Posted 07 October 2011 - 08:43 AM
Here's an update, a letter that's in the Estes Park Trail-Gazette today (10/7).
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Beaver conflicts along Fish Creek Road not resolved
Dear Editor:
The Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD) have begun work on a compacted, crushed stone trail along Fish Creek Road that will likely accommodate trail bikes, walkers, and horse riders. A grant supporting part of the cost of the trail was obtained by the EVRPD from the Colorado State funded agency Great Outdoors Colorado. Concern has been raised by many citizens in Estes Park concerning the potential impact that the trail may have on a colony of beaver that have inhabited a wetland region immediately adjacent to Fish Creek Road. There is very little room to build the trail that was originally designed to consist of a stone retaining wall along the beaver ponds, backfilled with dirt to the level of the road. Approximately 50 citizens of Estes Park attended an informational session held by the EVRPD at the town hall on Aug. 26. In response to the concerns raised by a number of attendees regarding plans to breach the beaver dams during the construction process, Stan Gengler, executive director of EVRPD, agreed to form the "Fish Creek Trail and Beaver Pond committee" to review the trail design as it related to the beaver colony. The committee has met with Mr. Gengler, Michael Richardson, EVRPD board of directors, and Kerry Prochaska from Cornerstone Engineering, who is in charge of the trail design and construction. The committee has met both at the beaver ponds and in conference in order to discuss various options to avoid damage to the beaver colony. Options suggested by the citizens committee to abort completion of the trail, or move the trail to the opposite side of Fish Creek Road from the beaver dams, were not acceptable to EVRPD. There are lines of sight concerns that are encountered with the plan to move that part of the trail near the beaver ponds to the opposite side of Fish Creek Road. The committee also suggested incorporating boardwalks over approximately 600 feet of the proposed trail that is nearest the beaver ponds. Along most of this stretch, there is very little width between Fish Creek Road and the beaver ponds. EVRPD and Cornerstone Engineering have rejected this suggestion based on the higher cost of boardwalk installation compared with the stone wall and backfill originally proposed. Narrowing the trail and allowing it to follow a path just above stream level to avoid the need for the extensive retaining wall, guard rail, and backfill was also rejected.
Cornerstone Engineering has offered a counter proposal to these suggestions. A redesign plan for that section of the trail nearest the beaver ponds, has narrowed the overall width of the trail, bringing the stone wall foundation out of the beaver ponds. Kerry Prochaska has promised that this design change will not only avoid any breach of the existing beaver dams, but will also move the stone wall supporting the trail "out of the beaver pond water." The beaver pond committee agrees that this is an important improvement over the original design.
The committee, and some beaver experts, including Sherri Tippie, director of "Wildlife 2000," are concerned that the construction of the trail along the beaver pond, scheduled for fall of 2011, could drive the beaver out of the ponds. The beaver pond committee requested that construction of the stone wall and trail be postponed until spring of 2012, as the beaver would not survive if they moved out of the ponds late this fall. Rick Spowart, from the Colorado Division of Wildlife, has attended several committee meetings and feels that the beaver would not abandon their ponds this late in the year. All experts admit that it is very difficult to predict how beaver will react during significant disturbance such as constructing a stone wall immediately adjacent to their lodges and ponds. This issue is a major concern for the beaver pond committee, who feels the need to act as advocates for the beaver at Fish Creek Road. The committee members, like many other Estes Park residents, feel strongly that beaver are a vital natural resource that maintain wetlands along the stream and river systems in Estes Park.
The trail and beaver pond committee members are divided with respect to the adequacy of the proposed design changes by Cornerstone Engineering, as well as with the timing of construction for the trail adjacent to the beaver ponds, currently scheduled to occur this fall. We feel that both Stan Gengler and Kerry Prochaska have been very professional and patient in terms of responding to the concerns of the citizen's committee. Protection of wildlife in Estes Park in the face of numerous development projects has always been a contentious issue. The committee members feel that they have accomplished all they can with EVRPD and Cornerstone Engineering in terms of their concerns with the trail construction plan near the beaver colonies. Stan Gengler suggested having a final public hearing regarding the horse trail plan to update the community regarding the current design change. This will occur sometime in October. The announcement for the meeting will be posted in local newspapers. The trails committee will attend this public meeting and advocate in a responsible manner for the beaver colony at Fish Creek Road. The trail and beaver pond committee hopes that anyone concerned about the impact of this proposed trail attend the public meeting and express their opinions.
Trail and Beaver Pond committee: Bill Darden, Susan Wolf, Tom Gootz, Manuella Knoll, Fred Mares, Eli Roehl.
Thomas Gootz
Estes Park
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