Thanks, Karen, for the note. I regret that I did not see it while in the field today . . . in fact, I started my eBird list for Box Elder Creek about 3 minutes after you posted here. Which is why I was still oblivious when I posted to CoBirds this afternoon after sighting the pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers working on a cavity nest along the creek. I apologize to CoBirds readers for not knowing that word had already gone out here about trespassing at Box Elder. I was not flouting the rules, but I was careless in my ignorance of them.
I, too, was approached as I departed Box Elder Creek a little after 2 p.m. A friendly and polite guy with USDA's APHIS "wildlife services" (he works in the area to minimize wildlife-aircraft encounters) advised me of the off-limits status. In fact, portions of some roads many of us have routinely driven there -- notably Hudson Road north of 72nd Avenue -- are supposed to be entirely off-limits. Personally, I think the airport's "PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs are a little ambiguous (more on that below), but I freely admit I had not read the "fine print" at the bottom. I had birded across the east side of the airport all morning and into the afternoon, starting at 56th and Hudson Road (aka Hudson Mile Road), working up north of 72nd to 96th, along 96th across the creek and back, and then north along Umpire Road (which parallels the easternmost airport security fence at the end of the east-west runway in DIA's northeast corner) and over to Box Elder Creek @ 104th Avenue. Most of those roads, according to the guy from APHIS, are off-limits, as is all the land along them, including any unmarked roads that branch off them (usually oil-well access roads). I suppose that technically, we can bird from the shoulder of the roads that are still open to us, but that's all. In a way, it's a little like driving the Wildlife Loop at Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, where you can't get out and walk around, and there are a number of side roads labeled off-limits. Unfortunately, virtually none of the side roads is labeled that way, and the white "PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs are far-flung and fewer-and-farther-between. I think most if not all of us missed that fine print saying it's all private and we're not allowed to stray off the main roads. In most cases, that "PRIVATE PROPERTY" sign is paired with a white, same-size "NO DUMPING" sign stacked atop it. It's hard not to assume that together, they apply not to those unmarked side roads or to an old two-track trail, unsigned and unfenced, along a shaded, grassy creek, Turns out they apply to almost EVERYthing around them. And you know what they say about "ass-u-me" . . . . I was wrong, and the guy from APHIS set me straight. BTW, there's one of those "PRIVATE PROPERTY/NO DUMPING" double-signs posted on 1o4th just before you reach Box Elder Creek -- clearly visible IF you're coming from the east (driving west on 104th from Imbogen Road). But there's no such sign on the west side, and having come in from the south/west, I assumed (that word again) the creek was wide open. Alas, open no more, if it ever was. Patrick O'Driscoll Denver On Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 4:32 PM Eric Dinkel <[email protected]> wrote: > So interesting the lack of consistency with this out at Box Elder and > surrounding area. I was told a similar thing back in January at the creek > itself. Then last week I was tempted by the cassin’s and grasshopper > sparrows (and other cool birds) and headed back out. Encountered 3 > different patrols (one from inside the fence near runways) and all 3 said a > okay- have fun birding. > My guess is the airport doesn’t have a clear policy on birding out there > so each patrol decides what to say in the moment. Just my two cents. > > Cheers, > > Eric Dinkel > Denver > > -- > 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 view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/3ad16178-03a2-4d71-91c3-589352ee28d6o%40googlegroups.com > . > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMNEzJPRHd0uUBXSZO%2B4v2PuVun29SUzeB%2BbMHHbCFS5O9o7Lg%40mail.gmail.com.
