Trails and Open Space Coalition, Colorado Springs

Buying chocolate and wine has never been more "guilt-free."
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is selling  a "Red Rock Chocolate Bar" in milk and dark Belgium chocolate.
Beautifully designed by local artist Jason Baalman, a generous portion of the sales will benefit the Trails and Open Space Coalition.
And D'Vine Wine now features "Red Rock Red" and "Red Rock White" wine at their Manitou Springs location. Both retailers are committed to preserving  parks, trails and open space and see this contribution  to TOSC as a way to support on-going stewardship and sustainable parks efforts.

You'll find Red Rock Red and Red Rock White
at D'Vine Wine, 934 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs.
The Red Rock Chocolate Bar is available in all 5 regional Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory locations including Old Colorado City and Briargate.

They make perfect gifts and are an excellent way to celebrate after enjoying time on one of our fine trails or in local open space.

The South Slope of Pikes Peak is not yet open to the public, but many of you have expressed interest in building trails. August 21st and September 11th  will be trail-building days.
Space is limited, to sign up contact Friends of the Peak. 

The South Slope is unlikely to open for hiking, cycling and fishing until Summer, 2012 at the earlliest. Trails, parking lots and restroom facilities need to be funded and built.

Guided Hikes are completely filled for this summer - but we will add your name to a waiting list.

Hike Report - Aug 7th & 8th.  A total of 49 people joined us for the season's  fourth and fifth guided hike of South Slope. The weather was near perfect as we completed the seven mile trek.  Wildflowers were in bloom and there was plenty of evidence of beaver activity.Visitors enjoyed the natural beauty as we hiked past McReynolds, Mason and lunched at Boehmer Reservoirs. We saw where the proposed trails had been flagged. Thanks  to  all  who  hiked!!

REMAINING HIKE DATES

Saturday, August 28th (Full)
Saturday, September 11th (Full)
Saturday, September 25th (Full)
(We do occasionally get cancellations, so call and get your name on a waiting list!)

• Cost $10
• Start From Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Hikers are encouraged to carpool from that point to South Slope
• Hikers Must be in good physical condition and be able to hike 7 miles at high altitude.
• Hikers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
• Children must be 12 years or older to participate
• Hikers are responsible for their own water and snacks
• No dogs allowed

Cancellation Policy/Notification

How tasty was that bagel, beer, or hamburger?  If you donated to the Trails and Open Space Coalition during last years' Indygive campaign, you probably received those great incentives. 
And you get the chance to do it again this year!

Last year we received a total of $8,765.22 and $1000 worth of publicity in the Colorado Springs Independent. What does that mean? It means our staff and board of directors  have more time to invest in what we're  passionate about - advocating for open space, parks, trails, bikeways and greenways!

Indygive begins November 1st. Please encourage friends and co-workers to support TOSC  and receive great freebies!

Members of the Incline Task Force want to hear from You!

Upwards of 200 people/day use the Incline. A series of workshops to address the challenges to officially opening this popular trail on the west end of Manitou Springs took place recently. Traffic, parking, trail and trailhead possibilities, management and operations were all discussed by interested members of the public. Their input will be considered by the consultant team and the Incline task Force, a citizen-committee tasked with finding solutions. Those results will be incorporated into alternatives that will be presented to the public on October 21st. The goal is to have a plan for going forward by next summer.
 
The Incline project is managed by the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services in partnership with the City of Manitou Springs and funded by a Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant and a Hill Foundation grant.

For more information contact Aimee Cox at 385-6532, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Dan Folke at 685-2550, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thanks to many amazing people - "sweet 16" was sweet after all!

Our 16th annual Starlight Spectacular was successful in every way. Cyclists did not let chilly raindrops deter them. Hot pizza and coffee were gratefully consumed.  The only "starlights" were those worn by creative cyclists. But they were spectacular!

152 riders signed up the night of the ride. And the majority of those who preregistered showed up ready to ride and have fun. We had 1287 cyclists. That's down 4% from last year, but given the weather we are ecstatic!

Fantastic volunteers flipped pancakes, ran registration, fed and cheered you on at rest stops, created a safe course and then cleaned it all up as the clouds brightened with the dawn. The staff and Board of Directors cannot thank you enough for supporting us with your cheerfulness and promise to return next year. Check out our great pictures and videos...

Colorado Springs parks and ballfields have a better chance of surviving the summer. And it won't cost the city additional green. Colorado Springs Utilities has pledged up to $500,000 to assist the city with an audit of all parks and ballfields. The goal is to increase efficiency at neighborhood parks to allow water purchased by the city "to go further." The audit will reveal what needs to be fixed to make park irrigation systems more efficient. The money will be used to make the adjustments. CSU says if we have a normal summer with average rainfall, the program should allow the city to provide all neighborhood parks with 15" of water. CSU says that should be sufficient  to keep parks green this summer. There are no plans to return trash cans to neighborhood parks, or to increase general fund revenue  to fund playground repairs. Parks workers expect to remove a number of  playground equipment pieces this summer as a result. Two merry-go-rounds have already been removed as a result of the budget cuts. Vandals have torched a playhouse at Houck Park in University Park. The remains are fenced off for the forseeable future.

With trash cans gone in most neighborhood parks due to budget cuts, an amazing number of volunteers are coming forward offering to help. Local resident Steve Immel is doing a great job getting neighbors to pitch in and contribute a little time and "elbow grease." He has set up a website - "Proud of our Parks" to give potential volunteers a way to donate their time and energy. Immel hopes the idea catches on and all of Colorado Springs' neighborhood parks can be adopted.  He's working with local haulers, school districts and even hardware stores to secure garbage bags and hauling services for interested volunteers.
Be sure to check out Steve's website at:  www.proudofourparks.org

Colorado Springs Utilities Community Focus Fund has approved a grant for $1,000 to be used for our Sustainable Parks Initiative. The Community Focus Fund is a community outreach program that provides financial assistance, used computer donations and employee volunteer hours in support of local educational and nonprofit organizations. TOSC will use the money to move our Sustainable Parks Initiative forward. We are conducting regular meetings with elected officials, stakeholders and neighborhood groups as we seek to find the right "park district model" for our community.

  Are you interested in a guided hike of Corral Bluffs - your new open space? 

Corral Bluffs is located 4 miles east of Powers Blvd. There are plans to expand this resource into a regional park.Corral Bluffs is currently closed to the public. Experts are currently conducting studies of the paleontology, archaelogy, geology, flora and fauna on the 522 acre open space. Eventually a public master planning process will determine public access and trails.

Saturday, June 5th the Corral Bluffs Alliance will offer their monthly guided tour of the property. Guided hikes are limited to 25 visitors. Hike begins at  8 a.m. Meet at the parking lot west of the Loaf N Jug at 6857 HWY 94 - just south of Platte Ave. near the intersection of Space Village Ave. and Peterson Rd.

For Reservations and more information: http://www.savecorralbluffs.com

• 98% range between "somewhat" and "very" aware of the budget challenges facing parks
• 79% have noticed a decrease in services
• 81% are concerned about the current situation
• 63% believe we need a regional situation
• 79% would support a new dedicated tax to fund a new regional parks solution