Brent –

FOMP would like to object to the repairs being performed on Mt. Herman Rd. that are above and beyond the fixing of the one washed out section. The crew operating in the area is removing rocks and smoothing out the road in the entire closed section from Red Rocks Dr. to FS315. This will only serve to increase danger to pedestrian, equestrian, and bicycle traffic on that road. FOMP has made USFS aware numerous times that vehicle speeds on that road are already extremely excessive with young drivers in particular performing ‘drifting’ races up and down that road endangering themseleves and others. Making the road smoother serves no purpose other than to increase the danger for everyone involved as already careless drivers will increase their speeds further. This is particularly regretful given that USFS has only one law enforcement officer in the district and can not regulalrly patrol that road for dangerous and wreckless driving. Despite our numerous requests to USFS for enforcement, to FOMP’s knowledge, no speed or other reckless driving enforcement has ever occured on Mt. herman Rd. It is also frustrating to see that USFS can find budget nearly instantly to perform road repairs but can not seem to find budget for non-motorized trails and access issues.

Respectfully,

Friends of Monument Preserve

Two quick notes:

1) Tonight’s monthly board of directors meeting is cancelled. Sorry for the last minute notice.

2) Tonight, Tuesday July 14 we will hold our monthly trail work session.

FOMP and USFS provide all necessary tools. Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing for performing outdoor landscaping type of work, leather gloves, bring their own personal water supply, eye protection sunscreen, and bug repellent. We meet rain or shine unless there is lightning active in the area. In the event that you are joining us late we always leave a note at the trail head parking lot or you can call Jon (719.640.1347) to find out where in the Preserve we are working that evening.

We make every effort to accommodate volunteer preferences and abilities at each event. Generally we perform activities such as water bar building or renovation, trail renovation, maintenance, and trimming, etc. So, pretty much everything from trimming back scrub oak or digging lots of dirt to moving boulders. We assign duties based on interest and capabilities. Kids are welcome to join their parents; however, we do ask that you evaluate whether this is an appropriate activity for your child or not.

We look forward to seeing you out there!