May 15 03.qxd 12/7/2021 4:02 PM Page 11 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume VIII Issue III Page 11 May 15, 2003 A Responsibility—Urban open space planning By Cimarron Chacon Today is a sunny Tuesday in December. It is almost New Years as I begin another mountain bike ride. I have fond memories of this trail. It was one of my first when I learned to ride three years ago. I remembered the joy of escaping all signs of the city. The vistas would reveal multitudes of red rock outcroppings in the foreground and giant mesas in the distance. Although only a mile from the interstate in places, sites and sounds of urban life were absent. I have now mastered what seemed to be incredible obstacles. Drops and climbs that now flow with the twists and turns of the trail. The ride gives me the feeling of being carried by the wind. I feel free. Then we stop. Looking up, there right in front of my eyes, a billboard. Then a giant neon sign appears; waiting to be lit. As we climb higher it comes into sight. I knew it was there, I just had no idea how much the new subdivision was creeping into my life. The signs were everywhere now. The land is being gobbled up— piece-by-piece. Oh, some attempted to “blend” it in, but most paid little attention to site design. They cut and ripped at the hillsides like it was a wedding cake meant to be eaten. It would be logical to ask—what can be done about this? How can any one person influence what happens to our land? How can any one person make it better? There are those who would write letters of outrage, and those who might protest. But most of us would just accept it; possibly even embrace it, as progress, growth, the future. Then I remember my riding companion for the day, Kevin Foot. Kevin is a volunteer trainer for the National Mountain Bike Patrol, a pro- gram sponsored by IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) that works in cooperation with local land managers to monitor trails and assist and educate riders. They are often the first to report an injury or trail problem. I thought about what it means to give back to trails and what trails mean to a community. Then I realized the answer. Like a rush, I remembered all the volunteers I had worked with over the past few years to develop trails. Each story is unique, but one thing remained the same—they were all giving back. Trails are the antithesis of urban development in a community. Instead of constructing containers to constrict our exposure to nature, trails are created to facilitate our access to and motion through it. When a person gives trails back to their community, they give back to themselves. Something to be proud of; to believe in; and something they can use. A dear friend of mine, and trail volunteer, once said, “dreams really do come true—with work.” And she is right. With each small contribution—be it developing a master plan, building a new trail, maintaining an existing route, writing a grant proposal, or simply educating other riders on ethics—comes an energy that is contagious and spreads throughout a community. I have witnessed unlikely people joining together to preserve our open space, and provide trail access because others have paved the way with hard work and purpose. Of course, it can’t stop with one trail or one person. Communities need to begin to recognize that their landscapes have value other than development. Our lands have history, beautiful stories to tell of hard work and struggles from the past. They have information to teach and beauty to be preserved. And, they have economic benefit for our towns. Broker Deborah Hegg 745-1538 Many do not realize that lands at the interface are already slated for development. Others, assumed preserved, can potentially be disposed of or traded by public land managers. Lands that are held in private ownership are not even being considered for trails. But hope is not lost. Cities can form partnerships with land managers to develop cooperative management agreements. Developers can be part of this partnership for trails. Everyone has something to gain. Developments that have preplanned trail systems can fair better economically than those who isolate homeowners with gigantic walls and no-outlet streets. Those developments that can provide access to open space or public lands, either directly or through city pathways, have the best opportunities of all. Don’t wait for your favorite trail or riding area to be paved over, lost to the great machine. Create a map with a wish list of trails and connections. Identify those lands that are special, that have access from town, and can provide fun and interesting loop trails. Pro-active planning, partnerships, volunteer labor, community donations, and vision can mean the difference between recreating on trails occurring randomly on the “left over” lands, or riding on a well-planned trails network that will sustain urban growth and is supported by a growing community for decades to come. You can make a difference. This article is being reprinted by permission of the publisher Bicycle Utah. It was originally printed by the publisher in the 2003 “Outdoor Utah Vacation Guide.” For more information, visit www.bicycleutah.com www.outdoorutah.com or www.backcountryutah.com Gage Froerer & Associates Serving Ogden Valley 2405 Hwy. 158, Eden (801) 745-4C21 (4221) Ogden Valley Pathways Update The Ogden Valley Chapter of Weber Pathways met on May 7 to discuss the latest happenings with trails in the Valley. Sharon Holmstrom has been organizing local residents to look at existing trails and proposed pathways in local neighborhoods, and Jan Duffin and others reported on what they had found. Pathways director Geoff Ellis reported that the Weber County has begun writing ordinances based on the Pathway Master Plan that was adopted last summer. Ellis has been working with members of Weber Pathways to provide input to the process. The non-profit organization has also been asked to propose some non-motorized pathways in the western part of the county for general plan consideration. With trails planned or under construction in almost every municipality, Weber County is on its way to having a real countywide pathway network. Ogden Valley Pathways would like to remind trail users not to take their horses or mountain bikes on muddy, wet trails this spring, as the damage done to the trail surface will last all summer. In the meantime, wet soil makes it easy for hikers to help the community by providing a simple service—pulling dyer’s woad, a county listed noxious weed. While the plant is still blooming, it can be pulled out of the ground and tossed to the side of the trail. However, if seeds have formed, the weed should be bagged and put into the garbage; otherwise, the seeds will germinate and infest the ground next year. Be sure to wear gloves—unless you don’t mind having a green-stained hand for about a week! Joan Woodruff 675-0444 Realtor Garden & Landscape Design EDEN $450,000 Loaded with Features! Ideal for entertaining for Corporate retreats. Deborah 745-1538. MLS# 362857 HUNTSVILLE $359,900 For Sale or Lease! Country Charmer with 3 bdrms. and 3 baths. Available NOW.! Gage 391-4233 MLS# 355762 LIBERTY $359,000 A home to let your hair down! Log home surrounded with trees and views, Views, VIEWS! 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