaton Management Tahnee Robertson, Southwest Decson Resources Nat White, retired Flagstaff Urban Trals System Town of Prescott Valley Communty Development & Plannng staff/ Norm Davs Yavapai County Tammy Dewtt Ngel Reynolds Yavapai Trails Association www.yavapa-trals.org George Sheats v Open Space and Trails Plan A DYE DESIGN INC. Town of Dewey-Humboldt August 17, 2010 Page Intentionally Left Blank View east from the Old Black Canyon Highway Figure 1: Vicinity Map CHAPTER ONE: WHAT WE NEED Embedded n the Plan s the drecton and wll of ts ctzens as expressed by the Open Introduction Space and Trals advsory commttee (OSAT Commttee), formed January 6, 2010 by the The Open Space and Trals Master Plan Town Councl. The OSAT Commttee, was (OSAT) is wrtten to gve vson, gudance and charged by the Town Councl msson to make substance to the Town of Dewey-Humboldt for recommendatons and contrbutons toward the preservng open spaces wthn and adjacent completon of the OSAT Master Plan. to the Town, and for developng a tral system wthn the Town that connects to trals n the The Plan s dvded nto four chapters: Regon. 1) What We Need: the Need for a tral system and open space preservaton, The Plan follows from the expressed desre of the ctzens to keep the rural character and 2) What We Found: the Fndngs of the study spacous atmosphere of the Town, as descrbed and what ctzens sad they wanted, n the 2009 General Plan for the Town of Dewey- 3) What We Propose: the Recommendatons, Humboldt Open Space and Trals Element. proposed new polces, and prortes for The Plan addresses prmarly recreatonal trals makng the plan become realty, and rather than transportaton needs. Open Space and Trails Plan Page 1 Town of Dewey-Humboldt A DYE DESIGN INC. August 17, 2010 4) How We Get There: the Acton Plan and The Town of Dewey-Humboldt values and przes who can help get the Plan completed. ts locaton wthn a specal area of Arzona. For Town ctzens and future generatons, the An extensve Appendx s ncluded, lstng benefits are immeasurable and lasting. resources, people to contact, and mnutes from the Open Space and Trals advsory commttee Why Trails? meetngs. The Arzona Trals 2010: a Statewde Motorzed & Why Open Space? Non-Motorzed Trals Plan, adopted September 2009, states that “trals have been an integral Open space can be defined loosely as land part of human cvlzaton… to follow game, predomnantly open and undeveloped, n a trade goods, and explore uncharted terrtores. natural state. “Open space provdes a range Today trals … exercse our bodes and quet Dewey-Humboldt today boasts views, vistas, and of benefits to citizens of a community. Parks our mnds, … lead us to places of nspraton open space. and natural areas can be used for recreaton; and challenge, … and are avenues to qualty wetlands and forests provde clean water famly tme and socal interacton. Smply put, supply (for groundwater), (prevent eroson), trals mprove our qualty of lfe.” and provde wldlfe habtat; farms and forests provide aesthetic benefits to surrounding From the 2008 Statewde Comprehensve resdents.” (source: The Value of Open Space: Outdoor Recreaton Plan (SCORP), “84% of Evidence from Studies of Nonmarket Benefits, all tral users and 99% of ‘nvolved users’ sad 2005). trals are important to ther qualty of lfe.” As part of the statewde 2009 tral plannng effort, Open space s a refuge for people and surveys conducted in 2008 revealed 68.6% of nature, a vsual relef for people from the Arzonans use trals. Of that number, 63.7% urban envronment and from the stresses of are non-motorzed users, 21.5% are motorzed everyday lfe, and a natural buffer between users, and 14.8% are non-users. Yavapa communtes. Open space can preserve a County has the second hghest number of tral communty’s rural character for the long term. users in the state next to Coconno County, wth Wldlfe habtat, wetlands and watersheds, 64.4% non-motorzed, 12.1% motorzed, and natve plant habtat, stream and rver corrdors, 23.5% non-tral users. stewardshp n perpetuty of the natural envronment; archaeologcal and hstorc stes and resources are all areas that benefit from open space conservaton. It s an essental part of sustanng the qualty of lfe for resdents and future generatons. Arzona state law recognzes that the preservation of open space can benefit Arizona ctzens today and nto the future through the state trust land. The Arzona Preserve Intatve (API) was passed and sgned nto law n 1996. API, admnstered by the State Land Department, s desgned to encourage the preservaton of select parcels of state Trust land in and around urban areas for open space to benefit future generations. Springtime in Dewey-Humboldt Page 2 Open Space and Trails Plan A DYE DESIGN INC. Town of Dewey-Humboldt August 17, 2010 The top 10 reasons why people use Arzona environment, for the benefit of generations trals, accordng to Arzona State Parks 1999 to come, teachng tral ethcs and tral user are: respect. Knowng the rules of the tral 1. observe the scenc beauty and respectng other users means more people can enjoy them and lmts damage 2. enjoy the sounds and smells of nature to natural resources. Trals are good for 3. be away from crowds famles and chldren – inexpensve outngs, wth educatonal, recreatonal, and lastng 4. enjoy the soltude memores of famly lfe. 5. be n the mountans The ctzens of Dewey-Humboldt, beng stuated 6. be by a stream or rver n a lghtly developed, scenc landscape wth 7. explore new areas access to public land and trails, stand to benefit from all these attrbutes of a tral system. The tall treeline follows the flow of the Agua Fria 8. mprove physcal health River. 9. be by a lake 10. be wth famly and frends Usng trals, accordng to Arzona Trals 2010, have been shown to lead to: • Better physcal and mental health by helpng prevent dsease and reduce health care costs. Ths is especally true in Arzona where the clmate allows for year-round enjoyment for a wde range of people, ncludng persons wth dsabltes, chldren and youth, the elderly and others who mght otherwse be less physcally actve. • Contrbute to local economes by creatng jobs and toursm dollars. The sale of sportng goods and equpment supports local busnesses; vacaton dollars are spent at local restaurants, for lodgng, and for local guides and outfitters.