2007 Board Meeting Minutes

November 17, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Steve Jennings, Ed Lynch, Eric Swab.

Meeting was called to order at 10:20 a.m.

Mary developed an agenda:

Projects for next year

Grant proposal

Barr Trail

Beaver Pond

Thursdays

Others? Veg? Restoration? Other work? Hikes? Seminars?

WAAG

Ring the Peak

Cheyenne Mountain

Advertisements

FOTP web site

Officers and elections

WAAG:

The Watershed Access Advisory Group was developed out of meetings that CS Utilities had in the spring. Utilities committed to city council that they would look at access and four specific trails. Mary and Eric are both on WAAG. WAAG now has a charter. They’ll look at access to watershed owned by CS on Pikes Peak. Every activity can be considered for every parcel of land owned by Colorado Springs on Pikes Peak. They’re working for a policy that balances all concerns, recreation, stewardship, and utilities operations. WAAG will produce a recommended policy that would still need to be approved by utilities and city council. WAAG will meet in December, then in January start meeting every two weeks. Commercial use might add benefits of policing the area and producing revenue. At some point, perhaps spring, FOTP should host a meeting of members asking for input on appropriate uses of the land. WAAG can consider the Pikes Peak master plan, but not redo it. Utilities took the group on a tour of the South Slope.

Ring the Peak:

Eric and Mary have been working on several things and reached some decisions. Taking the trail from Pancake Rocks to Gillette is possible. Jim Strub and Mary found a workable route. West Fork of West Beaver Creek has a trail that goes high, above tree line. It would require building trail to the roads in South Slope. Another possibility is going through Cripple Creek reservoir land, then connecting to South Slope. A third option is going across the same trail and going lower to hit the South Slope. East Fork of West Beaver Creek runs out of Wilson Reservoir. Pikes Peak Atlas shows trails that Eric has looked for and not found. Eric went out with Robert Houdek and Liz Klein. They couldn’t find it. Another possibility uses an old road. From 67 and 81, take 81 to the road to the Cripple Creek watershed. At the first switchback, a road goes east then north and could connect to South Slope like the Cripple Creek watershed option.

The road goes across three private properties. The road might be a private road. Eric brought a map. Mary and Eric drafted a letter to send to the land owners asking to talk. The Gillette portal road goes across. Cripple Creek believes they have an easement for access to their reservoirs. But that might not extend to public access. The legal description of the property, which should be on the deed, should include information about easements. The road also goes onto Forest Service land. Cripple Creek is agreeable to trails on their land as long as there are signs explaining that fishing is restricted to the fishing club.

Beaver dam:

Beavers built a dam that floods part of the Horsethief Park trail. Water is probably about hip deep. Mary talked to Forest Service about addressing the problem next year. NEPA constraints could be an issue. Forest Service will look at it, but they’re busy until December 16. Mary will send out e-mail when Forest Service can meet. It’s a popular trail. Three social crossings have developed. Two go through wetlands and do much damage. The third goes farther away and has fewer problems. These three social trails go downstream. Another social trail goes upstream, but upstream is more beaver dams and ponds. The problem needs mitigation quickly. Forest Service still has some categorical exclusions, like Christmas tree cutting. If Forest Service agrees and it looks like an appropriate project for volunteers, we could put it on the calendar.

Cheyenne Mountain:

City and state made the first purchase. The next will be early 2008 and the next early 2009. All the pieces are protected. An old overgrown trail goes across private property owned by an out of state owner. That trail connects the park to the top of the mountain. Next steps include a resource inventory, agreements on management, and a master plan.

The master plan will include trail and back country campsites. The land abuts Forest Service land. The MacNeil trail and Swisher trail exist on the west side of Cheyenne Mountain. Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park will probably handle volunteer work for trails there.

Advertisement policy:

We decided to link with people with a mission that aligns with ours. We were approached by a hotel in Cripple Creek about a link. The agreement with National Geographic on the Ring the Peak site is that we won’t make money off the site. Mountain Chalet has a link because they support FOTP. PBS has acknowledgements for sponsors. In July, we discussed links.

Mary proposed a policy to augment that policy:

We will not accept advertisements from non-affiliated businesses. We will offer to list sponsors who donate at least $150 per year on our sponsors page, including links if they wish.

The policy passed unanimously.

Web sites:

Mary continues to receive positive comments about the web site.

Signs:

An unresolved question is signs on portals, specifically on Catamount. The green sign posts, when signage was first proposed and installed, were part of the designation of the Ring because they were different from Forest Service posts, which are brown. One type of vandalism the Ring signs experience is to have the logo decals scratched off, but the arrows left alone. But since the green posts designate the Ring, people can still follow the signs. Having the green posts on portal trails could misdirect hikers already on the Ring. Signs pointing to the Ring from portals could include a “TO” decal.

The sign boards at Raspberry and Putney Gulch are generally not vandalized. Only the map disappears. Flash Graphics can put a map onto metal, which could be bolted to the brown sign board. The map could be to the next portal instead of the entire Ring. Around the map could go additional information, like you are here and the web site. Eric offered to develop the map and investigate putting it onto metal. We could design a sign or two to put up as test cases and request comments. We need something on the web site to take comments. Possible locations are Putney Gulch and Catamount. Eric favors a sign at the Catamount trailhead as more informative and cheaper.

Financial report:

Carol gave the yearly financial report.  The financial report is on file.

Officers and elections:

Steve agreed to stand for president for next year. Mary asked if anyone was interested in any other position. We can hold elections in January

Grant proposal:

Budget for Steve’s time was $4000 cash from Friends of the Peak and $4000 donation in kind of Steve’s time. Another part was $5000 for another faculty member, then $4000 for two months of a student’s time. Steve asked for $12000 in the grant, with $8000 from Friends of the Peak. Steve submitted it November 1. The office phone received a message saying the proposal was received but it was double-sided when it should have been single-sided. We could cut the budget if we don’t get the grant.

In January, people make a ten minute presentation supporting the grant. The grant budget cannot include mailings. Public meetings would have some cost, but mainly mailings. RMFI will do the bookkeeping. UCCS would disperse employee money and handle any employee taxes and reporting. Determination of grant recipients is made in spring. Steve foresees conducting public meetings in summer. A campaign for that needs to begin in spring. Steve has met with Frank at Forest Service twice. Forest Service provided a good letter of support.

Barr Trail:

Mary wondered if Steve already knew of a segment of Barr Trail that would be appropriate for a week long project for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. Eric proposed the sixteen golden stairs, but that would require only two days or so. A segment above Barr Camp could use work. The work week would need to be late July or early August. Steve could identify work for this summer with Gail and youth corps. Eric supplied information on Americorps. RMFI cannot use a team for the entire summer, and asked if FOTP could use two weeks. Americorps teams would be available July or August. We could do a week-long on Devil’s Playground and a week-long on Barr Trail. Mary can take a day on Devil’s Playground to show them the work to be done. We’d need someone to show them the work on Barr Trail. Steve is teaching July 16 to August 1. Fall classes would interfere with late August.

Next year’s operating plan would include a week-long on Barr Trail and a week-long on Devil’s Playground.

Seven Bridges:

The Thursday work days next summer might reach Jones Park. Clarifying the entrance to the scree slope with stone steps is the major part of working the scree slope. Mary has a plan for that. She’s heard that the trail goes past Jones Park, so that work could continue past there.

Other possibilities:

Eric asked about Heizer Trail and Trail 638 and Trail 703 that form a loop that has a shortcut developing by the Manitou reservoir.

Elk Park Knoll Trail work was proposed and delayed until highway mitigation work was completed. The trail around the W’s and the trail by Ghost Town Hollow both need work. Gullies cut across the trail. Trail genies have tried filling gullies with rock, but more erodes around the rock. Since Eric’s talk at the annual meeting mentioned the problems, people might have an interest in working it. Eric has more knowledge about the gullies which could help in planning repairs.

Forest Service wants to limit dispersed camping along the Crags road. Forest Service might ask for help on the project.

Going in to Forest Service about projects, Mary asks if Forest Service has anything they’d like FOTP to work on.

The operating plan should include information on WAAG, the grant proposal, and the inventory on Barr Trail.

We’ll probably skip crew leader training for this year.

Projects for next year should include a day on Barr Trail, coordinated with Gail.

Bill Brown led hikes previously but found he had the same hikers every year.

FOTP had seminars previously but probably doesn’t have interest for this year.

Meetings for 2008 will continue on the second Tuesdays. City hall is a reasonable place to meet. Mary will check into using city hall again.

The annual meeting has received compliments, for the location, food, and presentation. The caterer was easy to work with.

Meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.

October 9, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Mike Bartmess, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Steve Jennings, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting should be corrected about scouting routes. Instead of south slope it should read south ridge of McReynolds Peak. The remaining minutes were all right.

Carol gave the financial report.  The financial report is on file.

Mary reported that project season is finished. Devil’s Playground has half mile of trail yet to address. The weekend project in September had only three registered Saturday and one Sunday, so Mary cancelled Sunday. The four people worked Saturday on repairs. FOTP needs to decide what to do next year. Erosion is still a problem. From the top of the ridge, it’s about half mile to the trouble spot. The walk in for volunteers would be about a mile at about 13000 feet. What to do should be a topic at the retreat.

Seven Bridges projects made it to Undine Falls. The last work day had about a dozen volunteers. The every other Thursday schedule works well. The walk in is about an hour now.

Ring the Peak trail had one more exploratory hike. Eric S. explored a trail off a dirt road near the Cripple Creek water road. The Pikes Peak Atlas shows the trail going to the South Slope at Wilson Reservoir. County assessor maps show the road crossing BLM land and private property. Eric contacted Robert Houdek, who is willing to walk the trail with Eric. The road might be a public road through private property or a private road. Talking with the private property owners is possible, but would occur later.

Watershed Access Advisory Group met. Mary and Eric S. were there. Utilities and the group are working on what the group’s charter will be. The group has eleven people. They’ll meet in October and November, then twice a month starting in January.

Horsethief Park trail has a beaver pond over it now. It would be a good area for projects next year.

Steve worked on the planning grant. He sent out a copy to the board and welcomes comments. He wants to finish by November 1. Matt Carpenter has a virtual tour of Barr Trail that could help with the database of needs and work. Steve’s plan could add to what Matt has. We’d want public meetings to determine needs. Mountain bike use is increasing. Bikes have different needs for the trail. Forest Service doesn’t see much use by horses. The Pikes Peak Work Force built the Limber Pine trail, and might have input. Including Youth Corps in the plan is worthwhile. Steve will look for letters of support from other groups. The maximum number of letters to submit is six. Personal letters are also valuable. The proposal should stress the continuing need, rather than the good work that has been done on the trail. The proposal can also mention the parking lot and port-a-potty.

It’s probably time to restart the port-a-potty at Barr Trail. We should check on how frequently they service it.

The invitations for the annual meeting went out. A dozen people have responded. We need a count for Melting Pot by October 21. We have the Division of Wildlife hall, which is free. Steve arranged catering. We need to arrive early to set up the room. Mary will buy table cloths. A volunteer has offered to make centerpieces. Mary will invite the people from the WAAG.

Eric mentioned the need for maintenance on the motorized part of Bear Creek Trail. We could meet with motorized groups. Grants are available for motorized trail maintenance.

We’ll look at projects for next year at the retreat.

Eric B. is looking for photos of the Severy Creek wetland from before 2000. Steve has some photos from above from 1920s. Eric is also looking for any other photos of the area from anyone who might have them.

RMFI did work along Ski Creek near Glen Cove all summer.

Mary nominated Michael Bartmess to the board. Eric seconded. The board elected Michael.

Mary is working on the newsletter and will take submissions.

The retreat should be in November. Steve will check if we can use Penrose House again. Mary proposed Saturday, November 17, which is the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We could meet 10:00 to 2:00 or 3:00.

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

September 11, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Steve Jennings, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Mary reported on Barr Trail. Gail ran the project with four volunteers, but cancelled support because of the small turn out. Eric B. mentioned that he and Steve are looking into grant writing.

Seven Bridges work is past the seventh bridge and will probably reach the waterfall. Only one workday remains this season. They’ll carry out the tools that Thursday, September 20.

For this weekend, at Devil’s Playground, six people are signed up for Saturday and three Sunday.

The Putney Gulch project had about eight people on Saturday, six on Sunday, and finished all the work, including repairing the switchback that was too narrow for the horses that went through with the Range Riders.

Mary received a phone call from someone at the Gazette.

On the Ring the Peak trail, Eric S. reported that he, Jim Strub, Jim Burger, and Mary have scouted routes between Pancake Rocks and the South Slope. A lower route from Oil Creek to the Timberline Fishing Club road looks promising. From the South Slope to Wilson Reservoir, the Pikes Peak Atlas shows a trail, but it doesn’t seem to still exist. They talked to the Teller County cartographer in the Assessor’s office and the Planning Department to find where the boundaries for private property are. The cartographer was very helpful. For official boundaries, a survey is required. The Gillett portal is another issue because it is blocked by private property. Mary and Eric S. plan to talk to Larry Manning in Cripple Creek. Eric B. suggested asking for the shape files for the properties, or any information usable in a GIS system.

Steve began work on a planning grant. He and Eric B. are going to an informational meeting on Thursday. Steve has a meeting with the Forest Service scheduled for Friday. Eric B. and Steve developed a list of people to ask for letters of support. There’s a limit to the number of letters to submit. The planning grant would be a maximum of $20000,

with 25% matching. In kind donations, such as volunteer labor, can count toward the match. The plan is to find the needs for work on Barr Trail. After the planning grant, we could apply for a work grant. Holding public planning meetings to ask for input on Barr Trail is a possibility. For 5%, RMFI will handle the administrative parts. The narrative part for the grant proposal is relatively short, about half a page. The Thursday meeting will help with that to put in.

Mary went on the water tour.

Carol reported on signs. We had three signing runs, on the Catamount portals, west of Frosty’s Park toward the water road, and on Palmer Red Rock in Section 16. In Section 16, three or four signs were still there. A question came up about signing access trails, specifically in reference to Catamount.

Eric asked about what to put in the Ring web site about camping on the Ring. Anywhere on the Ring in National Forest allows camping. Eric would like to mention good campsites on the Ring, including where water is located. Mentioning designated spots is fine, but mentioning specific spots past that would result in much wear on those spots. The North Slope will close soon for the season. The Ring web site mentions that and links to the utilities web site.

Mary received a phone call about Horsethief trail having a new beaver pond over the trail. Mary will check it out. Mary received a phone message about the reroute on Devil’s Playground, plus many complimentary messages.

The annual meeting is published for October 27. We need a room, and a speaker. The invitations need to go out by the end of September. The senior center on Hancock might be available. The Division of Wildlife on Sinton Way might have a room. Mary talked to Brent Botts after the reroute on Devil’s Playground. Steve Tapia was going to go check on whether more work is needed. Mary asked about the sediment traps on the Highway. They’ve decided that the design failed, not installation or maintenance. The Forest Service offered a speaker for the annual meeting. Eric B. could talk about the Pikes Peak Highway work or Severy Creek. We also need a newsletter. Eric S. will write a short article on the Ring web site. Steve offered to write an article. Eric B. will write an update on the greenback cutthroat trout and Severy. Steve will call Ramsay about the contact information for the caterer.

On September 22 will be Octoolberfest, 10:00 a.m., to work on tools, at Mary’s house, with a barbeque afterward.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

August 14, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Steve Jennings, Karl Stang.

Meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Mary reported on Barr Trail work. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps is a possibility, hiring them one or two weeks next year, or one week a year for a few years. Creating a plan for Barr Trail, we could apply for a grant from GOCO. Grant proposals are due November 1, and decided by May 15. We could solicit needs for the trail from Matt and other runners. We could hire RMFI for it. We could ask VOC. Steve is willing to walk Barr Trail, and to work for hire. Steve would like to see a template for grant proposals. Hosting a town meeting is a possibility, to solicit ideas for the areas most needing work. A group meeting would generate discussion. The board supports applying for a planning grant, and asking the runners and other heavy users of Barr Trail for input.

North Cheyenne Creek continued with work days. Mark McClure headed the previous work day. We’re up to the seventh bridge and will probably cross it next week. The gravel slide is above the seventh bridge.

Putney Gulch weekend, July 21-22, had heavy rain, so no one camped. Michael Bartmess and his wife provided food. We had eight on Saturday and five on Sunday.

The next project is August 25-26, with seven Saturday, six Sunday.

Devil’s Playground on Saturday had eight or nine people. Two people returned on Sunday. Heavy rain chased people off the mountain on Saturday evening. Alice froze the extra food and passed it on. The trail has three severe trenches. The workers put in more stairs and drains. One more project is planned for this year. So far six are signed up for Saturday and three for Sunday, September 15-16.

Steve has a project with his students, 32 people, and is looking for something they could reasonably handle. He’s considering picking up trash.

Watershed access advisory group includes Mary and Eric Swab. The first meeting is September 26. Mary and Eric plan to walk possible alignments.

Signing folks have installed signs on the new intersections from the Catamount open space and plan to replace signs east of the water road and to replace signs in Palmer/Red Rock/Section 16.

Mary put up a new temporary sign at Devil’s Playground.

Both legs of the switchback are complete. Restoration is done as best as it could be. Eric B. would like to reroute the trail to a drier spot.

Tuesday’s storm damaged the highway detention structures. Sediment flowed down the Ws and into the wetlands. RMFI is expressing concern about the failure of the structures. The structures need to be redesigned and constructed correctly to handle the rain. The sediment is not being removed often enough from the traps so that they cannot hold the water. The Forest Service must approve the plans and work. A letter expressing concern should go to the Forest Service, the supervisor in Pueblo. Eric is willing to draft a letter and send it around for comment.

Welcome back, Steve!

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

July 10, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Guest: Michael Bartmess

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

The company that ran the registration for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon donated money to the organizations supported by the races. We should put the information in the next newsletter.

Mary reported on work on Barr Trail. Gail would like to create a separate committee for work on Barr Trail. Having a person from the Barr Trail committee attend the board meetings to report would be good. Mary asked if anyone currently on the board would like to join the Barr Trail committee to be the liaison. No one volunteered. Gail has a possible person in mind. A possible project for next year would be several weeks for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for work on Barr Trail, and, with help from Eric B., applying for grant money for matching funds. Friends of the Peak could contract with Rocky Mountain Field Institute to write a grant proposal. More details would be needed before deciding what to do. It would give us some experience with the process, then potentially enable us to try again for work on the Ring. The project date for Barr Trail has moved to August 11. We need to contact people already registered and change the date on the web site. Mary has a volunteer to provide food at the end of the day for the new date. The boulder that fell on Barr Trail is still there. Gail worked a trail around it.

North Cheyenne Creek work days are past the sixth bridge. Mary suspects the work will remain between the sixth and seventh bridge the rest of the year because of the work needed.

For Putney Gulch, sixteen or so volunteers worked Saturday and three Sunday in June. Another weekend is scheduled July 21-22. Seven people are currently registered for Saturday, and four for Sunday. Two plan to camp, plus Mary. The numbers are similar to the numbers preregistered for June. Michael is planning to support these work days.

For the Devil’s Playground trail, registration cut off is Friday, July 13. So far, four people are registered. Mary received a call back from Youth Corps. Mary will meet her on July 28 and walk to the work area. Mary has talked with the caterer, Amy. Mark and Eric B. plan to go look at the gullies to evaluate the work. For the weekend, August 4-5, seven people are registered for Saturday, five for Sunday, with two planning to camp.

A person from Sanborn called about some of their people working August 2-3. But the dates don’t work out.

For Utilities watershed access, there’s a meeting July 16 at 8:00 a.m. at the Recreation Way building. Utilities would like one person from FOTP to drive to the site. Eric S. offered.

The Independent suggested having a listing in their Give section. The cost is $450. The return didn’t seem high enough.

Rocky Mountain Field Institute has a research project at the Severy Creek wetland.

Eric S. received e-mail from Joe Klein about signs to prevent vandalism. He wants to put signs on the Ring signs in Section 16. Eric was contacted by a web developer in Cripple Creek about linking to our site, and wanted in return a link on our site to his. Links to nonprofits related to trails makes sense. Eric could approve nonprofits with activities related to the trail, and bring any other requests to the board. The Ring website doesn’t currently mention motorized use. A possible addition is information about which sections are motorized. It would be worthwhile information for both motorized and nonmotorized users.

The website has a sponsors page. One question is the amount sponsors should contribute. Eric can ask the board about each amount. Karl will ask Active Network if they would like a link.

Bill Brown gave Eric S. a track log for the Putney Gulch segment.

Eric S. has scouted routes from Pancake Rocks. He distributed a map with a possible route. For a trail, the grade can’t be more than 12% or 1/3 the cross slope. The possible trail is about six miles, with a small segment of road but the rest requiring building trail.

The next signing run plans to replace vandalized roadside signs. Carol knows of three, two off High Drive, Bear Creek and Palmer Red Rock, and Mount Esther up U.S. 24. No one knew of any others.

Mary, Eric S., and Jim Strub have applied for the watershed access advisory group.

Mary wants to place a more permanent sign at Devil’s Playground, and received board permission to buy one.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

June 12, 2007

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Ed Lynch, Karl Stang, Eric Swab.

Guest: Michael Bartmess

Meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m.  Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Mary completed the Utilities application and sent it in. They got back to her and are putting together a tour of interested parties to see the South Slope. That will probably happen in a couple of weeks.

Carol gave the financial report.  The financial report is on file.

About the week-long project, Mary has talked with the mule train person. He wants to get things up there the weekend before. Mary talked to Rick. Rick will help restock with ATVs during the week and to take out everything at the end. For water, they want to use water cubes, which are collapsible. We need about 50. There would be 10 Youth Corps people and some volunteers, four registered so far. We could close registration to give Amy numbers. Rick suggested checking with the Mennonite camp to ask to use refrigerator space, or to use the Forest Service space in Woodland Park. Mary needs the contact info for the Youth Corps folks. The tools need to go up on Saturday.

Eric S. has worked on the Ring the Peak web site. He’s started adding photos for trailheads and confusing junctions. He’s added some of the areas near the Ring, such as Mueller. If you link from the Friends web site, there’s no problem. If you enter directly, there’s a banner for every frame. Eric will check into options.

Three people hiked the Ring on Memorial weekend, based on the web site maps and said good things about the trail.

Eric S. explored around Gillett, and ran into snow. He found an elk path with possibilities. He’s been looking for ways from Pancake Rocks to the Beaver Creek trail and then to the South Slope.

Eric talked to Rich Dudley. Cheyenne Mountain State Park would like to connect to Mueller State Park. Eric wondered if we could collaborate, since the Ring could lead to Mueller.

For the Ring weekends, volunteers will start at the parking lot and work up the trail. Eric mentioned that the Raspberry link has an area that could use some work.

Eric mentioned the green back cut throat trout populations in some areas.

Gail had a project on Barr Trail with 18 volunteers. They cleaned out water bars, lopped, removed berm. They made it to around the top of Mount Manitou.

Red Rock project had 28 people Saturday and 16-18 Sunday and completed the link. The Gazette mentioned it a few weeks later, but not the group.

One tundra rescue project had four people and rescued two pick up loads. The tundra rescued last year was growing. The tundra is going just above the big turn above the brake check station.

Mary talked to Forest Service about the Range Riders event.

The first signing run of the year, June 7, ran into some snow going from Horsethief Park to the Crags road, but replaced about five vandalized signs and installed one on the road by the turn off for the campground.

Eric S. is co chair of conservation of the Colorado Mountain Club. He goes to many meetings, including the TOPS meeting about purchasing the top of Cheyenne Mountain. Eric would like the board to support the purchase of the area. Mary seconded. The board approved. TOPS also discussed Section 16.

The Pike National Forest planning was tabled. Eric S. received the letter, and followed up. He asked about having Pikes Peak as a special area. Forest Service will consider that.

Ed mentioned the Heizer trail, coming out to the Manitou water department road. They’d like to tie into trail 638, to keep people off the road. It’s about 300 yards of trail. They’d need to talk to Forest Service.

Mary nominated Eric S. as an official board member. Ed seconded. The board elected Eric.

Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Attending: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Ed Lynch, Karl Stang
Guest: Eric Swab, Gwen Happ

Meeting was called to order at 6:00.

Gwen Happ was visiting from CS Utilities on the watershed access policy. City council will have the information for the meeting Wednesday, April 18, 1:00 p.m. CS Utilities is scheduled for 2:30, but that can adjust depending on time for other topics. The meeting is in the Plaza of the Rockies, Blue River Board Room, fifth floor.   Board members provided comments on the draft policy statement.

The board discussed a letter to CS Utilities. Eric had drafted a letter and was willing to send it around to the group for comments. The letter should go to the Utility board. One issue to note is that the policy needs to specifically permit access. Current language could be interpreted to mean that every person entering must apply for a permit. The map and boundaries for the zones is a concern. Areas of concern are restrictions on Cascade Creek, French Creek, and Ruxton Creek.

Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Financial report - on file.

Karl asked about dates for the weeklong project to give to the backcountry caterer. Karl gave her the dates from the web site.

Eric had worked on the Ring web site. National Geographic licensed Friends of the Peak to use their Topo maps on the web site. Eric plans to update the web site tomorrow. He’d like comments, including proofreading. He took photos in the Catamount area.

Mary reported that Mary Mourar, Eric Swab, and Jim Strub have volunteered to help scout a route. Mary Mourar is the conservation chair for Colorado Mountain Club. She’d like to increase volunteers from CMC for Friends of the Peak. Mary plans to scout on Mondays, as long as needed. Four staff members from Park and Rec plan to attend crew leader training.

Karl reported on sign ups for Red Rock and tundra rescue. 15 people are signed up for Saturday at Red Rock. 2 are signed up for Sunday. 2 people are signed up for all three days of tundra rescue (picking up pieces and replanting them). VOutdoors has had about half dozen hits.

Mary met with project support people. Most projects seem to be covered.

Meeting adjourned at 7:10 to play with the web site.

March 7, 2007

Board Members in attendance: Mary Burger, Carol Beckman, Eric Billmeyer, Karl Stang

Mary reported on a variety of issues:
The spring newsletter is ready.  The operating plan is complete.

Alice Gardner has graciously agreed to host the meeting for the project support volunteers.

Eric, Mark, and Mary will meet about the logistics for the Youth Corps volunteers.

Colorado Springs Utilities held its third public meeting on the watershed access policy. A report is in the newsletter. The new permit application form is said to be on the Utilities web site. Mary needs the names of all the people who will be scouting for a trail alignment for the Ring the Peak trail inside the Utilities land. She needs to put all the names on the permit application. It’s not clear whether a Utilities employee will accompany the scouting party every time that they access the South Slope.

Lexis Nexis has invited FOTP to its Earth Day Celebration again this year, on April 26.

Mary will meet with the contact at the city for the Red Rock project to walk the alignment. It should be about 1000 feet of trail to build, which is doable in a weekend with enough volunteers. The new trail will go through scrub oak. The city might be able to clear scrub oak before the work day, but Mary may need volunteers to work in advance of the project weekend.

The work schedule for 2007 is on the FOTP web site and on V-Outdoors.

Mary is working with Brent Botts for resupplying the week-long project. Mules could be used to bring in food and water, but the mules travel in a 30 foot trailer, which may not work on the road or may not be able to turn around. The Forest Service could use ATVs if mules don’t work out. Mary could also check into llamas. With ten Youth Corps members plus some FOTP volunteers, and one to two gallons of water per person per day, quite a bit of water is needed. Mules could carry five gallon jugs. Mary has six she can lend for the project, but FOTP would need to buy more. Mary wondered if moving the work week back one week would be workable.

Mary is checking into having the annual dinner at the Penrose House.


Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. for newsletter folding, taping, labeling, and stamping, then again at 7:40 p.m.

February 13, 2007

January 9, 2007