1
July 17, 2014 VOLU M E 5 0 | I S S UE 48 | 5 0 ¢
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Open space offers variety of outdoor activities By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com When it comes to escaping the city life and taking time to relax with his fishing pole, Mitch Draker heads to the Elaine T. Valente Open Space area in Adams County. The Thornton resident visits the space regularly bringing along his fishing rod, head phones and dog Max. “It’s really great to have this kind of area right outside of the city,” he said. “I don’t have to drive far to fish and enjoy the outdoors. It’s what I’d call a gem.” Draker isn’t the only person who enjoys the Elaine T. Valente, ETV, Open Space, many others head out to the 160-acre space for dog walking, bird watching and of course fishing in one of the three ponds stocked with fish on a regular bases. The ETV open space is located about a half mile from the McKay Road off 104th Avenue in Thornton on the north side of the South Platte River. The area also features riparian areas along the river and the Grange Hall Creek, which runs from west to east through the center of the open space. The space is also a habitat home to bald eagles, Great Blue Herons,
wild turkey, mule deer, whitetailed deer, coyotes and fox. “With respect to recreation, there are hiking trails, picnic areas and restrooms as well as a small parking lot,” said Shannon McDowell, interim Adams County parks and open space director. “Access to the South Platte River Trail is available from this site. Recreationalists can travel along the trail to Chatfield Reservoir at present. In the near future, we plan to make our final connection of the South Platte River Trail from the 108th Avenue alignment north to 120th Avenue.” McDowell said the trail segment will complete Adams County’s reach of the South Platte River Trail with a continuous trail from a trailhead north of E-470 on Brighton Road to the southern county boundary. After the trail completion, off-street access will connect the ETV Open Space with the Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds as well, she added. “We had many partners in the creation of the ETV Open Space including Great Outdoors Colorado, Adams County Open Space Sales Tax, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, Colorado Division of Wildlife, now Parks and Wildlife, through a Fishing
The Elaine T. Valente Open Space in Adams County offers three stocked fishing ponds, trail access, views of the South Platte River and many other outdoor activities. Photo by Ashley Reimers is Fun grant, the Trust for Public Land and Colorado Open Lands,” McDowell said. From a Historical perspective, the ETV Open Space was used for sand and gravel mining decades ago before it was trans-
formed into a recreational area. The space is named after Elaine T. Valente, the first woman to be elected as an Adams County commissioner. She served for 16 years from 1989 to 2005. The area was dedicated to Valente on May 31,
2007. The ETV Open Space is just one of the many open space areas in Adams County. For a complete list of recreational opportunities in the county, visit www. co.adams.co.us.
POSTAL ADDRESS
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
The historic Old Stone House, 14500 Lark Bunting Lane at Barr Lake State Park in Brighton, serves as the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s office space and Environmental Learning Center.Photos by Tammy Kranz
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory has a few demonstration gardens to show how people can plant things that are natural so pesticides are not needed nor is much water.
26 years and going strong Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory continues conservation efforts By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory has been around for years now — it celebrated its silver anniversary in 2013 — but in recent years the nonprofit has taken strides to do more outreach. Improvements made in the last few years include a new Environmental Learning Center, a new north entrance to Barr Lake, new trails and interpretive signs in English and Spanish, an outdoor amphitheater, native demonstration gardens and permanent outdoor restrooms. “If you haven’t been here in
three or five years, you should come out, a lot is new,” said Kacie Miller, RMBO’s education director. “It’s blossomed and it’s been really fun.” Michael Carter founded RMBO (known as the Colorado Bird Observatory until the early 2000’s) in 1988 through a challenge grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Its mission is bird and habitat conservation through education. In that same year, Bald Eagle Watch began at Barr Lake State Park, 14500 Lark Bunting Lane in Brighton. Bald eagles winter at the lake and one pair stays to nest and raise its young each year. “Barr Lake is a great place for birding — 400 species of birds breed in Colorado and 350 of them have been seen here at Barr Lake,” Miller said. “It’s between the plains and the mountains and it’s a good stopping place — a crossroads.”
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory educators go through a bird field guide with students in its Young Ecologists class in June. RMBO hosts several summer camps and various programs that connect people with birds and their habitats. The organization moved into its permanent headquarters at the Old Stone House in the north area of Barr Lake. Since that time, the nonprofit has worked to restore the 1880’s historic home and cre-
ate the Environmental Learning Center. The improvements are not 26 continues on Page 4