7.5 Recommendations

Effective habitat, as used in the following recommendations, refers to the method of assessing relatively undisturbed versus disturbed wildlife habitat, as determined by the amount and location of roads and trails in that habitat. These methods are used by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Boulder County in order to develop and implement management direction on their properties. See Appendix 5.6 in the Wildlife Section for an exact definition of effective habitat.

7.5.1 Recommendations for PUMA

1. Document and report violations of adopted recreation management plans and applicable regulations by recreationists within the Planning Area, including:
   • use of standard reporting forms
   • use of photo documentation
   • establishment of communication protocol with the Boulder County Sheriff, Forest Service, POSD and Denver Water
   • regular reporting of monitoring activities and documentation of violations to public land management agencies
2. Educate local residents on the legal rights of property owners regarding trespass issues.
3. PUMA should support County environmental education programs on Platt Rogers Memorial Park, Reynolds Ranch and the Rogers Property. This support could include providing volunteers for interpretive programs.
4. PUMA should participate, where appropriate, with the County to decrease the overall density of travelways and make site specific relocations of roads and trails to move the area back into habitat effectiveness. (A minimal goal for public lands in the Planning Area would be a travelway density of 2.0 miles of road and trails per square mile, or less.) PUMA's participation could include collection of wildlife and vegetation data, trail restoration and weed eradication work.
5. PUMA should participate in the educational programs of the Forest Service (e.g. Leave No Trace), and development of signage, restrictions and/or regulations.
6. PUMA should work with Denver Water and the Forest Service to restore badly abused lands near Gross Reservoir including closure and re-vegetation of illegal spur roads, restoration of casual camp sites, weed eradication efforts, removal of garbage, and fencing/berming of dirt roads to prevent off-road driving and further erosion.

7.5.2 Proposed Boulder County Parks and Open Space Policy Statements for the Platt-Rogers Memorial Park, Reynolds Ranch and Rogers Property

1. Effective habitats for appropriate sensitive species, threatened or endangered species, and imperiled natural communities, located on County Parks and Open Space, should remain undeveloped and wild to ensure that critical wildlife will have an undisturbed refuge for nesting, denning and foraging.
2. PUMA proposes a membership volunteer program to work with the County on County lands in the Planning Area to protect and restore those partially effective habitats to a more effective state.
3. Currently existing roads and trails which cross sensitive areas for wildlife should be rerouted or closed.
4. The carrying capacity (e.g. number of people recreating in County open space) and the impact of various user groups (e. g. hikers, equestrians, bikers, and recreationists with dogs) on the ecology of the area should be determined. Based upon these findings, the County should establish acceptable limits of use for specific user groups on open space lands, and size open space facilities accordingly. Trail use should be limited to specific user groups, as appropriate, based upon documented site specific impacts of these user groups and/or standard management practices (such as seasonal closures).
5. The County should have an environmental education program that will assist users to understand the ecological significance of the Platt Rogers Memorial Park and Reynolds Ranch and to learn appropriate behavior while visiting these lands. This program should include the use of a trail host.
6. The County should allocate money for enforcement of rules and regulations on County open space lands.

7.5.3 Comprehensive Plan Conceptual Trail Corridors

1. PUMA accepts the Walker Ranch to Nederland conceptual trail corridor with the following provisions:
   • The primitive section of County Road 68 J should be the key link between Gross Reservoir and Magnolia Road. Existing trails and roads (including County Road 68J) should be used where possible. PUMA recommends that the conceptual trail corridor use CR68J, CR68, Aspen Meadows Road, Pine Glade Road, Magnolia Road and portions of the Boy Scout Trails to serve as the connections. PUMA would support the re-opening of the “Boot Trail” to provide an additional link in the trail corridor, as long as no effective habitat or sensitive species were deleteriously impacted.
   • If necessary, only short segments of new trail should be constructed to connect established trails and primitive roads in the designated trail corridors. Further, these segments must stay within one designated corridor, and should be subject to monitoring for impacts and mitigation if these impacts are documented. Where appropriate, established trails that currently have unacceptable environmental impacts (erosion, steep grades, undesirable impacts to wildlife) should be reconstructed to eliminate these impacts.
   • Forsythe Canyon below County Road 68 J and Winiger Ridge should not be included in the designated trail corridor.
   • The County should remove the Aqueduct conceptual trail from the County Trails Plan.

7.5.4 Proposed U.S. Forest Service Policy Statements

PUMA fully supports the Forest Service's decision to manage Forest lands in the Magnolia area with an emphasis on preservation and enhancement of flora and fauna while providing appropriate recreation opportunities.

1. No motorized recreation opportunities in the Winiger Ridge area should be permitted. Access to the Forest Road 359 area and the western shores of Gross Reservoir should be non-motorized only.
2. All spur roads associated with 4WD road networks should be closed permanently, restored and revegetated.
3. If certain 4WD roads will continue to be actively used, they should be repaired, graded and restored to reduce erosion, prevent deterioration of watershed conditions and riparian areas and prevent drivers from widening them further by driving on the road sides.
4. Certain 4WD roads should be closed seasonally during wet /muddy periods to prevent further erosion and degradation of the road corridor. Where possible, 4WD roads should be physically defined (rocks, fences, berms, barriers) to prevent "off road" driving. Seasonal 4WD road closures should also be implemented during sensitive periods for wildlife (e.g. elk migration), and where appropriate, educational signs installed.
5. Roads and trails that fragment effective wildlife habitat for appropriate sensitive species, threatened, endangered species, and imperiled natural communities should be closed or rerouted.
6. Camping should be permitted only at designated sites. PUMA supports the Forest Service's decision to ban overnight camping on the County Road 68J corridor.
7. No open fires should be permitted (camp stoves are acceptable).
8. To ensure the safety and security of all residents living near public lands, discharge of firearms should not be permitted.
9. Money should be allocated for enforcement of rules and regulations on Forest Service lands.

For more specifics concerning PUMA’s response to the Forest Service’s updated travel management plan (presented to the public in the summer of 1999), see Appendix 7.6.

7.5.5 Proposed Denver Water / Gross Reservoir Policy Statements

1. Roads and trails should be closed in riparian habitats and where the opportunity to restore effective habitats exists.
2. PUMA proposes a membership volunteer program to work with Denver Water and Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest to restore badly abused lands near Gross Reservoir by closing and revegetating illegal spur roads, eradicating weeds, restoring casual camp sites, removing garbage and fencing/berming dirt roads to prevent off-road driving and further erosion.

7.5.6 Proposed Multi-Agency Policy Statements

1. Land management agencies in the Planning Area should research and document recreational use patterns. Research and monitoring programs are needed to quantify site specific and cumulative impacts including:
   • institution of a monitoring and data collection project to quantify existing recreational use
   • quantification of carrying capacity for recreational use in the area
   • development of recommendations on the carrying capacity of recreational facilities and environmental resources
   • implementation of carrying-capacity management goals by instituting controls on points of access.