USFS Fire Mitigation in the Monument Preserve

Please be aware that USFS contractors will conduct thinning operations at the Monument Preserve as a form of fire mitigation or fuel mastication. These operations are a part of the larger Upper Monument Creek Landscape Restoration Project to restore forests in the Rampart Range area. The fuel treatment project will reduce wildfire risk and create a more complex vegetation structure.

The USFS has officially lifted the Area 1 closure (Ref: Termination of Order). Beginning the first week in January, there will be some cleanup work in and around Area 1 to resolve anything missed during the initial work and hand-felling treatment work. They will also be limbing trees along Mt. Herman Road.

Area 2 thinning operations will begin the week of January 2nd and last until March 3rd (Ref: Phase 2 South Order). The Area includes the central portions of the Fire Center area (the hatched section in the map).

For public safety during operations, the USFS has informed us that the areas of Area 2 will be closed to use during the work period, though they’ll be open on the weekends. Various large equipment and hand tools will be used to thin the vegetation, and hazardous conditions may exist in the treatment area. The closure is needed to ensure the safety of the public and the operators. 

The USFS has informed FOMP that while there may be damage to some trails due to equipment used in the mitigation process and accumulation of slash, there is no intent to destroy or close trails associated with this project.

USFS Fire Mitigation in the Monument Preserve

Please be aware that the USFS will be conducting thinning operations at the Monument Preserve as a form of fire mitigation. These operations are a part of the larger Upper Monument Creek Landscape Restoration Project to restore forests in the Rampart Range area. The fuel treatment project will reduce the risk of wildfire and create a more complex vegetation structure in the area.

Area 1 thinning operations began this week and last until the end of the year and include the northern portion of the Fire Center area (the hatched portion in the map).

Area 2 begins in January 2023, lasts through March 2023, and includes the most central portions of the Fire Center.

For public safety during operations, the USFS has informed us that the areas of Areas 1 & 2 will be closed to use during the work period, though they’ll be open on the weekends. A variety of large equipment and hand tools will be used to thin the vegetation, and hazardous conditions may exist in the treatment area. The closure is needed to ensure the safety of the public and the operators. 

The USFS has informed FOMP that while there may be damage to some trails due to equipment used in the mitigation process and accumulation of slash, there is no intent to destroy or close trails associated with this project.

Here are the original maps for Area 1 & 2 closures.

FOMP is proud of this endeavor to honor and celebrate Tim Watkins as he was a huge part of our group and community. He was prolific and extremely instrumental in trail building throughout the Monument and Palmer Lake region, and he constructed many of the existing trails in the work center that a multitude of users now enjoys. I personally knew Tim for over three decades and his smile, laughter, love, friendship, selflessness, sweetness and warmth are greatly missed. 

Tim Virgil Watkins Nov 17, 1956, to Sept 17, 2017

Donate to the Tim Watkins Mechanic Scholarship

In cooperation with Kids on Bikes, Barnett Bicycle Institute, Trails End Taproom, and the Watkins family we are excited to bring into existence the “Tim Watkins Bicycle Mechanic Scholarship“. We are looking to start the initial fund of this scholarship through this fundraiser. This amount will be for two students.

Tim Watkins was a respected bike mechanic at multiple shops across Colorado Springs and started his own shop several years ago in Monument called Balanced Rock Bike and Ski.

He is credited with helping establish many of the trails west of Palmer Lake and he mentored and taught countless people the fundamentals of riding. Seeing only fit that Tim existed to further mountain biking, this scholarship aims to do the same.

Local COS recipients will be equipped with the expertise and connections from this scholarship. Recipients will be able to affect and change the Colorado Springs bike community. Through hands-on learning, component-by-component study, and formal lecture, scholarship recipients come away with the skills to advance their careers in the bike industry, gain advanced mechanical knowledge and deepen their bike industry network.

The scholarship funding will be maintained by friends of Tim Watkins along with Trails End Taproom. Kids on Bikes will select the recipients of the scholarship with their strong understanding of the community and those that best fit the model. Barnett Bicycle Institute, the leading mechanic school in the country, will train and equip recipients.

#BeLikeTim