A forum on teenage marijuana use in Durango following legalization in Colorado offered a panel with teen’s perspectives, a marijuana business owner’s explanation of how underage sales are prevented, and a message from a marijuana opponent encouraging abstinence. Coalition Coordinator Breeah Kinsella, of Celebrating Healthy Communities, gave the last speech of the panel. She claimed that marijuana is addictive and talked about the importance of providing teens with accurate information about marijuana. She told the audience to avoid repeating the same failed efforts of the…
The was released today, and the San Juan National Forest decided that it will allow mechanized use of Hermosa Creek Trail, Big Lick Trail, and Elbert Creek Trail year round. It will also allow the West Cross Creek Trail and the Cutthroat Trail to be sanctioned into the system trails once they have been worked on to a point of satisfaction as determined by the District Ranger. Work that needs to be done on these two trails includes input and clearance work from specialists, realignment…
Right before starting my descent by Red Mountain Pass, I skinned past two skiers getting ready to descend from a spot where I had difficulty navigating from in the past. But I didn’t think that their run would end with one of them dead. So I just told them to have fun, and went to my drop point for Sam’s Trees, on skier’s right of the main draw. I would soon discover that those guys got caught in an avalanche in the other draw on…
A La Plata County dozer operator filled in ruts, regraded the tread, installed water bars, and widened Horse Gulch Road around the intersection below the Meadow Loop intersection, according to the County Engineer. La Plata County Engineer Jim Davis said that the work was done at the request of the City of Durango and Trails 2000. Reseeding was done following the regrading, said Leslie Jacoby, La Plata County’s Environmental Specialist. Reseeding disturbed soils with native grass seed is a common rehabilitation tactic among land managers…
Someone operating a mini excavator for Trails 2000 built two new connector trails that link Horse Gulch Road with Cuchillo Trail and the other to Meadow Loop. The photos below are in no rational order–for now. ”
Rhonda Brown was minding her own business one day where she parked along County Road 203 at the entrance to Falls Creek Road. She was leashing up her dog, getting ready to go on a hike up the public roadway that’s known to many locals as a trail. A local resident named Kristi Zink drives up, rolls down the window, and tells Brown that she cannot hike there, because it’s private property, said Brown. Brown, who’s been hiking the road for twenty years, said that…
Two proposals from Trails 2000 to work on trails that connect Horse Gulch Road to Cuchillo Trail and the Meadow Loop Trail were approved by the Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board this month. One would create a new connector trail from Horse Road to Cuchillo Trail, and would close the existing social trail connector to Cuchillo Trail. It would mostly be built with a mini excavator, according to Trails 2000’s Director, Mary Monroe Brown. The second approved project would consist of an aggressive maintenance and…
A married couple that owns a bike shop and a land-locked parcel by Falls Creek is defying a court-ordered prescriptive easement to open a public roadway on their property to the general public. Ed and Patti Zink currently own two Falls Creek parcels on the hill between Hidden Valley and Animas Valley by County Road 203 of around 41 acres. Many people know the Falls Creek Road as a trail. Because of its unimproved nature, it’s been a while since four-wheeled vehicles have driven on…
If you stumble upon someone chiseling in racist epithets to a stone arch, take a picture of them, and send it to Horse Gulch Blog. Then ask them to stop. There existence should not be that surprising, given the rampant mental illness that infects our society. Yet the symbols were still surprising to see. Either way, the arches are gorgeous and the process of finding them is kind of like an Easter egg hunt. Here’s a photo essay of what my friends and I call…
The current owners of Pedal the Peaks bike shop in Durango are opening a new shop in Silverton, where they will be moving most of their stuff from the Durango store. Cliff Pinto and Gary Bischoff are working to finish remodeling their new space up in Silverton, where they also hope to eventually get permitted to run bike shuttles in the high country, said Pinto. Pinto said that they plan to carry the same bike brands that they sold at their old store in Durango,…
A $25,000 dollar payment to Trails 2000 from the Parks, Open Space and Trails fund for a broad scope of services was unanimously approved by the City’s Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board this month. Starting in 2015, the City Council had been allocating money to Trails 2000 through through the Community Support Services branch of the General Fund. This year, the City Council requested that the Natural Lands Board “transfer” that same funding mechanism from the General Fund to the 1/4 cent 2005 Parks, Open…
Dear Objection Reviewing Officer and Forest Supervisor Kara Chadwick, This letter includes my formal objection to the Draft Decision Notice for the Hermosa Creek Watershed Recreation and Travel Management Project. Specifically, I object to the decision to implement a seasonal closure to mechanized travel from November or December to May 1st of every year on various trails throughout the Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Area. For the most part, these lands have been sustainably managed in an environmentally-friendly fashion for decades while allowing for bikes to…
This following excerpts are from my personal comments on the Travel Management Plan for Animas Mountain. Please read them and feel free to use them as your own in the BLM’s public comment system. Horse Gulch Blog: land, trail and mountain bike access advocate This route #3207 is called The Loam Zone. Some berms or short reroutes on Loam Zone could help improve the flow of the trail for those that want to minimize their pedaling while descending. Please support the idea of adding turns…
The BLM is asking the public to comment on trail routes on Animas Mountain that were recently inventoried. Some of the newer ones are social trails. Dome to the Loam, Loam Zone and The Merv are popular new trails on the west side of Animas Mountain, which the public should comment on. Routes 3207, 1804 and 1805, should be adopted with attempts made to keep Dome to the Loam and Loam Zone (3207) out of drainages. Some berms or short reroutes on Dome to The…
All trails in the Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Area would be closed to mechanized and motorized use from December through April if a new Decision Notice signed by the Forest Supervisor is finalized. An objection period to the seasonal closure is underway until Oct. 24th. Alternative 2 was chosen by the San Juan National Forest Supervisor Kara Chadwick. On the brighter side of this decision, bikes would be allowed on Big Lick Trail as well as West Cross Creek Trail (Stagecoach Trail) outside of the…
