The Environmental Stewardship & Management Initiative was launched by Audubon International to help foster environmental stewardship and improve resource management by a wide range of people.
Fort Collins Parks Provide Model For Responsible Management
Balancing the diverse recreational demands of a large and active urban population with environmentally-responsible property management is a common challenge for many municipal parks and recreation departments across the country.
<< No-Mow areas along a park irrigation ditch adjacent to Rolland Moore Community Park provide effective water quality protection and excellent food and shelter for local and migratory wildlife.
Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Northern Colorado, the City of Fort Collins Parks Department manages a wide variety of recreational properties and facilities for a metropolitan city of nearly 120,000 residents. Also home to Colorado State University, the city contains a dynamic population of residents and students who use six community parks, 44 neighborhood or pocket parks, and 29 miles of recreation trails.
Like many municipal parks and recreation agencies nationwide, the Fort Collins Parks Department has enrolled several of its award-winning park properties in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP). The ACSP helps them to better plan, implement, and track environmental stewardship projects while continuing to provide exceptional recreation facilities for its discerning user base. With facilities ranging from typical baseball/softball complexes, to more unique amenities such as a skate park and BMX track, to a very popular disc golf course and lighted horseshoe facility, meeting user demands while also protecting natural resources can be a daunting proposition.
The city’s 65-acre Edora Park and 68-acre Rolland Moore Community Park were both recently designated as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries in July 2009, joining the municipality’s City Park property that attained designation in 2007. Two other properties in the system, Fossil Creek Park and Spring Canyon Park, are currently working toward certification in the program as well.
Landscaping with native plants can often provide enhanced aesthetics and wildlife habitat and blends in with more typical park features such as picnic pavilions and sports facilities. >>
To achieve the designation in the program, property managers must demonstrate a high degree of environmental quality in five distinct categories including Environmental Planning, Resource Management, Wildlife and Habitat Management, Water Conservation and Quality, and Outreach and Education.
Averaging a mere 13 inches of rainfall a year, water conservation plays a large role in the daily management strategies for both Rolland Moore and Edora Park. Irrigation requirements for these predominately bluegrass parks in such an arid climate requires diligent attention to evapotranspiration rates as well as creative timing to utilize the limited ‘watering window’ available between programmed activities.
Crew Chief Lea Ann Haisch spearheaded the certification process for Edora Park, that included converting the existing irrigation system in order to use raw water from a park pond thus eliminating the use of potable water resources on nine acres of the property. Regular inspection and maintenance of the Variable Frequency Drive pumps in the system ensure that irrigation water is used wisely and effectively while minimizing the energy consumption needed to provide adequate watering of maintained turf areas. Crew Chief Robert Burkhardt oversaw the certification process for Rolland Moore Community Park, which also uses a raw water system utilizing irrigation from the park pond. The park has also installed waterless urinal facilities and motion-sensor lights at restrooms within its busy ball field complex. These projects have helped the property further conserve water resources and reduce energy waste over the long term, providing some financial savings in park operational costs.
Both Edora Park and Rolland Moore Park encompass central water features that provide pleasing parkland aesthetics as well as more passive user recreation such as fishing and bird watching. Protecting the overall quality of these ponds and streams was a cornerstone of the agency’s management strategy. The establishment of riparian buffer areas and “no-spray zones” bordering park waterways has helped to minimize chemical and nutrient inputs to these features while also enhancing the overall habitat value of these areas for birds and other wildlife
At Rolland Moore, low-maintenance shoreline areas around the pond were increased from about 45 percent of total shoreline to nearly 90 percent, with natural breaks in vegetation providing fishing access for park visitors. A “Solar Bee” pond aerator was also installed, powered by solar energy harnessed by photovoltaic panels that have eliminated energy use and cost, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 150 tons a year over standard aeration systems.
Wildlife and Habitat Management efforts included the expansion of wildlife travel corridors within both parks, as well as the construction and installation of nestboxes for bats and birds. Low-maintenance natural habitat areas within both parks were also expanded to increase their value to wildlife, and help to reduce energy use, irrigation consumption, and labor costs.
Outreach and Education has been pivotal to the success of the stewardship efforts in Fort Collins, with community organizations and volunteers participating in many of the property enhancements at both parks. Local Eagle Scout and Boy Scouts of America Troop 286 teamed up with local birding enthusiasts and community volunteers to design and build a bird garden at Rolland Moore. Edora Park staff partnered with a fifth grade class from nearby Putnam Elementary School to create a display documenting the ACSP certification process and highlighting stewardship projects taking place on the property.
Waste management poses another significant challenge for these popular parks and a central focus of their ACSP certifications. “Due to the large number of visitors, trash generation is substantial in the parks” said Burkhardt.
A revamped recycling program has resulted in increased community participation. The added benefit of acceptance of co-mingled recyclables (glass and plastic) has eliminated the need for employee’s sorting of materials prior to pick up. The savings in time and labor costs have allowed the department to better maximize staff efforts and also incorporate an organic waste recycling program that converts grass clippings, leaves, and other organic materials into valuable compost for landscaping projects within the city park system.
The Fort Collins Parks Department has already accomplished an impressive array of environmental successes, but they strive for continuous improvement as they further their environmental management focus within the ACSP. Community involvement and employee dedication has provided an exceptional park system that continues to provide high-caliber parks and recreational facilities while also serving as a model of responsible land management among diverse user demands.
“We’re very pleased to be a part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, and [we] look forward to pursuing ongoing sustainability goals,” said Burkhardt. “All of the tools and management strategies employed in becoming a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary park help us find ways to optimize stewardship and sustainability practices while still offering a large amount of programmed recreation activities for our park users. The rewards for being able to accomplish both, and offer both, are very satisfying for our City staff and the community as a whole.”
