Open Space Commission Work Plan

Overview the properties in the County’s Land Heritage Program (LHP); review/consider potential additional LCE’s and make recommendations to the BOCC when appropriate.

Due diligence for LCE’s, appraisals, environmental assessments, etc.

Continued to plant pollinator plants at County park gardens and pollinator garden; hired a seasonal gardener for DVP pollinator garden.

Planning for Pollinator Garden strips in Mill Creek Park - determine irrigation source.

Included pollinator strips in Mill Creek Park conceptual plans.

Develop Pollinator Gardens and programming including seasonal hire, plant germination greenhouse, seed distribution, outreach/ education.

$38,955 awarded to 5 ranches for the PES Land Use Protection program.

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES): Identify County Open Space PES project priorities annually.

o Continue to award landowners PES funds for Land Use Protections; implement year 3 of CWCB grant. SMC POS to continue to provide grant-matching funds.

o Support SMC food waste and composting grant projects.

Began discussions on OAG Use Management Plan; signage installed on perimeter of property.

Develop a Use Management Plan for the OAG parcel working collaboratively w/ CPW. Define active and passive open space uses per County Land Use Code.

Fund San Miguel Watershed Coalition request for Forest Health Monitoring and consider other SMWC initiatives.

County rep. to attend Ecosystem Health and Conservation conferences (Quivira, COSA, Xerces?).

Collaborate with the TOT OSC, USFS to purchase and apply Douglas Fir pheromone packets.

Support Fen Studies (Telluride Institute) and receive updates from the NR Director/TI.

Developed a 2022 Work Plan with action items related to each program and goal.

Obtain and compile input from OSC/POS/BOCC and refine the Work Plan to coincide with the County’s budget process. Prepare budget requests with POS Director for following year.

Determined priorities, timelines and related budget needs for action items.

Present Work Plan to BOCC to inform the development of the following year’s budget. The POS Director and OSC Chair will provide updates of progress being made on each year’s OSC Work Plan to the BOCC.

The 2022 Work Plan was posted on the County website.

Post the OSC Work Plan, an active working document, on the County website.

News articles published: OSC year-end wrap up, BVT bridge, Douglas Fir pheromone packets, DVCT, CCALT closing, etc.

Produce and publish POS Annual Report (POS Director prepares this document).

Prioritize topics to raise community awareness of items relevant to OSC Work Plan and goals.

Support community education of GuSG (with NR), PES projects, Noxious Weed Management, trail etiquette, etc.

Provide updates of success of achieving action items on goals/programs through press/newspaper columns, radio releases, meetings, etc.

Post County OSC accomplishments and the Annual OSC Work Plan on the County website.

Prepare plan for installation of Doug Fir pheromone packets in the community for Earth Day activity and outreach pilot project.

Coordinate Earth Day activities with local schoolchildren (pheromone packets, trail/park work, pollinator seed collection/distribution).

NR Director follows the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), provided comments, and attended their meetings. Updates and reports were provided to the OSC.

Review reports from POS Director/County liaison and staff on such development proposals relevant to the OSC.

Review status map showing current mining activity, active leases, pending leases.

Square GuSG, EHC, PES, recreation efforts and goals with mining, oil and gas, development activities.

Review water health as it relates to Oil & Gas and to Open Space projects, properties and goals.

GuSG Site Assessment Field Visits with CPW and NFWF – Miramonte area and Dry Creek Basin (ongoing by POS/NR).

Continue to support the GuSG Working Group and fund GuSG Coordinator Salary. Total serves as matching grant funds.

$14,500 used as matching funds for the Restore Grant (Community Support Funding).

County POS worked with Montezuma Land Conservancy – Obtained a GOCO/NFWF Restore Grant ($277K) to enhance GuSG habitat in both San Miguel and Dolores Counties (5/21).

Support/receive updates from NR on Zeedyk structure repair, maintenance and monitoring.

Restore Grant Initiatives (2 years) – Tamarisk Removal, Dry Creek, Zeedyk Structures, Miramonte Meadows, Iron Springs, etc. (2022/2023).

Review the SMC High Country Area (HCA) Zoning District; assess the value system.

County POS awarded a bid to a consultant and began a feasibility study of the Down Valley Connector Trail project.

Continue to assess County trail/park signage needs and the potential for design guidelines to be established.

SMC staff responded to several instances of vandalism of No E-bike signage and illegal use of E-bikes on County trails.

Review draft DVCT feasibility Study with POS Director, consultant and the community.

$75K POS matching CDOT MMOF grant funds

Perimeter Trail potential trail alignment completed in 2022. OSC site walks with Idarado, USFS, TOT and TMtC.

Review Foley survey of proposed Perimeter Trail with project partners; determine feasibility of project and potential easements; preliminary budget work.

Perimeter Trail: $45K (seek grant)

Hiked potential alignment of Ilium Flume Trail with USFS and the TMtC.

Ilium Flume Trail – Support Historical Commission, USFS, and other partners with this potential USFS trail.

County POS awarded RFP and hired consultants to develop a conceptual park plan for Mill Creek Park.

Mill Creek Park – Determine water source for irrigation; begin to determine funding sources based on final park plans.

MCP site work planning and development: $67K (seek grant for actual construction)

POS staff hired a firm to conduct core samples on the rock for the potential future steel stairs for the Upper BVT.

NR Director to provide updates on monitoring EPA tailings removal project with concern for ecosystem health and revegetation on County land in Lawson Hill.

Lawson Hill underpass trail project - SMC grant funding partner ($33K).

BVT engineering/steel stair project: $20K (under a separate Parks budget line)

Participated in Regional Trails Map effort with partners, stakeholders. Overall effort led by the County OSC Chair.

Supported effort for the Reimagine Colorado Tourism Board grant with Visit Durango for redevelopment of SJS Management Plan and Board.

Created inventory of interpretive signage along County portion of San Juan Skyway.

Review the need for LCEs to protect scenic corridors along 2 skyways traversing SMC.

OSC Member serves as the OSC liaison on the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway Committee. An HC member serves as well.

When held, attend the annual SJSSBC conference. OSC rep to report back with updates.

Evaluate needs of County SJS signage inventory; implement signage upgrades; get Tribal Nations involved for appropriate verbiage and message.

$5K for interpretive signs on SJS (with $5K in HC budget); work with County R&B.

Participate and provide input to Visit Durango regarding the Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan Update and the SJSSBC board.

Research funding opportunities for Scenic Byway improvements – pull-out areas, signage panels, etc. - with CDOT, USFS, SMC R&B, etc.

TOT OSC Crossover reports distributed as part of the SMC OSC meetings.

Crossover representative to determine most important aspects of TOT and SMC OSC meetings to briefly summarize in a Crossover Report to members. Crossover rep. to communicate between both OSC and suggest/share cooperative /complementary projects.

POS staff ordered and installed Douglas Fir pheromone packets in conjunction with USFS and TOT.