2022 Colorado Trail Symposium Schedule

All sessions are held at The Penrose House Conference Center - 1661 Mesa Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO

Session locations are noted after session titles in parentheses

September 28, 2022

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Registration (Garden Pavilion)

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM    Welcome: Dan Allen and Scott Abbott, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (Garden Pavilion)

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM History of Penrose House and El Pomar Facility: Meg Shaver, El Pomar Foundation. (Garden Pavilion)

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM    Session 1: Panel Discussion on Managing Illegal and Undesignated Trails. Scott Abbott, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. Todd Juhasz, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas. Alex Smiley, Jefferson County Open Space. Hilary Dees, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Garden Pavilion)

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM     Lunch (Garden Pavilion)

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM       Session 2

• Effective Communication Strategies to Enhance Trail Stewardship: Gillian Rossi and Wes Hermann, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. (Carriage House)

• High-Use Singletrack Trails: Evolving with the Times: Matt Spinner, Town of Erie Parks and Open Space. (Garden Pavilion)

• Collaborative Efforts with Neighboring Land Managers: Scott Abbott, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. Josh VonLoh US Forest Service (Partnership and Volunteer Coordination) (Milton Proby Room)

• Construction of the Sweetwater Trail System: David Deitemeyer, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. (Spencer Penrose Room)

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM      Session 3

• Measuring the Impact of Signs on Trail Courtesy: Mary Ann Bonnell, Jefferson County Open Space,

  Lisa Gill, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Lisa Goncalo, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Spencer Penrose Room)

• Mechanized Trail Building: Dan Allen and Mark Tatro, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. (Garden Pavilion)

• Data Driven Designated and Undesignated Trail Management: Hilary Dees, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Milton Proby Room)

• Data-informed Recreation Management: Human Dimensions Research Methods: Anna Reed, Deonne VanderWoude, and Heidi Seidel. Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Carriage House).

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM      Session 4

• Designing and Implementing a Hybrid Trail Count Program: Colin Leslie, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Carriage House)

• Balancing Recreation and Conservation in the Bear Creek Watershed: Panel Discussion. Carl Woody, Rocky Mountain Field Institute. Cory Noble, Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Janelle Valladares, US Forest Service. Kyle Melvin, El Paso County Parks. Susan Davies, Trails and Open Space Coalition. Bill Alspach, Trails Preservation Alliance. (Garden Pavilion)

• Round Table Discussion on Trail Contracting: Greg Seabloom, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Spencer Penrose Room).

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM     Networking Event

• Presentation of Golden McLeod Award Red Leg Brewing (2323 Garden of the Gods Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80907).

September 29, 2022

All field trips will meet at The Penrose House Conference Center - 1661 Mesa Ave, Colorado Springs, CO

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM         Breakfast/Grab Lunch

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM Session 5: Round Table Discussions

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Closing Remarks

10:15 AM – 2:00 PM          Field Trips

• Guided Hike at Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Learn about Red Rock Canyon Open Space Geology and Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services effort to attain Leave No Trace Gold Standard Status. (Limit 25). Meet at Red Rock Canyon Open Space.

• Adaptive All-terrain Power-assist Handcycle Experiential Ride. City of Boulder OSMP is getting people with disabilities faster and further out into nature.  Join Topher Downham on an off-road handbike adventure along Colorado Springs mountain bike trails where participants will get a hands-on experience with this latest technology.  Before, during, and after the ride, we’ll discuss the in’s and outs of this OSMP adaptive biking program, adaptive mountain biking in general, and why it has been a game changer for people with mobility impairments accessing nature.  As the handbikes are limited in number, we’ll swap out with  regular mountain bikes to guarantee everyone gets a chance to participate. (Limit 5). Meet at Fountain Creek Nature Center.

• Sweetwater Trail System Intermediate Mountain Bike Ride. Tour the 7 miles of new single track trail in North Cheyenne Canon Park. (Limit 20). Meet at Powell Parking Lot, North Cheyenne Canon.

• Tour of Blodgett Open Space. Tour Blodgett Open Space and learn about collaborative efforts between Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services and the US Forest Service to manage illegal trails along the western boundary of Colorado Springs. Meet at North Blodgett Parking Lot.

• Tour of Austin Bluffs Open Space. Learn about trail projects that Colorado Springs, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services as implemented with the combination of equipment and volunteers. Meet at the UCCS Heller Center

• Tour of the Bear Creek Watershed. Bear Creek is one of the few remaining streams in Colorado with a population of Greenback Cutthroat Trout. Learn how land managers have balanced recreation and conservation in this unique watershed. Meet at Bear Creek Canon Park.

Self Guided Field Trips, download the Colorado Trails Explorer app and enjoy these selected hikes and bike rides

• Self-Guided Tour of Manitou Incline. Hike all 2744 steps of the Manitou Incline and enjoy views of Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs. Reservations are required, but slots will be set aside for attendees who have registered for this field trip. Please park at Hiawatha Gardens and use shuttle.

• Self-Guided Bike Tour of Pikes Peak Greenway. Walk or bike along the Pikes Peak Greenway.

• Self-Guided Bike/Hike Tour of Bluestem Prairie Open Space

Not interested in a field trip? Download the MTB Project app and enjoy one of these local bike rides or hikes

• Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs

• The Falcon Trail on the US Air Force Academy

• The Pineries Open Space in Black Forest

Lodging

Recommended Lodging: The Best Western Plus (3150 N Chestnut St, Colorado Springs, CO 80907) 719-471-4331. If this location is sold out, we recommend attendees to look for lodging near the I25 and Fillmore Exit.

Golden McLeod Award

Each year attendees vote on trail projects nominated for the Golden McLeod Award. This award goes to a trail project that represents ingenuity in trail construction and maintenance. If you have a project you would like to nominate, please send pictures and a brief description to Gabe Wilson with Golden McLeod in the subject line by September 16.

Information for Presenters

All break out rooms have a laptop computer and projector. Please bring your presentation on a USB flash drive.