COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Colorado Springs recently acquired Fishers Canyon Open Space. Now, the city is working to turn the 343-acre open space into something suitable and safe for public access.
According to the city, work and mitigation for Fishers Canyon began in December. The future trail system and outdoor recreation area will connect to Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
COLORADO SPRINGS — A major wildfire mitigation project is underway at the future Fishers Canyon Open Space above Broadmoor Bluffs.
“Conservation of the natural and cultural resources, preservation of the wildlife habitat, as well as protection of the mountain backdrop from the city of Colorado Springs,” said Colorado Springs Parks Senior Landscape Architect, David Deitemeyer.
One of the most important parts of the mitigation work is addressing wildfire danger.
The park is in one of the highest wildfire-risk regions of Colorado Springs.
Eye on Sun Valley Daily Local News –
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Kurt Nelson surveyed a clearing that had just been carved out on a part of Bald Mountain known as Little Scorpion and envisioned skiing down the perfect fall line, which sported brown slash where dead and dying trees had once stood.
“I told Neil Bradshaw I’m not going to name a run after me, but if I did this would be it,” he said as he gazed down the new opening which fell 1,800 to 2,000 feet down the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain.
That opening and many more have been opened up by a massive yellow 78,000-pound Ponsse harvester that has worked its way through the Frenchman’s and Scorpion areas this summer, removing dead and dying trees. Read more here.
The purpose of the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project is to reduce fuels and associated fire risk, improve forest health, and preserve the recreational experience on and around Bald Mountain, home of the Sun Valley Ski Resort. This world-renowned recreational destination drives central Idaho’s economy and is the primary viewshed for the communities of Ketchum and Sun Valley. Read More Here
By Sabina Dana Plasse Photos courtesy Sun Valley Company
As most Wood River Valley residents and those who frequent the area know, wildfire and beetle kill is an ever-present situation that requires consistent attention to mitigate wildfire risk and improve forest health. In an ongoing landscape-scale and multi-year plan as well as a unique partnership, the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project (BMSP) is preserving Baldy in collaboration with Sun Valley Company (SVC), the National Forest Foundation (NFF), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure that our renowned recreation destination continues to be a world-class experience while improving forest health and reducing fuels and associated fire risk. This ambitious project is projected to cover over 6,000 acres of land split between the USFS and the BLM, with over 3,000 acres on Bald Mountain. The project aims to protect the area’s forests, economy, and viewshed. Read More Here
