FConservati. Annual Report. Advisory Committee

Transcription

1 FConservati oothills 2011 on Annual Report Advisory Committee

2 Welcome The hectic pace of past years slackened this year with just over $100,000 dollars left in the Serial Levy Fund, but the Foothills Conservation Advisory Committee (FCAC) stayed engaged with its responsibilities of providing guidance to the Ridge to Rivers Trail Partnership and Foothills Learning Center and its programs. In May, the Mayor s office and the FCAC invited the community to a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Foothills Serial Levy. Those in attendance included many of the organizers and volunteers involved in the 2001 Foothills Serial Levy Campaign, Foothills Conservation Advisory Committee members from the past ten years were joined by newcomers to Boise interested in learning about the history behind the protection of the Foothills, and many children who enjoy the programs at the Foothills Learning Center and are learning to love the Foothills. The City worked through a Hammer Flat Management Agreement with Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) in the spring. While IDFG was responsible for the day-to-day care of Hammer Flat Reserve, the City and civic groups devoted a significant amount of time and labor to fencing and signing Hammer Flat. Boise City continued to communicate regularly with neighbors and stakeholders interested in the future of Hammer Flat while working with IDFG on logistics related to selling the property to IDFG by the end of Completion of this sale will provide $4.2 million of Serial Levy funds for additional acquisitions. The FCAC anticipates 2012 will be an exciting year with the Foothills Serial Levy Fund replenished by the sale of Hammer Flat. The sluggish economy continues to provide opportunities to purchase key properties in the Foothills. Sincerely, Chas. F. McDevitt Chairman, Foothills Conservation Advisory Committee 1

3 Historical Update On May 22, 2001, 59% of Boise voters supported a two-year serial levy (2002 and 2003) in order to raise $10 million for Foothills land preservation efforts. At the onset of the preservation effort, the 80,000 acres in the Boise Foothills, from Highway 21 to Highway 55, were a scattered mixture of public and private ownerships. 38,000 acres were owned by various state and federal agencies, while the remaining 42,000 acres were in private hands. Since that time, the volunteers serving on the FCAC have been working to efficiently utilize the serial levy funds to conserve foothills land in a variety of manners: fee title ownership, conservation easement, trail easement or land exchanges amongst federal and state agencies. Three priority areas for conservation were identified in the 2000 Boise Foothills Open Space Plan for Public Lands. Priority areas are Table Rock, Hulls Gulch/Military Reserve and Dry Creek/West Foothills. VISION In 2000, the Boise Foothills Management Plan was completed, describing the location and importance of plants, wildlife, riparian corridors, soils, slopes, recreation and public open spaces. The plan outlines the need for conserving natural resource values, educating the public, and providing sustainable recreation and resource use. It was created with input from the following seven city, county, state and federal agencies with public land management roles in the Foothills project area: City of Boise Ada County Boise County Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) United States Forest Service (USFS) These agencies support the vision of the Boise Foothills Open Space Management Plan (FOSMP) to create an interconnected system of natural areas, recreation trails, and wildlife corridors that ensure the integrity of public land values in the Foothills through: A long-term commitment to protect open space to preserve the character and diversity of the Boise Foothills. Conservation and enhancement of the ecosystems for wildlife habitat. Partnerships between private and public entities to maintain open space in the Foothills as an important place for people to learn, recreate, and rejuvenate. Education of those who use the open space so that they protect the resources associated with it. Adherence to recommendations and policies contained within this plan to perpetuate the character of the Foothills. 2

4 STAFF Boise City s Foothills Conservation and Management Program staff is made up of: Julia Kertz Grant, Foothills & Open Space Manager David Gordon, Ridge to Rivers Coordinator Bart Johnson, Trail Crew Foreman Will Taliaferro, Trail Maintenance Worker Todd Graeff, Part-time Trail Ranger Jennie Rylee, Environmental Education Coordinator Carolyn Volk, Part-time Environmental Education Specialist Kristin Lundstrom, Part-time Environmental Educator/Volunteer Coordinator Our office is at the Foothills Learning Center and workshop at 3188 Sunset Peak Road in Boise (mailing address 1104 Royal Blvd. Boise, ID and phone number ) THE FOOTHILLS CONSERVATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE The 12-member committee was created in Members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Their mission is to... make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for permanent protection of natural open space in the Boise Foothills, consistent with the open space serial levy passed by the voters on May 22, 2001, and will work to ensure that the levy funds are spent wisely. Committee members are selected for their interest in public recreation and natural resource management issues, leadership and individual areas of expertise. Committee members are volunteers who meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 am in the Foothills Learning Center Conference Room. The public is always welcome at these meetings. The following is a complete list of committee members: Charles F. McDevitt, Chair Suki Molina, Vice-Chair Brett Adler Ester Ceja Sylvia Cooper Bill Eastlake Milt Gillespie 3 Anne Hausrath Shirley Randolph Mike Reynoldson Betsy Roberts Sam Martinez, Youth Member FY11 Jillian Hanson, Youth Member FY11 Alysha Van Zante, Youth Member FY11

5 SERIAL LEVY FUNDS The chart below further exhibits how the serial levy funds have been leveraged with each transaction. Of the original $10 million, about $100,000 remain for Foothills preservation efforts. Although the FCAC continues to have discussions with foothill landowners regarding possible new trail connections, protection of wildlife habitat and riparian corridors, and preservation of rare plants and historically significant sites, even though funds are not currently available for these additional purchases. Property Year Acres ORIDA/United Water Market Value* Serial Levy Funds Expended* $160,000 $84,000 Blessinger $850,000 $892,000 Boyer-Satz $700,000 $353,000 Noble $3,000,000 $9,000 Castrango (trail easement) $3,000 $3,000 IDL and IDF&G (administrative land exchange) ,928 $1,375,000 $60,000 Hawkins $2,730,000 $2,516,000 Donnelly $510,000 $373,000 Dengler $720,000 $723,000 BLM, IDL & USFS (legislated land exchange) ,000 $16,500,000 $939,000 Smith $196,000 $3,000 Block $35,000 $0 Oberbillig $960,000 $20,000 Stack Rock ,320 $1,286,108 $288,153 Hammer Flat $4,240,197 $4,232,255 Cartwright $500,000 $270,784 10,351 $33,765,305 $10,900,192 Other properties Totals Ongoing $134,000 *rounded to the nearest thousand 4

6 TRAIL-USER QUESTIONNAIRE For the third year in a row, Boise City surveyed trail users at 12 trailheads for 12 hours. In April 2011, 75 volunteers staffed the trailheads and encouraged trail users to fill out the one-page questionnaire. This year, 1,292 people participated in filling out the form with information about themselves, type of use, likes and dislikes about the trails, and thoughts on possible management scenarios. As a result of the information provided by this questionnaire and those from previous years, the City has installed a new pit toilet in Military Reserve, posted trailhead names on the trailhead kiosks and instituted a voluntary trail closure when trails become muddy. UPDATING FOOTHILLS DATA In 2000, the Boise Foothills Open Space Management Plan created a set of 16 maps highlighting different Foothills resources. These maps are frequently used by agency partners. As part of the multi-year process to update the plan, the City of Boise worked with Power Engineers to review and revise the 16 maps with current data in September GOATS During summer 2011, the Foothills program tried a new approach to controlling rush skeletonweed in the Foothills: goats. Tim Linquist of Wilder-based CT Biological Weed & Brush Control provided 600 does and kids to serve as living weed-whackers, mowing down as much of the invasive rush skeletonweed for two weeks in Polecat Gulch Reserve. The grazing was timed to occur just before the weeds flowered. The project cost $4,250. The before and after photos tell the amazing story. The plan is to have them back at Polecat Gulch during the summer If grant opportunities arise, there are hopes to expand the locations the goats graze and tackle additional weed species. HAMMER FLAT After the city signed a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) in April 2011, IDFG took over management of Hammer Flat consistent with their neighboring Boise River Wildlife Management Area. Many volunteers have helped to catalog the animals and plants that call the property home during the year. The City of Boise and others such as the Boy Scouts, Ada County Alternative Youth Sentencing and Leadership Boise have helped IDFG by removing debris from the property and installing new perimeter fencing and boundary signage. 5 Cat s Face Revival, by local artist Reham Aarti

7 Foothills Learning Center In 2011, we taught 400 lessons to 9300 students. Other outreach programs such as composting workshops, Teachers Night Out, and Neighborhood Night Out, reached over 1100 people. We hosted 1800 people at our Second Saturday events. Among other accomplishments: creating bus subsidies for schools to visit the FLC; partnering with the Idaho Botanical Garden and MK Nature Center to lead a third year of Idaho Master Naturalist training; offering free community composting workshops; cooperating with TRIO/Upward Bound working with at-risk college-bound high school students; increasing offerings for developmentally disabled children and adults; and creating a special program for seniors in cooperation with the Central District Health Department. NEW PUBLIC ART A visit to the Foothills Learning Center now should include a stop at Cat s Face Revival, our newest piece of public art. Created by local artist Reham Aarti and dedicated in July 2011, the sculpture is a representation of new life arising out of fire, the theme of the south node of the master landscape plan. The sculpture is a vibrantly colored, glass mosaic on a steel frame and features local birds and wildlife, as well as a crawl-through feature for young children. The funds for this masterpiece came from the Thompson Family. Cat s Face Revival joins Aero Agoseris by Mark Baltes and our lobby mural by Ward Hooper in the family of FLC public art. "You guys put on the coolest events! What a fantastic resource for our city!" BUILDING TOUR BROCHURE Living Lighter on the Land: A Tour of the Foothills Learning Center takes visitors through the green features of our wonderful building. The self-guided tour focuses on active and passive solar features, smart windows, ground-source heat pump and zoned temperature controls, low-flow water features, motion sensitive lighting, and many other green elements designed into our building. "Thanks for teaching us how to make paper out of paper. You sure know how to save trees." "I think places in the foothills will continue to inspire me." 6

8 VOLUNTEER PROJECTS Once again, volunteers played an important role in the facilities and programs at the FLC this year. Our Second Saturday events are dependent on volunteers who welcome guests, lead activities, and do the always important cleanup at the end. A new Eagle Scout project this year resulted in a birdhouse donation box in our lobby and a large rolling cart for posters in the classroom. NEW BUILDING-USE FEE Budget considerations forced the need to charge for some uses of the Foothills Learning Center. For organizations that meet our mission but are charging attendees for their event, we require a building-use fee. Details of the charges can be found at our website, 7

9 Ridge To Rivers This was another busy year for the Ridge to Rivers trail program. Year-round use continues to increase leading to busier trails and subsequent management challenges. Significant work was again completed by our trail crew, and we had an outstanding effort from our Volunteer Trail Rangers. s and staff conversations with trail users continue to underscore the importance of the trail system to Boise residents. "Kudos: Great! Saw their love and care on Shane's and Buck's specifically as my two buddies and I rolled back to town." "More kudos: Yeah, ditto that. Very friendly while maintaining the trails we cherish. Big ups to the crews!" OTHER TRAIL SYSTEMS The fiscal year started with Ridge to Rivers staff dividing to visit a couple of other highly regarded trail systems in our region. Bart Johnson and Will Taliaferro spent three days looking at trails and speaking with area land managers in Bend, Oregon, while David Gordon attended a mountain-bike conference and visited trails there with Forest Service managers in South Lake Tahoe. Both locations are considered to be leaders in the movement to provide more bike specific cross-country trails that incorporate technical trail features into the design. These are types of features Ridge to Rivers would like to incorporate into the Foothills trail system in coming years. WINTER TRAIL CLOSURES Despite increased signage, media notices, and development of a daily Trail Condition Report and trail conditions blog, use of the Ridge to Rivers trail system when conditions were muddy was at an all-time high during the winter. Overuse led to considerable damage to trails in the lower foothills, resulting in the need for significant repairs. In response to the trail damage that was occurring, Ridge to Rivers took the unprecedented step of instituting a voluntary daily closure on certain trails. The most heavily damaged trails those in Military Reserve, around Table Rock and above the Foothills Learning Center were posted with signs asking the public to refrain from using them after 10:30 am daily the typical time that most trails begin to thaw and soften. It appears the voluntary closures were largely adhered to by trail users. Most closed areas were devoid of people by late morning, and damage to the trail tread lessened dramatically. Ridge to Rivers received only two s opposed to this idea, while receiving significant support for it. This program is expected to expand in 2011 to include the Polecat Gulch area. The voluntary trail closures will also begin earlier in the winter likely after the first of the year. 8

10 "Let me say that I and many others completely agree with the voluntary trail closures. We've all witnessed excessive damage to the trails this winter from irresponsible and selfish users." "Bravo for closing the trails! I appreciate all the work you do to keep our trails maintained. We have such a treasure. I'm glad we're taking steps to take care of it." RIDGE TO RIVERS MAP In response to requests for a more informative map, the Ridge to Rivers trail map was redesigned in The map now incorporates 100-foot contour intervals, and divides the trail system between the east and west sections, allowing for more detail to be seen. Much credit for the hard work involved in producing the new maps goes to the BLM s cartographers, without whose assistance this would not have been possible. MORNINGSTAR TRAIL TECHNICAL FEATURES When the Morningstar Trail at Bogus Basin Ski Area was designed and constructed in 2010, plans called for Ridge to Rivers to create technical trail features along this new route. Last fall, the crew built three ladder bridges that range from 30 to 40 feet in length and a 48-foot wooden skinny bridge. These exciting features provide a moderate degree of challenge to riders and meet increasing requests for this type of opportunity by local mountain bike enthusiasts. An additional challenge in designing these technical features was the need to disassemble them each fall before ski season. These ladder bridges will be taken down each November and re-erected each May. "As one of the crew who originally constructed the Bogus freeride trail, I was anxious to see some of the work that had been done up there. Well, long story short, we were blown away by Morningstar. 9

11 We loved the flow of the trail and the fact that you could really get rolling on the thing with some nice corners and rollers you could catch some nice air off, plus some cool wooden features thrown in for good measure...awesome! I have heard that Ridges to Rivers did this and, if so, I can't say enough good things and am hopeful this is a template for the future of Ridges to Rivers trails." TRAIL RANGER PROGRAM The Ridge to Rivers Trail Ranger program was helpful once again this year by providing us with anecdotal information from nine volunteer rangers during their regular runs, hikes and rides. Also providing input was our half-time ranger, Todd Graeff. Six Trail Awareness Days were again held this past year. Trail users at trailheads were provided with etiquette information as well as energy bars donated by Clifbar. Ranger reports highlight trails traveled on, as well as the number and types of users encountered. In analyzing reports from our rangers, an interesting trend seemed to develop this past year. In previous years, rangers observations closely reflected trail-use surveys, indicating overall use of approximately 35% mountain bikers with the remainder being pedestrians (hikers and runners). Reports this year showed the number of mountain bikers increasing to 45%. Observations by rangers indicated a decrease in users with dogs on trail from approximately 33% in the past to 25% this year. While these observations are in no way scientific. We will continue to monitor trends and manage trails accordingly. "You are doing a wonderful job keeping our trails in good shape with all the traffic." VOLUNTEER PROJECTS Ridge to Rivers benefited from over 1,900 hours of volunteer time in Most of this came through our Volunteer Trail Ranger program; however, we also had significant contributions from our twelve Adopt-A-Trail groups. In addition, Ridge to Rivers and the Foothills benefited from a large volunteer effort from Leadership Boise in April, which concentrated on fencing the new Hammer Flat Reserve. 10

12 TRAIL CONNECTION FROM BOB S #30 TO CORRALS #31 In August, Ridge to Rivers was contacted by Highlands Development about an opportunity to enhance trail access between these two popular trails. As a result of a sale of a portion of their land to Crane Creek Golf Course, Highlands had to fence their property, closing an informal path in early August. They contacted Ridge to Rivers and the BLM in hopes of providing an alternate trail on neighboring BLM ground. Ridge to Rivers staff visited the site and did a preliminary survey on a route that would provide this connection. Highlands has expressed interest in helping to develop this trail if it is deemed a feasible project. The BLM will undertake an Environmental Assessment this winter. Should the project be determined to have no significant impacts, we will proceed with construction of this trail connection in Foothills Learning Center Boise Parks and Recreation Department Mailing: 1104 Royal Boulevard Boise, Idaho Physical: 3188 Sunset Peak Road Boise, Idaho Photos by Aaron Beck flc-parks@cityofboise.org