News March 18, 2015

The Trails and Open Space Coalition in partnership with Catamount Institute, Livewell Colorado Springs, Colorado College Sustainability Department and Pikes Peak Sierra Club provided Mayoral and City Council Candidates a list of questions on topics important to the Conservation and Healthy Living Community. These candidates’ answers are your opportunity to become better educated and decide if your values and their priorities share common ground. Click here to view the e-forum.

Learn more about proper trail construction and maintenance, how to lead a crew and make a contribution to local trails! Crew Leader Training will be held at the Bear Creek Nature Center April 17 (Friday evening), 18, and 19 (Sat and Sun). Training is free, but attendees must have participated in at least two trail work days to qualify, and must sign up for two additional mentoring days in order to complete certification. The goal is to graduate qualified crew leaders who will take charge of crews for work days during the year. The more crew leaders we have, the more work we can get done!

Go to www.coloradosprings.gov/volunteer. Use the calendar to search for the event date, then follow the instructions to sign up. You may be required to create a Volunteer Profile in the system.

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. 

El Paso County has started a master planning process for the County Fairgrounds and is seeking public input. If you live in El Paso County, please fill out the public survey at this link by April 13. More information about the Fairgrounds Master Plan update process is available on this website.

Bicyclists are telling us that excessive road debris is a big problem for commuting right now. We have a way for you to report that, and more. If you see rogue trails, illegal dumping, water wasting, street damage or other problems within the City limits, your best way to get that information to the right place is the GoCoSprings App, available on iPhone or Android. You can upload a photo and GPS coordinates, which will give the right department the information and start the process toward getting it fixed. More info at this link.

April 12 (Sun) Save the date for a tune-up of the Goose Gossage Bike Park! We’ll report on more details as we get them, or check out their Facebook page.

April 25 (Sat), 9 am. Third Annual Tackle the Trash. El Paso County Parks’ annual cleanup. Seven sites all around the county, sign up at www.tacklethetrash.com.