(Photos courtesy Pat Jarvis and Suzanne Webel)

Greetings from Hessie!

This spring is full of “opportunities” for Boulder County’s equestrians — if we show up at a bunch of upcoming meetings to tell our public land managers what we think.

The next issue on the horizon is Horse Trailer Parking at the Hessie Trailhead.

We have — literally — been working for improved trailer parking at Hessie for more than 20 years.  We thought we were actually getting close to success, until last week.

Hessie is “the” access point for many beautiful places in the Indian Peaks Wilderness:  Lost Lake, King Lake, Betty & Bob Lakes, Skyscraper Reservoir, Woodland Lake, historic mining communities, and lots more.  These trails are all open to horses. We used to be able to park trailers in the meadow near the cabins — but no more.  And there are so many cars parking along the road now there isn’t even room to turn around, let alone park.  Without trailer parking, we are effectively being banned from our historic “equestrian habitat.”

Boulder County Transportation is proposing “widening the road, ( = removing two-thirds of the existing arking but) adding road shoulder parking (= for cars only), adding a free shuttle service from Nederland High School, and increasing parking enforcement.”   

None of that helps us, does it?!?  We were promised a “real” trailhead parking lot, with designated spaces for a few horse trailers — and now they are going to reduce overall parking, with nary a thought about us.

So, what can you do???

Please come to a series of meetings and speak about the need for equestrian facilities!

Tuesday May 8, 4:30-7pm, Public Open House, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St, Boulder.

Wednesday May 9, 6pm, Public meeting, Nederland High School Library, 597 CR 130.

Tuesday May 22, 2pm, Boulder County Commissioners public hearing, BC Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St, Boulder.  The final decision will be made at this meeting.

For more information, including project overview and history (from the county’s point of view), meeting schedules, online comment form and contact information, visit  www.HessieTrailhead.com

For more info on the project history (from our point of view) contact BCHA at  info@boulderhorse.org

Public comment will be accepted until May 11.  If you absolutely can’t make it to these meetings, please write the Board of County Commissioners at commissioners@bouldercounty.org and ask them to support horse trailer parking at Hessie.

But the best thing is to come to as many of these meetings as you possibly can, and invite everyone you know to join you!  Remember, the world is run by those who show up.

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We had a spectacular showing of horse people who did show up at the Lagerman Park meeting on April 17.  We were articulate and believable.  But it’s not over, and there is still a very real need for support of horse trails at Lagerman!  BTW the deadline for submitting comments is May 1 (– hint, hint).  Please see the Lagerman-Imel-AHI post on this website, www.boulderhorse.org, for talking points and contact info.

The horse is New Jersey’s state animal.

It’s illegal in Marion, South Carolina, to tickle a female under her chin with a feather duster to get her attention while she’s riding a horse.

In New York City, it is illegal to open or close an umbrella in the presence of a horse.

It is illegal to fish from horseback in Washington D.C, Colorado, and Utah.

Tennessee prohibits riders from lassoing fish.

A British law states that an Englishman must not sell a horse to a Scotsman.

Horses are required to wear hats in hot weather in Rasario, Argentina.

In Guernee, Illinois, it is illegal for women weighing more than 200 pounds to ride horses in shorts.

In Kentucky, it is illegal for a woman to appear in a bathing suit on a highway unless she is: escorted by at least two police officers; armed with a club; or lighter than 90 pounds or heavier than 200 pounds. The ordinance also specifically exempts female horses from such restrictions.

In London, England, law required taxi drivers to carry a bale of hay on top of their caps to feed their horses. The law was in force until 1976.

In Arizona, it is illegal for cowboys to walk through a hotel lobby wearing their spurs.

In Raton, New Mexico, it is illegal for a woman to ride horseback down a public street with a kimono on.

In South Carolina, it is legal for adult males to discharge firearms when approaching an intersection in a non-horse vehicle to warn oncoming horse traffic.

A misworded ordinance in Wolf Point, Montana: “No horse shall be allowed in public without its owner wearing a halter.”

In South Carolina, no horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants.

In Omega, New Mexico, every woman must “be found to be wearing a corset” when riding a horse in public! A doctor is required to inspect each woman to make sure that she is complying with the law.

In Hartsville, Illinois, you can be arrested for riding an ugly horse.

In the state of Queensland, Australia, it is still constitutional law that all pubs (hotel/bar) must have a railing outside for patrons to tie up their horse.

Pattonsburg, Missouri, Revised Ordinances, 1884: “No person shall hallo, shout, bawl, scream, use profane language, dance, sing, whoop, quarrel, or make any unusual noise or sound in such manner as to disturb a horse.”

Abilene, Kansas, City Ordinance 349 declares: “Any person who shall in the city of Abilene shoot at a horse with any concealed or unconcealed bean snapper or like article, shall upon conviction, be fined.”

Marshalltown, Iowa, it is against the law for a horse to eat a fire hydrant.

Amazing... but she still needs a helmet!

Boulder County Parks & Open Space has just released its Draft Management Plan for the newest, largest, potentially most horse-friendly open space park in the plains of Boulder County: the Lagerman-Imel-AHI property.

This regional park is located between Nelson Road and Oxford Road, N63rd St and N75th Street (some horse folks know it as “Double Dove” but that name belonged to the equestrian center that is being sold off the property and the name will soon disappear). The new park will contain almost 2,200 acres and a multi-use trail system that will initially be about 7.6 miles long.

The County will be holding a public open house on:

Tuesday, April 17

5:30-7:30pm

5201 St Vrain Road, Longmont (just north of the airport)

It is really, really important for the horse community to come to this meeting and support trails for equestrians! We had a great turnout of horse people at the launch of this process back in 2010 — and the County noticed. Help us keep up the momentum. Remember, the world is run by those who show up.

Please read, or at least glance through, the Draft report, with maps: Lagerman-Imel-AHI Draft Management Plan.

And now for the “fine print.” The County is proposing a pretty good trail system — but with your help it could be much better.

1) Parts of the trail are proposed to run right next to Pike Road and N75th Streets. These alignments don’t represent a quality trail experience for anyone and may be unsafe for equestrians. Please recommend that the County pull the trail away from the roads as much as possible.

2) One of the trails is proposed to begin at a new “no parking trailhead” next to Ryssby Church on N63rd Street, which will provide excellent access for the property across the street — but not for anyone else. Please recommend that a short connector trail be added just east of the intersection of Prospect Road and N63rd Street (also with no parking). This would enable safe access for the county residents west of the park, and would effectively create an additional loop experience for all because people could also use Prospect Road east of N63rd Street.

3) The existing loop trail around Lagerman Reservoir needs to be upgraded for year-round use. In particular, a safe workaround needs to be constructed to allow horses to traverse the spillway. The seasonal closure to “protect” an osprey nest on an artificial platform needs to be re-evaluated (do the ospreys even care about trail users? Ospreys nest at the Fairgrounds in the middle of the parking lot, the 4th of July fireworks and the carnival midway).

4) A new trail is being proposed to connect Lagerman Reservoir south to Oxford Road. We recommend the construction of an additional loop trail in this area.

5) The county is proposing to replace the old turkey farm (which has been recently demolished and mostly reclaimed) on N63rd Street with a new thousand-head cattle feedlot (which they are subtly referring to merely as an “AFO,” or animal feeding operation). Many neighbors find this idea completely inappropriate for a suburban park, and many environmentalists are concerned that the feedlot would pollute the watershed. Would you want a feedlot in the middle of a park? BCHA recommends the loop trail described in #4 above instead of the feedlot.

Here is the trail map being proposed by Boulder County: 

Here is the modified trail map recommended by BCHA.

Hope to see you at the Open House on Tuesday, April 17!

(If you absolutely can’t make it to the meeting, please take a moment to submit your comments via phone or email to Ernst Strenge, BCPOS, 303-678-6269 or lagerman-imel@bouldercounty.org)

Thanks, and Happy Trails!

The Great Warm Wave: A top-10 list

Lamblike March weather with a lion’s heart

Bob Henson | March 23, 2012  •  The last 10 days have brought what may be the gentlest round of extreme weather ever to grace the United States. It’s hard to think of March temperatures in the 70s and 80s as anything other than delightful. Yet beneath that pleasant veneer lies one of the most bizarre weather episodes in recent U.S. history. A summerlike dome of high pressure across the Midwest, coupled with a stream of warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, sent temperatures soaring to unheard-of levels for this time of year.  Continue reading

Boulder County, Colo. – The annual spring closure of Caribou Ranch Open Space will begin April 1 and last through June 30.

The closure is to protect spring migratory birds and elk activities on the property, as the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department seeks to find a balance between providing recreational activities and protecting wildlife habitats and natural resources.

Migrating from lower elevations, the local elk herd arrives every spring. Females calve on the property and remain until June or July, when they move to higher elevations.

The closure covers the entire property; no visitors are permitted. Please respect wildlife needs for solitude. The resident caretaker, park rangers and Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies who patrol the open space property can fine violators up to $300.

For additional information about the annual spring closure, please call 303-678-6200. www.BoulderCounty.org

The purpose of this event is share with the public the scope of the project and to solicit feedback on the plan. Both the US Forest Service and the contract Trail Planner will be available to answer questions and listen to input. The event is open to the public and we encourage everyone who frequently uses the West Magnolia trails to attend.

Tim Brass
Boulder Mountainbike Alliance
3335 Chisholm Tr, 203
Boulder, CO 80301
651-206-4669