Cheyenne Mountain users speak up

Cheyenne Mountain State Park just completed the public planning segment of a two-year process to come up with a management plan for Cheyenne Mountain. Now, managers have to craft a cohesive plan using an often contradictory heap of comments calling for everything from horse trails to no horse trails to Frisbee golf courses to paraglider launch sites.

"We have no preconceived notions of what to do with the property," said park manager Rich Dudley. "This is a listening process, to find out what people want."

The challenge, Dudley said, is to provide access while protecting the resource.

Cheyenne Mountain is a warren of lush, hidden meadows and aspen glens guarded on every side by steep, rocky ramparts. The 1,000-acre property was recently added to the existing park, which makes up the foothills of the mountain.

Some recreational groups turned out in force to make sure they weren't excluded.

Horse riders learned a hard lesson after the first Cheyenne Mountain State Park public planning session in 2002.

"We weren't there, and we were completely overlooked," Marilyn Billings, past president of the Cavalier Trail Riding Club, said.

The final plan banned horses from the park, citing concerns over noxious weeds and easily eroded soil. It is still a sore spot for riders.

In public meetings in July, September and this week, horse riders made sure they packed the public meetings.

"The bottom (part of the park) is past tense. We're already not allowed there," Billings said. "But we want to make sure we have a shot at the top."

At some meetings, Billings estimated, equestrians made up roughly half of the 80 people attending.

Other people turned up to oppose them.

"Our bias is to preserve the property as much as possible," said Lori O'Hare, who spoke for a group of four friends. She said she was concerned allowing horses could scare away wildlife and increase erosion.

There is no guarantee either side will get what it wants.

When coming up with a management plan, public comments will be weighed, along with wildlife inventories this summer, which will look for rare and endangered species, and rules already in place.

Since the land was purchased partially with Colorado Springs trails and open space tax money, rules preclude motorized recreation. A conservation easement bars permanent structures.

The list of requests is long. One attendee wanted to be able to hike with her llama. Others wanted to make sure geocaching, rock climbing and dogs are permitted.

Horse riders would like parking lots big enough to accommodate trailers and trails graded for pack animals.

Some also requested corrals on the summit for overnight horse camping.

Many hikers said horses turn the trail into a messy situation, and shouldn't be allowed.

A draft management plan will be released in the fall of 2009. After another round of public comment, a final plan will be submitted to the State Parks Board early in 2010, Dudley said.

"We'll make some hard decisions," he said. "And try to do what will best allow people to enjoy the land for generations."