Title
Prairie Necklace
Presenter: Judy von Ahlefeldt, PhD, Landscape Ecologist
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Summary
Dear Colorado Springs Planning Commissioners,
Thank you for your service on the City Planning Commission.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 I will be presenting an Informational Item entitled "A Prairie Necklace - A Place in Time", and will be encouraging you, as a Commission charged with planning, and implementation recommendations, to interact with the City Council, City Planners and the County Planning Commission and its Planners, to be a leader in what is perhaps the final opportunity to accomplish preservation and connection of prairie open spaces in the vicinity of the present Colorado Springs-El Paso County boundary near Black Forest. I will be presenting this to the County Planning Commission as an informational item on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 at their regular meeting.
The Concept of a Prairie Necklace - is to connect presently planned Greenways across their bordering ridges using patches or corridors of remaining native prairie with a useable, nonpaved non-motorized trail for people. This would also connect to trails and other facilities in both the City (PlanCOS and City Parks Master Plan) and El Paso County (EPC County Parks Master Plan), across watersheds at or near the City County Boundary (between SH 83 and Black Forest Road) To the east the system could extend all the way to the Peyton/Homestead Park Area. This is a bold, big picture Concept that needs action very soon before any more of the remaining prairie disappears forever.
I think this could be done with a coordinated and united effort between the City and County to implement this Concept, with support from Developers, who stand to gain a lot of goodwill from this.
This concept was inspired by Google Earth satellite photos and enabled by my professional training as a Landscape Ecologist after attending the Wolf Ranch Amendment First Public Meeting in January of 2019 at Legacy Elementary School....
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