News March 4, 2015

Ahoy, matey!

Registration is now open for the 21st Annual Starlight Spectacular, our night time bike ride through the city, starting and ending at the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 20th, and start thinking about costumes–prizes for best costume, best group costume, and best illuminated bike! The theme this year is…PIRATES! Aaaargh!

For best value, register now, at the Earlybird pricing. For more information, visit www.StarlightSpectacular.org.

Wednesday, March 4th, 6 pm at the Black Forest Fire Department, 11445 Teachout Road, Colo Springs, 80908. 

El Paso County Parks is hosting an informational meeting about Fox Run Regional Park, Black Forest Regional Park, Black Forest Section 16, Pineries Open Space and the New Santa Fe Trail. Meet your Parks Supervisor, and find out about new projects coming up with 1A money, Friends Groups, and events in your area.

RESCHEDULED: Thursday, March 5, 4-6pm, Victory World Outreach Church, 3150 S. Academy Boulevard (SW corner Hancock & Academy).

If you would like to see more access to bike lanes and walking routes in the southwest of our city, please attend and help shape the plan.The Planning and Environmental Linkage Study (PEL) is the next step in the Academy Boulevard Corridor Great Streets Plan. The goal is to revitalize the South Academy corridor, and to provide access to people to come and shop, walk or bike in the area. More information at this link.

Sat, March 14, 2 – 3 pm, Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. Join local author and longtime TOSC member Ruth Obee for a biography of place, telling the story of Red Rock Canyon. Learn the fascinating tale of the area’s geological origins, its recently discovered dinosaur tracks, marine fossils, and archaeological evidence of early humans, and its more contemporary history with the arrival of man, including the colorful story of the Bock family, who owned the land for 80 years.  The story concludes with a description of its final preservation as public open space by a group of dedicated volunteers who saved the land for the benefit of the entire community.  

Reservations are required by calling719.385.5990 or visiting www.cspm.org.  $5 suggested donation; free for members of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015 | 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
El Pomar Foundation’s Penrose House, Penrose Pavilion, 1661 Mesa Avenue. Hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine will be served.

Learn about the project to connect the Greenway and Shooks Run trails in Colorado Springs to create a loop around much of the central city. This project has been in the works for decades, and Colorado Springs Parks has made it a priority project in their work plan for the year.
Featured speakers will be Jeff Shoemaker, The Greenway Foundation – Denver, Tatiana Bailey, Southern Colorado Economic Forum, and Chris Jenkins with Nor’wood Development Group.

For more information, see the Legacy Loop web page.

Thursday, March 19, 7-8:30 pm, Library 21C, 1175 Chapel Hills Drive. Free admission; donations to the Sierra Club accepted.

Join the Pikes Peak Group of the Sierra Club in a program celebrating the Centennial of Rocky Mountain National Park with a one-man, first-person performance. Storyteller and award-winning author John Stansfield reenacts key moments in the life of Enos Mills and dramatizes his part in the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park. Following the program, the audience is invited to learn more about Mills in a question-and-answer session.
From childhood on, Enos Mills (1870-1922) experienced a bond with mountains and wilderness, which inspired him to overcome personal hardship to become a successful speaker, writer, naturalist, and the driving force behind the birth of Rocky Mountain National Park, celebrating its centennial in 2015. 

Scheduling has been delayed due to weather–these improvements are still in the works, but will start later than planned. We’ll let you know when we get information from the City.

COS parks is targeting 400 locations on 8 properties and completing $400,000 worth of trail repairs, thanks to FEMA. The damage is a result of the September 2013 floods..

In all, 5 miles of trail will see improvements. Expect  “rolling trail closures” as crews move from location to location.

Due to recent weather conditions and the long-term forecast the closure on Creek Crossing (off Rio Grande) will continue until mid-March. Construction will continue at the site, however several above freezing and snow free days are required to pour the concrete headwalls. During this time access to the Parks Administration building will continue to be from the parking lot and pedestrian bridge near pavilion #4. Here’s a link to a map of the affected area. For questions and concerns contact Jason Meyer, 719.520.6985.

Colorado Springs Utilities will be overseeing repair work to the Carson Street Pedestrian Bridge in the Security – Widefield area beginning Monday, February 2, through mid-March.  The bridge is used by Fountain Creek Regional Trail users to provide access over Fountain Creek.The bridge will be closed while the repair work is being completed.  It is anticipated the bridge will be re-opened on weekends.

For further information, please contact El Paso County Parks at 719-520-7529.

Planning your 14er summits for the summer? Pocket Pals Trail Maps has a series of trail maps for you! Their newest 14er map includes the hiking / climbing routes for Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Point and Little Bear Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range.Also in the series: the Front Range 14ers–Pikes Peak, Evans, Bierstadt, Longs, Grays and Torreys.

More info: www.PPTrailMaps.com

March 14 (Sat)–2-3 pm. History in Stone: the Story of Red Rock Canyon. From dinosaurs to early humans to the fight for preservation. Reservations required, 385-5990 orwww.cspm.org. $5; free for members of the Pioneers Museum. See article for details.

County Parks Meeting for Black Forest area:

March 4 (Wed)–Informational meeting about County Parks in the Black Forest area. See article for details.

County Parks Meeting for Westside Parks:

March 7th (Sat)– 9 am – 12 noon. Cleanup and trail maintenance with Guardians of Palmer Park. See our volunteer calendar at http://openspacevolunteers.org

April 2 (Thurs), 5:30-8 pm. YourCOS. A non-political gathering to learn about day-to-day city operations. Hear from city staff and volunteers to learn about ways to get involved and understand the City’s efforts to improve our community. More information, registration and submit questions at this link.