Responses on Daniels Park Survey

At last week's Daniels Park meeting, 21 of the attendees (30%) filled out a quick informal survey. Results are below.

Daniels Park adds to the quality of life in Douglas Co.
All but one of the respondents strongly agreed, for an average rank of 4.8 for this statement. The other strongly disagreed (rank of 1).

It makes sense for Douglas Co. and its residents to help Denver maintain and improve Daniels Park:
Respondents generally agreed with this statement. With an average rank of 4.2 out of 5, agreement was not as strong as the first, and some thought the level of expense the county was recommending was too high.

Daniels Park would add more to the quality of life in Douglas Co. if only: (respondents most often expressed the following comments)

• Do the basics (more grading, dust control): 20%
  


• Leave as is, don’t pave: 33%
  


• Maintain the serenity; keep rustic/rural character: 25%
  


• Keep speed limits down (no speeding trucks, etc): 25%
  


• Reduce traffic, introduce traffic calming: 15%
  


• Expand interpretation: 15%
  

Other suggestions included: Adding a bike path, pedestrian access, or play areas for children; Improving park upkeep; Protecting wildlife, plants, ecology; Making the park available to all.

General Comments:

“I like the rustic nature of the park as it is.”

“Do not want to see Daniels Park Rd. as a thoroughfare; love the current state and bucolic nature.”

“It is a natural beauty that should not look or feel commercial.”

“very misdirected effort destroys rural, rustic park, makes it more urban.”

“Plan looks nice—we love to walk and bike, this would make it safer.”

“Very impressed with the concepts presented in this meeting.”

What's Next for Mountain Parks?

An editorial in the Denver Post reviews the issues Denver Parks & Recreation is exploring for the Mountain Parks system in the Master Plan currently under development.

Daniels Park Public Meeting and Survey

More than 70 people attended an open house jointly hosted by Douglas County and Denver Parks & Recreation Dept. Wednesday night. Participants registered comments on a quick survey with these questions:

1. Denver Mountain Parks contribute to the quality of life in my county.   Agree     disagree    scale
   
   
2. The Denver Mountain Parks system would contribute more to the quality of life in my county if only:
   
   
3. I think that it makes sense for my county and/or park neighbors to help Denver fund improvements (trails, picnic areas, etc.) that are important to me at Denver Mountain Parks.     Agree    disagree    scale
   
   
4. I think that it makes sense for my county and/or park neighbors to help Denver fund on-going maintenance and security at Denver Mountain Parks.   Agree     disagree    scale
   
   
5. How much would you be willing to contribute for improvements that were important to you?     $2/month    to $10/month    scale
   


6. I am from ________ County. (Please tell us which in your comments.)
   

Take the survey-- add your responses by clicking on "comments" below.

Before this meeting, the Denver Post reviewed the plans: Douglas aims to spruce up Denver Park. The Douglas Co. News-Press also ran an article, Daniels Park slated to get improvements.

We'll update links to add any articles published after this event as soon as we hear of them.

Kids in the Woods

What is the Mountain Parks system's role in getting kids into the woods? This topic generated lively discussion at the Advisory Group's first meeting and at the Recreation Roundtable in July.

Denver already supports active efforts to give Denver's children a mountain experience through Parks & Recreation Department special programming at Genesee Park. We'll have more up on that soon.

The Balarat Outdoor Education Center offers excursions to mountain parks for 3rd grade classes and longer overnight programs (to state parks) for 5th graders. Their programs are closely tied to the curriculum at Denver Public Schools. Learn more about Balarat's programs at the Balarat website.


Our Master Plan Advisory Group will be reading The Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. This important book is generating lots of buzz—even a new bill in Congress. Have you read it yet?

Some Advisory Group members felt that Denver's young people had little or no opportunity to visit the mountains. Tell us what you think: Should Denver do more to bring children to the Mountain Parks?

Share specific thoughts on this issue by clicking on "comments" below this post.

Upcoming Public Meetings

• August 22: Douglas Co., preliminary Master Plan for Daniels Park; 7 p.m. at Timbertrail Elementary School Details
  
  
• September 12: Advisory Group meeting
  
  
• October 13: at Red Rocks, joint meeting with Jefferson Co. Open Space (details coming soon)

The Master Plan will be asking about what we should be doing (if money were no object), and what we can actually accomplish. These meetings are a chance for you to make your opinion known.

Events—and minutes of Advisory Group meetings--are also posted on the Master Plan website Meetings page.

Introductions and Commenting

To create a dialogue here, we’re hoping you’ll use the comments feature below each post whenever you’re inspired. For those who haven’t been tracking blogs before, it needn’t be intimidating! To prevent spam comments, we’ve activated “word verification.” (At the end of your comment, just type the letters you see in the image Blogger displays.) Comments will be checked by a blog administrator to ensure basic standards of language before they’re posted.

Be assured comments won’t be screened just because they’re negative or critical, but we do ask that you keep the discussion reasonable and respectful, even if (when!) differences of opinion occur. We’ll try to respond to your comments whenever possible.

We ask that you “sign” your comments with a name—doesn’t even have to be a real name—so that we can generate a continuous dialogue here at the DMP blog. That is, if you comment more than once, we’d like to have your comments connected to one identity, so please keep track of “who” you are. If you’re not already a blogger, use “Other” to sign in with any identity you like. If you want to be on our mailing list for future information, you’re welcome to use a real name and provide an email address.

In fairness, then, we thought we’d best introduce your Blog Team. I’m Sally, signed in as SLW, and working with Susan (SB) and A.J. (aj). All three of us are employees of the City &County of Denver Parks and Recreation Dept. working on developing a new Master Plan. Joining us will be Bart (WBB), who is director and founder of the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation. We hope other team members and our Advisory Group will also become regular contributors.

Another way to comment, if you prefer, is to email Susan directly. She’s the leader of the Master Plan effort, and looks forward to hearing from you.

That takes care of housekeeping—let’s get on with the discussion!

The Conversation Begins...

Yesterday's article about the Mountain Parks in the Denver Post is already stimulating a lot of comment. Check it out, then join the discussion-- here or there!

Note: Link above is correct, but only seems to work about half the time. Please try it again if it doesn't work at first!

A Master Plan for Mountain Parks!

More than 90 years ago, Denver's Mountain Parks system was created to make the mountains of the Colorado Front Range accessible to all: local and regional citizens, as well as visitors to the Denver metropolitan area. Now it's time to review that original concept to ensure that this unique park system continues to serve citizens and visitors today and in the future in the best way possible.

The primary purpose of the mountain park master plan is to bring the 1912 vision that created the Denver Mountain Parks into the 21st century, balancing recreation needs with preservation of natural and historic resources.

Denver's Mountain Parks include 14,000 acres of land located in four counties. This system is unique in the nation. No other city has a park system that includes an alpine lake (Summit Lake, near Mt. Evans), a world-class concert venue (Red Rocks amphitheatre), a ski resort (Winter Park), two bison herds (Genesee Park, Daniels Park), and Buffalo Bill's grave (Lookout Mountain Park). The entire system of scenic parks and roads is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

The master plan process will involve partners from four other counties, federal and state agencies, and residents in five counties (Denver, Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, Grand) here in Colorado. If you use and enjoy the Denver Mountain Parks-- for hikes, picnics, bike rides, scenery, or more-- or even if you don't, please let us hear from you. Check here regularly for new discussions.

For more information on the Mountain Parks and the Master Plan, see our websites at:

Denver Mountain Parks Foundation

Mountain Parks Master Plan

Mountain Parks History
Denver Parks & Recreation