The initial focus of the Connection Ecology site was a demonstration project designed to show the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Park Department how they could apply Connection Ecology principles to its Vistor Planning efforts. This effort suggested ways in which environmental connections could be fostered. While these ideas have not been implemented, they still illustrate the kind of planning the could and should be done.
The accompanying maps can be found at this post.
Encouraging visitors to take ecological or "destination" hikes can do a lot to increase the sophistication of popular understanding of a broad range of issues. Suggested below are a number of possibilities.
Before and After Tours: In everyday life we are poorly equipped to observe long-term change. Our brains are attuned to motions measured in frames per second not frames per decade. Many of the visitor opportunities outlined here and in the history section involve "before and after" destination hikes. Such hikes can be created with limited signage and a few brochures (which could easily be made available at trailheads, visitor centers, and over the Web). The brochures, with accompanying historical photographs, would invite visitors to revisit the historical camera vantage points and see how things have changed. Also included would be appropriate interpretive materials explaining the science behind the changes and the resulting policy dilemmas.
Forest Ecology: Connection ecology maps mark recent fires on the front shoulder of the Second Flatiron, the north flank of the mouth of Skunk Canyon, the Bluebell/Baird trail, the area west of the Mesa Trail and south of the Maiden water tank. Also marked are forest thinning operations on Shanahan Ridge and Enchanted Mesa as well as controlled burns on Flagstaff, Enchanted Mesa, and Shanahan Ridge. There's even a small, unthinned and overgrown forest on Shanahan Ridge with densely packed but stunted trees. Finally, there are disease kills on the West Ridge trails of both Bear Peak and Green Mountain and on the North Face of the Green Mountain Summit cone.
Non-native Species: A second complex ecological issue facing the parks which is invisible to the casual observer involves the invasion of various non-native species. In some cases the invasions involve relatively stable populations of species deliberately introduced by humans wishing to enhance the environment with, for example, apple trees and wildflowers. Other invasions, such as the many different kinds of thistle are, however, quite capable of overrunning existing populations and significantly harming the environment. Informative fliers would guide people to places where they can witness the process of ecological invasion and make their own, more informed, judgments about what control measures are appropriate. Connection ecology maps highlight apple and oak tree locations in Gregory Canyon and sweet peas on Chautauqua Hill and thistle infestations on Flagstaff and Shanahan Ridge. OSMP staff could certainly identify additional areas where non-native species problems can be observed.
Wildlife Observation Blinds: Large sections of mountain parkland (including the popular rock climbing areas of the Amphitheater and the Third Flatiron) are now closed much of the year to protect nesting raptors. In order to build public understanding of these beautiful birds and the role that they play in the ecosystem, the connection ecology program would construct short spurs from existing trails to raptor observation points where people could unobtrusively observe the birds as well as review appropriate interpretive materials. Here the map suggests a Bluebell Canyon overlook spur from the Royal Arch Trail.
Seasonal Variations Hikes: One advantage of the Web and the system's many on trail bulletin boards is the ability to post a broad range of seasonal interpretive materials. It should not be very expensive to post continually changing "what you can see this month" bulletins highlighting things like blooming wildflowers, pine tree pollination season, migrating birds, and seasonal animal behavior.
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