Talking about town stretch of Yampa River
Plan comments sought through March 28
Larah Sadar and Corey Lincoln take advantage of mild Leap Day temperatures Friday to get in their second paddling session of the week. The National Weather Service is forecasting increasing cloudiness for today. For more on the Yampa River plan, see page 3.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
On the 'Net
Craig Robinson, open space supervisor for the city's Department of Parks, Open Space and Recreational Services, said the draft of the Yampa River Structural Master Plan may be found on the city's Web page at www.steamboatsprings.net/index.php?id=250. People who do not have high-speed Internet connections may prefer to stop by the Parks and Rec office on Howelsen Parkway and pick up a CD containing the plan.
Robinson can be reached at
crobinson@steamboatsprings.net.
Treating stream bank erosion in Dr. Rich Weiss Park is among the recommendations in the draft of the Yampa River Structural Master Plan. The city is seeking public reaction to the plan.
The city of Steamboat Springs is seeking public reaction to a new master plan that would address the condition of both natural systems and manmade structures on the town stretch of the Yampa River.
The goal of the plan is to address everything from erosion problems to underutilized kayak wave structures. The Department of Parks, Open Space and Recreational Services is inviting public comment on the draft of the Yampa River Structural Master Plan through March 28.
The total cost of projects being recommended by Ecological Resource Consultants is more than $3.5 million.
"Obviously, this is a big number and not something you're going to tackle all at one time," Troy Thompson, president of the consulting firm, told an audience here in January.
Craig Robinson, open space supervisor for the city's Department of Parks, Open Space and Recreational Services, said the study is a follow-up to the Yampa River Management Plan completed several years ago. The difference is that the new Yampa River Structures Master Plan will not deal with conflicts among different forms of human recreation.
"This plan will focus on what we can do to improve the health of the river and the recreation we enjoy on it," Robinson said.
Among the many comments submitted by people who attended the January meeting were recommendations that the Ambulance Barn Hole be rebuilt so it is more friendly to tubers in low water, and that a new kayak surf wave be built below Fifth Street.
The consultants have reached the conclusion that boating activity on the town stretch of the river could be spread out with more effective wave structures.
"Despite the high number of features available, discussions with the boating community indicated that two specific features, Charlie's Hole and the D-Hole, receive far more use than any of the other park and play structures," the study concludes. "Other features typically only function well under a small range of flows or do not function as intended. This results in underutilization of most of the boating features and crowding at the most popular locations."
A number of people suggested that the first consideration should always be the health of the river's natural environment.
Other people noted two areas - the confluence with Fish Creek and the stretch of river adjacent to the Stock Bridge Transit Center - where industrial debris remains in the river after many years and needs to be cleaned up.
- To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205
or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com
