Thursday, July 15, 2010

General Website Comments and Error Reporting

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3 comments:

  1. Comment from South Neighborhood
    Bill Hoadley
    3410 Emerson Ave
    80305

    I am opposed to the further opening of hiking trails in the Boulder Open Space to mountain biking. Recently, additional trails have been opened to mountain biking in South Boulder, and new trails have been cut. Throughout Boulder County, a wide variety of trails are open to mountain biking, from gentle double track trails on the plains, to challenging single-track trails in the mountains. In addition to mountain biking opportunities on Open Space lands near the city, there are many miles of mountain biking trails available on US Forest Service lands west of town. Opening more trails to mountain biking reduces the opportunities for hikers on these lands.

    I believe opening a trail to mountain biking and calling it a "multi use" trail is a misnomer. Once a trail is opened to mountain biking, it becomes very undesirable as a hiking or running trail, and people will avoid that trail and seek other areas for hiking, running, or dog walking. In the South Boulder area, many of the trailheads are accessed by residents who can walk to the trailheads from their homes or drive just a very short distance. Opening these trails to mountain biking would likely cause these residents to drive greater distances to find places to hike. Also, the foothills east of the Flatirons are crisscrossed with a network of trails and fire roads; cutting in new mountain bike trails in this area does not seem like the best way to care for the great mountain backdrop we all value so much as Boulder residents.

    I am not opposed to mountain biking on public lands, but I feel we already have a great mix of hiking and mountain biking uses on the Boulder Open Space lands, and adding more mountain biking trails on the land close to the city is not a good allocation of these resources. Lets keep the current hiking trails as hiking trails, and not drive away the many users who now enjoy these trails on foot, paw, and hoof.

    Thank you,
    Bill Hoadley

    ReplyDelete
  2. South Neigborhood
    Pat Hoadley
    3410 Emerson Ave
    Boulder, CO 80305

    I am a frequent user of the south Boulder trails, including the Shanahan, S. Boulder Creek, Lower Big Bluestem, Homestead, Towhee, Upper Big Bluestem and the Mesa trail. I love the solitude one finds in these areas even when the parking lots are full. Although I encounter others enjoying this beautiful area, there are many times I find myself alone. I look forward to these opportunities to reflect on nature, study the wildflowers, enjoy the many birds species, and, of course, the spectacular, mountain vistas.
    I used to enjoy the hikes on the Dowdy Draw and Marshall Mesa trails but I feel very uncomfortable when cyclists fly by on their mountain bikes. It is a pretty fast vehicle and I believe that the reason people enjoy mountain biking is more for the challenge of taking curves and steep sections quickly than for the appreciation of the flora and fauna in these areas. Also, when they are riding, if they are concentrating on challenging terrain, they are less likely to be aware of wildlife and people nearby. To increase the use of these trails by allowing mountain bikes would also cause more erosion.
    South Boulder is quickly changing demographically to a very desirable place to raise children. There are good, close schools in the area and I see more and more families hiking here with their young ones. They often have their dogs with them and as a frequent hiker I am amazed at the compliance I have seen by pet owners here, in regards to the rules posted. It makes it fun for everyone when we can all enjoy the trails together. Bikes frighten most animals, especially when they come by quickly and unexpectedly. They startle me when I hike on trails where they are permitted. Also, I have talked to horse owners who say the horses get real spooked by bikes.
    Lastly, I'd like to comment on the possibility of creating new trails for mountain bikes in this area. There are sensitive ecosystems here that have already been compromised to some degree by our love of the mountains. Can we really continue to carve up and destroy more of what we say we love about living in this wonderful place? I think not and I hope my comments will help others recognize these reasons as valid deterrents to these proposals.

    Pat Hoadley 8/12/10

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks to the volunteers who have set-up and maintain this site.

    The rules on posting comments are:

    "YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND THE AREA IN WHICH YOU LIVE (SEE LIST BELOW.)
    Otherwise your comment may be deleted."

    There are a quite a few posts that have no address (only a street), others with no street, and even some with no name. Will these non-conforming posts be removed, as outlined in the rules?

    ReplyDelete

Please be sure that you are entering your comments on the appropriate page (Supporting Comments, Opposing Comments, or Compromise Ideas).

YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND THE AREA IN WHICH YOU LIVE (SEE LIST BELOW.)
Otherwise your comment may be deleted.

For the "comment as" box, the easiest thing to do is comment as "anonymous" (just include your name and address in the body of your comment).

Information about common comment posting problems is found at the top of the right hand link column.

Also, please e-mail us your comments at west.tsa.neighborhood.reps@gmail.com. That way, if there is a problem, you can contact you. You must do this if you want us to add you to the mailing list.

Comment areas:
- North Neighborhood -- North of Canyon, West of Broadway
- Central Neighborhood -- Between Table Mesa and Canyon. West
  of Broadway
- South Neighborhood -- south of Trable Mesa and west of Broadway
- East Boulder -- east of Broadway

As "West of Broadway" Neighborhood Representatives we do not represent East Boulder interests. We will, however, make your comments available to other CCG representatives who are responsible for representing your interests. We also encourage you to contact your representatives directly. (See right hand column for links.)

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