COLORADO SPRINGS — There has been increasing numbers of people using Colorado’s public lands through the pandemic. The state’s growth is also adding to the numbers. It puts public lands and waterways through them under stress.
Now is the time to contribute to the future of these natural resources. The end of September is Public Lands Week. Locally in Southern Colorado, it is also Creek Week.
During Public Lands Week, the recently formed Elevate the Peak Collaborative is asking for input to help form plans for the future of parks, open spaces, outdoor recreation, and view corridors. "We want to get very diverse, varied views of how Coloradoans like to spend time outdoors,” said Catamount Institute, Executive Director, and Elevate the Peak, Board Member, Chris Aaby. The information will be used to develop shared plans for better stewardship of public lands.
The survey takes a few minutes to complete. The window for taking part closes at the end of September. Click here to link to the survey.
"Whatever happens to our land, impacts our waterways,” said Fountain Creek Watershed Outreach Coordinator, Alli Schuch. While the public lands survey is for big picture long term planning, Creek Week is an immediate, boots on the ground contribution to preserving and protecting Southern Colorado’s outdoor wonders.
Creek Week is a week of opportunities for volunteers to clean-up along one of the dozens of creeks, streams, and rivers in Southern Colorado. "Over the past seven years we've had thousands of people remove almost 100 tons of litter,” said Schuch. Along with removing trash and debris, there are other projects to restore damaged waterways.
There are multiply days in the last week of September for volunteers to choose from during the event. There are 40 clean-up locations across multiple counties in Southern Colorado. Click here to learn more about Creek Week.
