Name Comment Susanna Drogsvold I am absolutely appalled that you would consider the area north of Ward near Beaver Reservoir as a possible shooting range . As a homeowner in the area and a frequent hiker near the reservoir I can assure you that the woods there are full of people hiking all through the woods. The Boy Scout camp is right there (there are young boys from the city who come to the area to experience the solitude and quiet of nature and one of them could easily wander into harms way), hikers, and in the winter skiers, on the Sourdough Trail, Cony Flats Trail and other trails nearby. Beaver Reservoir itself is owned by a veterans group to provide them with a safe quiet refuge. Veterans with PTSD will be traumatized. Debra Biasca I strongly oppose placement of any sport shooting in the County, and especially in Magnolia Road area. My family lives there (although I live in the City) and they have children and dogs. If 1/4 mile is the limit for sport shooting, people are going to hear gunshots throughout the day and hiking, snow-shoeing and other quiet enjoyment of the area will be impossible. That's unfair to residents. I fear for the safety and quality of life of my children and grandchildren and their pets. Let the people who want to practice shooting go to an existing location -- there are plenty. We hear them when we hike on open space in South Boulder/Superior/Marshall. Not that we're happy about that. My views about gun-control notwithstanding, I don't see why the County has to accommodate every sport people enjoy. We don't have a bungy-jumping court, nor do we need to expend any of our precious resources on that, or gun practice. Let's fix the county roads before we think about these extras. I may not be able to attend the meetings, and it seems to me that the County is as weak in gathering public input as the City if that is how they plan to do it. That said, I truly appreciate being able to express my views through this contact form. Thanks for listening -- a reply would be appreciated if that's possible. Perhaps you can respond especially to the safety and nuisance issues I am raising here. Ron Cheyney I got a copy of the letter that Annie wrote to you. I just want to say that not "all" of us are "very concerned". Some of us, like me, are in favor of such sites, especially if they are well-maintained by responsible gun owners. Our forests should not be a place where one fears for his life. They must not be essentially wide open shooting ranges. I have personally heard bullets whiz barely above my head while hiking in Mammoth Basin in Arapaho Nat Forest. I know three other people who similarly have nearly been hit by stray bullets in the same area. Enough is enough. It is clearly time to ban target shooting in National Forests, except maybe in small supervised areas where bullets, gunshot sounds, and associated vaporized lead and other gun smoke pollution are strictly confined. Shooters should pay a fee to use these designated shooting ranges to cover management, clean up and other related costs. Aside from the imminent danger that target shooters impose on the rest of us who just want to enjoy nature, there is the excruciating sound of gun play. While camping in Mammoth Basin many times, shooters blast away all day and into the night. It is unfair that a few shooters can rattle off loud rounds which disturb and terrify every one else including animals for miles around. If we ban noisy and dangerous fireworks in the forests, we should also ban firearms. In addition, the forest service has to begin seriously enforcing current laws about shooting near people. I know for a fact that in Mammoth Basin, many shooters blast away very close to other people. Apparently, forest rangers are ignoring the infractions as illegal shooting seems to be more frequent each years. Currently various laws call for shooters to be a minimum of 150 yards distance from hikers, campsites, roads, etc. Of course, bullets can fly and kill much further away than 150 yards, so this minimum distance must be extended considerably. Please ban open shooting in our National Forests immediately before another innocent camper is killed. And, put resources into actually enforcing current laws. Kerrie Badertscher Gary - We are unable to attend either meeting that is upcoming. I am voicing my objection to either site in the Allenspark area. This is specific to the "old dump site" as well as the area up Bunce School Road. While we have installed the new fire barn close to either locale: our neighbors, visitors and Hilltop Guild members are at SERIOUS risk if reinstated. I know of owners who have had errant shots enter their property and endanger them. We have had shots fired when we are meeting or worse on our bazaar day endangering not just members but the general public. Bunce is NOT a safe place at all. Is county/state/feds ready to be sued if someone is shot? Our fire department is not needed to answer these type of calls - we already have them in need of volunteers - do you think the flatlanders are going to come up and help us when we need additional response? I further understand these are to be shooting ranges with attendants which is still unacceptable. Boulder County would do themselves a lot of hassle to avoid a great deal of expense if a fire occurs from a spark on a rock (see California examples for the last several years.) We will not always have adequate moisture. Finally shooting ranges BELONG on the flats. There what one North of Boulder at the turnoff at Niwot Road. Why does the county only focus on the mountains when a facility and property exist? Ranges belong down below - heck Carolyn Homberg would have agreed with that. Suzanna Webel As a recreational trail user, nothing terrifies me more than encountering someone shooting near the trail I'm on. Not mountain lions, not bears, not ATVs, not lightning, not trees falling in the forest. People shooting usually wear soundproof ear protection and can't hear us shouting for them to stop as we go by -- and of course they can't hear how loud the noise they make really is, because they have insulated themselves from the rest of the world. Several years ago gun advocates proposed putting a shooting range near my farm. The Boulder County Sheriff told all the neighbors explicitly that "the Sheriff's Department could not guarantee the personal safety of any gun range neighbors inside a three mile radius of the site, because that is the distance a stray bullet can travel." There are many documented incidents of stray bullets in mountain neighborhoods, along mountain roads, and across the trails at the south end of Boulder Valley Ranch (which were temporarily closed due to the danger). I have strong objections to the SportShootingPartners' proposed buffer zone of "1/4 mile from any trails." That is a trivial distance and will eliminate neither the racket nor the danger to passers-by from people shooting their guns on public lands. I sympathize with individual homeowners' concerns as well regarding noise, danger, and trash left behind by shooters. I have no knowledge of communication towers, but I recommend that the minimum distance to single homes and recreational development (trails, campgrounds, recreation areas, etc.) alike be 1/2 mile. Having now compared the map of "Potential Sites on Public Lands" shown on the SportShootingPartners website with the Boulder Area Trails Coalition map (The BATCO Map) of all designated trails in Boulder County, I have strong objections to any proposed shooting sites anywhere in West Magnolia, along the Bunce School Road (other than perhaps taking over the southeast end of FR 317 exclusively for this purpose), and anywhere near Beaver Reservoir: there is simply too much recreational trail use in those areas. The former Allenspark Dump remains a viable option because it is a small and isolated block of land with no other recreation potential. Ruby Gulch might work as long as the site is more than 1/2 mile from the rest of the Switzerland Trail. An additional site to consider that I have not seen mentioned would be at the bottom of Dowe Flats after the quarrying operation has ceased and the land reclaimed. Joanna Cole As a mountain resident I am firmly OPPOSED to a recreational shooting area located in the mountains of Boulder County. I suggest the County consider one of the MANY open spaces located along the foothills, but NOT in the mountains! These open spaces are already designated for recreational use. There is no reason to create/designate rural areas for this purpose. I am VERY concerned about fire danger in mountain areas. Yes, this is a very wet year but we know for a fact that unsupervised, recreational shooting results in fires. We also know that we are unable to POLICE areas of recreational shooting. I am referring to the 1990 Michael Bell cause that left 2 dead & 2 wounded. The Boulder Police & Sheriff's department are UNABLE to patrol our mountain area. I see smoldering fires, trash, etc EVERY YEAR as a result of " unsupervised" camping in my area. Adding sanctioned shooting to the area is a recipe for disaster. Consider the murder that just took place at camp ground in Pike National Forest.