Marie, Thank you for including that information, and for responding so quickly.
In addition, FCRP is one of only two locations in El Paso County given the designation of *Important Bird Area* by the National Audubon Society. *Linda Hodges* *Colorado Springs* On Sun, May 1, 2016 at 8:18 PM, Marie Hoerner <[email protected]> wrote: > I hope that I am not overstepping any bounds as a very new member of > COBirds, but I am really sorry to hear of the plans El Paso has for > Fountain Creek. One thing that occurred to me, reading this email, is that > external evidence of the value of Fountain Creek Regional Park might be > valuable to include in responses to Mr. Williams. In addition to my own > anecdotal experiences at FCRP, I included the following points that rely on > well established outside sources to document the importance of the park: > > > - National Geographic's* Guide to Birding Hot Spots of the United > States* lists Fountain Creek Regional Park as one of only 13 hot spots > they chose to highlight in the entire state of Colorado. The park is also > the only hot spot listed for El Paso County. > - eBird (a citizen science project aimed at documenting bird > distributions and movements) reports the second highest avian diversity of > any site in El Paso County at Fountain Creek Regional Park. The only site > with higher avian diversity is the privately owned Chico Basin Ranch. > > These or other similar points might strengthen requests for El Paso to > reconsider their development plans. > > Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It really will be a major > loss if the development goes through. > > Marie Hoerner > > On Sun, May 1, 2016 at 6:39 PM, Tyler Stuart <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> COBirders, >> >> >> *El Paso County Parks has proposed to develop a number of the natural >> areas within Fountain Creek Regional Park (FCRP).* A public meeting on >> April 28, 2016 presented the plans, which include: dog park in sensitive >> riparian habitat, singletrack mountain biking trails, disc golf course, >> amphitheater, new athletic field, playgrounds, a creekside “beach” >> recreation area in an isolated riparian grove, new parking lots, creek >> realignment through Area 7 (Hansen Natural Area), and additional “forest >> management” areas. A number of these development plans will adversely >> affect important bird and wildlife habitat. >> >> >> *Have you birded FCRP or heard about its importance to birds and other >> wildlife? This email is to request that you send quickly to park personnel >> your impressions and comments regarding the proposed development plan.* >> We need a substantial response, as they don’t seem to appreciate the >> importance of undisturbed habitat, both canopy and understory, in a major >> riparian corridor. The development plan is available at >> *http://adm.elpasoco.com/CommunityServices/planning/Pages/default.aspx >> <http://adm.elpasoco.com/CommunityServices/planning/Pages/default.aspx> or >> at >> http://adm.elpasoco.com/CommunityServices/planning/Pages/FountainCreekRegionalParkPlanning.aspx >> <http://adm.elpasoco.com/CommunityServices/planning/Pages/FountainCreekRegionalParkPlanning.aspx>*. >> *Figure 36 on page 42* shows the scale of proposed development. >> >> >> The window to respond is narrow before the County Park Commissioners will >> review the proposed development plan. *The deadline for public comments >> is MAY 19,* but we need momentum before then so that they aren’t >> thinking that they have a green light. We offer some ideas to highlight >> below, in your words. In particular, we focus on two specific developments >> that we think will most significantly compromise habitat for bird residents >> and migrants. >> >> >> Summary of key points: >> >> · Proposed location for dog park would damage sensitive primary >> habitat and fragment the corridor >> >> · Other proposed management areas are primary cottonwood groves >> that don’t need management. >> >> · “Management” invariably disturbs important understory elements >> of riparian corridor >> >> >> >> First, a dog park is planned for the forested area known as “Mile Marker >> 18” or “Area 2,” abutting “The Spa.” The dog park will cover the habitat >> between the creek and the adjacent private land to the east, extending from >> the Willow Springs Ponds south to the Mile 18 marker (6 acres). This area >> hosts some of the richest bird life in the regional park, especially during >> migration. It is also a region where species seek refuge and nest *away* >> from the regional trail. A dog park, with a network of trails, tree >> removal, understory and grass degradation (e.g., see Bear Creek dog park), >> bathrooms, and expanded parking would severely compromise the quality of >> habitat. We think that this is a priority. We are not against a dog park, >> but it should not be in this valuable habitat and in the floodplain. They >> can re-organize proposed uses outside of the floodplain, or acquire land >> adjacent to the park that is already compromised. >> >> >> Second, the development plan targets several primary riparian tree >> clusters for “forest management.” The park planners indicated that this >> involves the removal of dead cottonwoods, which are a major resource for >> nesting birds and other wildlife. For example, cottonwood groves such as >> the proposed “creekside recreation area” (“Area 6”) currently are >> relatively undisturbed, remote, primary cottonwood groves. Such management >> invariably damages understory. Similarly, a proposed realignment of the >> entire creek would transect Area 7, at the south end of the regional park. >> >> >> Amazingly, none of the $1.65 million planned for park development has >> been allotted toward restoring or reclaiming wildlife habitat, or for >> controlling invasive species. >> >> >> *We ask that you write an email to share the importance of maintaining >> Fountain Creek’s riparian corridor (canopy and understory) and avoiding >> development in sensitive areas.* We hope that an overwhelming response >> from the birding community will be hard for the county planners to ignore. >> Describe what the park means to you, how often you visit, where you live, >> and how far you travel to visit. If you would like to highlight some of >> your experiences or bird sightings in the park, that’s great, too! In >> particular, a priority is not turning key parts of Area 2 into a dog park, >> and further fragmenting the riparian corridor. >> >> >> At your soonest convenience, please send your comments to Mr. Ross >> Williams, Park Planner, at [email protected]. It is good to be >> as specific as you can, if even in a short message. >> >> >> Also, please also forward to us the email you send to Mr. Williams so >> that we can record the scale of response from the birding community. And >> feel free to contact us with any questions. >> >> >> Tyler Stuart >> >> Steve Getty >> >> Colorado Springs, CO >> >> FCRP Bird Count Leaders >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Colorado Birds" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAGhGWmVh6djgVsi5%2BiPyu_oLvMRP%2B0i_HRwzmY5K%3Ds-B9Hu1Uw%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAGhGWmVh6djgVsi5%2BiPyu_oLvMRP%2B0i_HRwzmY5K%3Ds-B9Hu1Uw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > > [email protected] > Ph.D. Candidate > Department of Geophysical Sciences > The University of Chicago > 5734 S. Ellis Ave. > Chicago, IL 60637 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAAPQkTvZa%3DH8jW28fU9TA47MUme%3DCwrL6HkP50F7c6xX%3D8BC-w%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAAPQkTvZa%3DH8jW28fU9TA47MUme%3DCwrL6HkP50F7c6xX%3D8BC-w%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABW16TkrC-wVvLBTfpGJrgFAZ-R2fE8y9eUQ%2BbjOs%2BzZdCC%2B%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
