Woodmansee (after Wallace), Summer 2001

The field trip requires a bit of driving to get a sense for the area. There will be a series of stopping points but the in-between driving and tying the landscape altogether is part of the exercise. Although you will see Lory State Park, Cathy Fromm Prairie, Coyote Ridge Natural Area, Horsetooth Mountain Park, Forest Service lands and a State School section, Bureau of Reclamation and other public lands, much of the trip takes you through private lands in the county. Most of the things you will see are occurring adjacent to almost all National Park, Forest, Wildlife Refuge or BLM areas. We are focusing on the things that land planners and managers need to know in order to address issues of growth their areas. The observational skills you will be practicing are the same ones practiced by all land use planners regardless of jurisdiction. We will look more in depth at land use planning within public land areas as the course progresses.

The objectives of this field are:

1) To familiarize you with the landscape and various land uses in Larimer county, specifically the land around Ft.Collins where many of the examples we use in class will come from.

2) To sharpen your eye's ability to see specific biophysical and cultural details on the land and improve your ability to put the pieces of the puzzle into a "big picture" where you can read the larger landscape at the sub-regional level.

3) To use the collective knowledge of the class to quickly bring all of you as individuals to a higher level of understanding about such matters as soils, geomorphology, slope, surface area measurements, water conveyance and usage, zoning, political jurisdictions, local resource extraction, agricultural practices, sensitive natural areas, and much more.

Equipment you will need:

1) This text for the self-guided trip and a map showing the route described in the text. Your first exercise will be to go to a mapping web site such as (http://www.mapquest.com/) and download the maps you will need for this fieldtrip.

2) Maps #2 and #4 of the four maps showing Larimer County on a scale of 1 to 50,000 published by the USGS. (may be checked out from TA's or Dr. Woodmansee)

3) A compass, a pair of binoculars, pencil, paper, clipboard, lunch, water, jacket, an altimeter would be nice, as would a day pack to put all this in.

Grading Format: 1) This field trip is worth 33%  of your grade. (I am dropping the Group Exercise worth 100 pts. and adding those points to the Fieldtrip.)

2) Each individual should make notes and write their own answers to the questions. You are encouraged to consult all members of your group , if you are working together, and discuss the questions before writing your answers. I strongly encourage using the Bulletin Board (Discussions) to discuss issues that arise. Some questions do not have one right answer so the thoughtfulness of your responses is what we will look for. Some questions may not be answered until after you get back where you can read the maps more carefully or find the needed resource materials or people.

3) We will go over the trip in class and then you will complete unanswered, incorrectly answered, or incomplete portions using bolded or italicized script or colored ink on your answer sheets to distinguish which items you improved as a result of the class discussion. It is not likely that any individual or group will be able to give good answers for all items. Some of what we all learn will come out of the class review of the trip. There is really no way to fail the exercise if you take the trip and give your best answers -both during the trip and during and after the class discussion. It is expected that most grades will be either A's or B's with clarity and quality distinguishing between the two and some attention paid to how much you answered before the class discussion. However, I have given much lower grades when I determined individuals slacked off on the exercise or pirated answers.

Logistics: The trip will take you from  seven to ten hours and you have the option of doing all at once or over more than one day. You may actually learn more by breaking it into two 4 - 5 hour blocks. We would like you to carpool and go in groups of three or four. We will give you odometer readings periodically and we will re-set odometers several times to improve the accuracy of such directions. Some questions will have to be answered in consultation with other people having knowledge about some aspect of the place or subject. In some cases we have alerted people about the exercise and gotten permission for you to drive or walk in. Always be polite and try not to burden the people who live or work nearby any more than necessary.

Safety: You will be stopping along roadways, usually there will be pullovers but sometimes you will be stopping on the shoulder of roads with less traffic or you will have to cross the road after parking. Be Careful! We trust you to be respectful of all the people you meet in businesses, neighborhoods, or along the way. Have a good time, plan enough time to make the full loop. Thanks for your efforts.

SELF GUIDED LAND-USE FIELD TRIP NARRATIVE AND QUESTIONS

Start at the corner of College and Pitkin and set your odometer to 0. Drive south on College Avenue toward Loveland. We are headed to the museum in Loveland. Directions and descriptions (like these) will be flush left with no numbers. Stops will be underlined and questions will numbered. Sometimes you will be able to keep driving slowly and not have to stop in order to see things mentioned in the narrative or to answer questions.

1) What is the distance between Horsetooth and Harmony Rd. and why is it this distance?

At about mile 5.4, pull into "Pioneer Sand Company", drive into the stone yard, get out and look at the different landscaping materials;  i. e.,  the moss rock and other rock building materials which have become widely used. Remember these materials because their extraction is an interesting land use issue. As the trip progresses see if you can spot the areas where such extraction occurs.

On-Line Students - Where do building and landscaping materials come from in your area? Describe a field trip stop(s) to demonstrate this important aspect of construction?

The type of development you are seeing along College/287 is often referred to as "strip development". At about mile 7.3, you will be near the "region between Fort Collins and Loveland planning area" (corridor).

On-Line Students - Is there any thought or concern about community separation in your area? How would you demonstrate this issue?

2) How wide is it and what are the existing land uses? Do these uses help create a feeling of separation and identity between the two communities (also, see http://www.co.larimer.co.us/planning/planning/master_plan/chapter_2.htm#2.4.1). This link is to the very important Larimer county Master Plan (http://www.co.larimer.co.us/planning/planning/index.htm/)

Continue on to Loveland on 287. Near the center of town, you will see signs for the Museum which is on E. 5th st. Museum hours: Tues - Fri 10am to 5 pm. Thurs open until 9pm. Sat 10am to 5pm and Sun. 12pm to 4pm. Stop at the museum, go inside and plan to spend 15 minutes looking at the model of the Colorado Big Thompson project. Figure out where this CBT water comes from and how it gets to the front range and is distributed. Read each interpretive sign along the rail and answer the following:

On-Line Students - Describe a field trip stop(s) to illustrate water systems in your area. Use the following questions to guide your thinking.

3) How much water is delivered and how many structures are needed to convey and store it?

4) How is this being paid for?

5) Who gets the water, how many acres of irrigated land benefit from this water?

What are some of the other benefits? Is the recreational or wildlife value of these reservoirs adequately treated?

6) What is the storage season, the running season?

7) ** What are some possible land use effects of this trans-mountain diversion?

After you leave the museum, go two miles west on Hwy 34 past Lake Loveland, to Wilson (approx. mile 15.5). Turn north on Wilson (which later becomes Taft Hill) and drive back towards Ft.Collins noticing land uses along the foothills. At about mile 18.6 you will come to an intersection with county rd. 28. Turn onto this rd. and park. You can see several things here. There is an example of "ridge line development" - a hot land-use issue in the county - on the first hogback. Contrast this example with others you will see later. The road is also being used as a power line corridor. Other cables or pipelines may be buried beside the road. The placement of power line routes or utility corridors is an important land use issue since residents will almost invariably oppose a poorly justified route selection and design.

On-Line Students - Design some stops that show different and important land uses.

Notice how the crops here give the landscape a distinctive pattern. You may have noticed too that the traffic on Wilson/Taft is heavy given the design of the road.

8) What crop is this and why is it planted in this pattern of alternating strips - one having a crop and the next having bare ground. Is this land irrigated?

9) What do you think about putting the power line along the road? Is this better than putting it out in the fields to the east? to the west? Why?

On-Line Students - How are utilities distributed in your area, i. e., electricity, telephones, water, gas, cable, etc.?

Continue on towards Ft.Collins until you come to come to the Coyote Ridge Natural Area on the west side of the road. Pull into the parking lot. Go to the kiosk are read about this joint venture between the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County. What is the purpose of this type of conservation?

On-Line Students - Design stops that describe natural areas, open spaces, parks, etc.

Continue on towards Ft.Collins until you come to the landfill (immediately north of the Coyote Ridge NA). Drive into the landfill if members of your group haven't been there to get a feeling for its size, operation. (See http://www.co.larimer.co.us/depts/pubwor/natres/FTC.HTM)

On-Line Students - Develop stops that illustrate how solid wastes (of all kinds) are dealt with in your area.

10) a) how much solid waste (volume) does the average household produce annually? b) What are some of the problems associated with this land use?

Continue on Taft until you are about .4 miles beyond the landfill, just before the crest of the next hill you will be looking at The Kathy Fromme Prairie to the east. You will see a barb wire gate (approx. mile 22.8) that has a small white sign on it. Carefully

pull over and park near this gate. Walk about 200 yds east/southeast at a compass bearing (azimuth) of 110 degrees out onto the northern knoll and stop among the tall yucca cactus plants. Once this had been designated as a small natural area for the county, land values rose all around it. Be quiet and move carefully as you walk out.

11) This property was acquired as part of the City's Open Space program and is to be used as a limited access natural area. What is the habitat type here? What species of wildlife do you see or assume are present and why would such a place be important to protect?

12) To the north east, the north and the northwest (45, 0, and 315 degrees on your compass) you can see three different subdivisions. Estimate their ages and tell us what you based your estimate on. What do you think an acre of land is worth here?

13) On your way back, count your paces until you think that you have come to a place where the native species composition changes. Why is there this change in species and at how many paces does it occur?

Mount up and proceed to the intersection of 38E (the south access road to Horsetooth Res.). and Taft Hill. Turn west and reset your odometer to 0. Drive up towards Spring Creek Dam but notice several things along the way. You will see the Taft Canyon subdivision and another lower density development to the southwest further up the hill.

14) What do you the zoning and density (units/acre) are for the areas where each each subdivision what accounts for these differences? Any comments on the suitability of what you see ?

On-Line Students - Describe the zoning ordinances (if any) and housing densities in your area.

15) Look up towards the dam. Why do you suppose the top of the dam a different color than the lower part? (give a short spontaneous answer - more later).

As you turn to the south and start up the hill, notice the two architectural styles represented by the two houses on either side of the road at the next bend.

16) Does one seem to fit any better than the other? How would you compare them? Do you know of cities or counties that regulate architectural style? What do you think about that?

As you near the top of the hill at about mile 1.7 there is a pull out before the road continues west on towards the dam. Pull over and look back at the densities from above. From this "remote sensing" position and after having driven along the foothills for several miles.

17a) What is the most obvious feature of Horsetooth Reservoir? Check out (http://www.gp.usbr.gov/sod/cbt/horsetooth/body.htm). Do a web search for "Horsetooth dam" and see what  controversy is current regarding the Horsetooth dams.

17b) What are some of the problems associated with foothills development? How far west towards the foothills should urban density development occur in your opinion?

18) Why do you suppose city has taken the policy that they will not provide water services above the 5200' elevation (they call this the blue line)?

Walk to south side of the dam. After getting out of your vehicle, look to the east/north east and do/answer the following:

On-Line Students - Illustrate the "native" natural history (if possible) in your area by developing some demonstration stops.

19) Together, make a five minute sketch that includes the dam, the landscape on both sides and below the dam. Help us understand what was here originally (100 years ago) and what human actions have changed the landscape and why. Label the important natural and human caused features and write a short narrative that would help someone "read the landscape" here. Talk about geomorphology, landform, soils, vegetation, drainage, human modifications in a way that gives us a site description. Include a legal description (starting with quarter section,) with your sketch.

20) Where was the rip-rap used on the dam taken from (this may be answered later in the trip) and why the new layer on top of the dam (same question as before - any new thoughts?).

21) On your way back to the car, name three dominant vegetation types that distinguish this life zone and name the life zone and the estimated annual precipitation.

Reset your odometer to zero and head north across the dam on rd 23E (across the dam) .

You can see Hughes Stadium down to the east at about mile 2.0. Is it in a good location?

On-Line Students - What natural hazards (wind, earthquakes, wildfire, flooding, srink-swell soils, etc.) occur in your area and how would you demonstrate them on a field trip?

22) Why do you suppose there are cracks in the concrete at the stadium. (Think back to the sketch of the geological formations that you saw in the museum).

Is the big A on the hill behind the stadium a cultural resource or an eyesore? Stop at about mile 3.0 where you can see the CSU foothills campus and the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery down to the east. This is "development" also but a different type of land use that is more often associated with areas zoned rural or agricultural. What other types of development are visible at this point?

Look down on "Overland Trail" (think about the name and how we use names to remind people about places, values etc.) winds around and is obviously an older road that conformed to terrain and existing activities without dominating the landscape with the cuts, fills and condemnations so characteristic of many more "efficient" roads. Perhaps this accounts for its popularity with cyclists (though dangerous) and those driving for pleasure.

23) Are these CSU, CSFS uses of the land more or less compatible than residential development for this part of the landscape and why or why not?

23a) Some of the area you are viewing has recently been annexed to the city. How can you distinguish this incorporated area from the unincorporated areas?

Continue north along and above the reservoir and find a high point that affords you a view of the reservoir and the mountains behind it to the west. Notice the communication towers on the mountain. Notice the subdivision that climbs up the mountain next to north boundary of Lory State Park (see your map). Both of these are controversial land uses and the latter has caused many problems for Park managers.

How long is the reservoir anyway ? (don't forget to use your map to help answer some of these questions.) Lets think about the function of this reservoir for a minute.

24) Is the water level in Horsetooth high or low right now? What factors determine how much water will be stored in the reservoir?

On-Line Students - Work these questions into your field trip.

25) How much water will Horsetooth reservoir hold? And by comparison, how much does the average family use each year, and is there enough water in Horsetooth for all the people in Ft.Collins and Loveland?

26) Looking at the outlet of the reservoir, you see a canal. Where does it go and why do you suppose it goes there?

27) What do are the communication towers for - what do they do and why might they be controversial.

28) What kind of rock is found on the rim of the ridge that runs to the east of the reservoir? What kind of rock is Horsetooth Rock itself which you saw earlier. How did each get here? Which is better for climbing?

Drive to the north end of the reservoir. Horsetooth Dam comprise the north end of the reservoir. From here, go down the hill until you intersect with 25G (about mile 6.9), turn west and drive up that road (notice motorcycle park at mile 7.1) until you come to the entrance to Lory State Park.

29) Who manages: a. Horsetooth reservoir b. Lory State Park c. Horsetooth Mountain Park? What potential management implications or impacts do rural subdivisions next to these areas present? (This subdivision has frequently made the news)

30) What preemptive land use planning might have precluded the development of the this. What do we know about land values next to parks or water bodies?

31) Briefly, what is the process for establishing a rural subdivision like this?

(Remember the subdivision regs in the file cabinet in our classroom). Where does the water for this subdivision come from and where does the sewage go?

Head back to rd. 23E and go north until you come to rd. 50E (Bingham hill rd.) Turn east on 50E and stop on top of the hill (at mile 11.0), park at the picnic area and walk up to the overlook and interpretive area. This is one of the areas nicest views in the area and represents a what MacKaye called good "pastoral" tissue. The visual resources here are great but not "deeded to anyone". How to protect a community's special views is a tough challenge for the planner and citizens. The farms you see are, though not highly productive, are what maintains the open space and this extraordinary view. Read the interpretive signs and then answer the following:

32) No one has written much about protecting "geological history". Look at the house built on the ridge line near the "Bellvue Dome" (Goat Hill) at bearing of 330 degrees NNW. How does it make you feel and does it add or detract from your ability to visualize or think about the forces and processes involved in creating the dome. (Later, on your own, think about the community rights/private rights debate we heard: Are such (visual/geological) resources worth regulating at the expense of the owners private property rights? - or should we trust in the sense of responsibility that each landowner should have about where and how to build their structures?

On-Line Students - Describe some examples of inappropriate building siting?

33) You can see three light colored water tanks on different parts of the landscape. Why are they there and whose do you suppose they are? (remember the GIS maps we looked at in class)

34) Notice the rectangular ponds in the middle ground to the NW. They are holding ponds at the head of a large leach field that is for the Division of Wildlife's Watson Lake Trout Rearing Unit. Why all the trouble? Why not just let the water from the hatchery return to the river that runs through the hatchery.

Now, go back to rd. 23E and head north to Bellvue and at the intersection where the Grange and the store are, turn west on County rd. 52E. Notice old log and stone houses belonging to families you just read about up on Bingham Hill (Brewster, Flowers etc.). You will be crossing and seeing some of the early ditches dug by hand and with horses and since improved. These early water rights are good ones and come directly from the Poudre River on the contour from their diversions near the canyon mouth. Turn north on 25 E (about mile 13.5) and pull over for a moment, pull out your maps and open them.

35) Trace the route of the Pleasant Valley Lake and Canal on both county maps from its beginning and see how it served much of the good farmland that used to be in close to Ft.Collins. (Early towns tended to locate near good farmland - making it hard to protect later unless agricultural areas are identified and protected). Where does the canal - which is now used for municipal storm drainage control as well - end up?

This is the corner where, on the west side of the road, A large landowner and property rights activist proposes to build a convenience store and 7 blocks of condominiums at this site as part of a larger development proposal. A lovely place to live but very the project is very controversial and has given rise to the Bellvue Citizens Coalition which opposes it. Proceed north to just before the intersection of 25 E and rd. 54E. Slow down or stop and look at the area between the ditch and rd 54.

36) Read the landscape and tell us what land use do you see and what does the land tell you here about land uses above it? (think watershed).

Turn east on rd 54E towards Hwy 287. You will see a small sawmill, a dairy and an alfalfa dehydrating plant - all uses compatible with rural or agricultural zoning. Notice the large open area after this. The alfalfa dehydrator has been a major source of conflict between the owner and some local residents, especially in Laporte, because of the clouds of green alfalfa dust that come out of the stack.

37) a. What do you think could be the source of the conflict?

b. This conflict exemplifies one of the conflicts we have discussed in class. What would that conflict be and, very briefly, how could it be resolved?

38) Why has this area remained largely open, unoccupied with no structures? What does the vegetative type tell you about the place?

39) As you cross the Poudre, please tell us why it seems to have more water in it here than it does further downstream in Ft.Collins?

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You are now at Hwy 287 and about 65% done with this trip. This is a logical place to stop if you are thinking about splitting the trip into two parts. It will take you about 3.0 hours more to finish if you continue.

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At this point, the corner of Hwy 287 and 54 E, reset your odometer and head towards Laramie Wyoming (NW) on Hwy 287. For the first mile or so you can look to the west and see where the Poudre River emerges from the Poudre Canyon and the Poudre Valley begins. Many businesses and other entities use this name as their reference. Can you name three? After passing the intersection with State Hwy 14 that goes up the Poudre river, you can look off to the north above the field irrigated with what is called a pivot sprinkler, you can see the North Poudre Irrigation canal coming around the mountain on a contour line (actually dropping slightly at a .5% grade). More on this canal later in a few minutes. You will pass a sawmill on the right hand side of the road - another use permitted by "special review" in an area zoned as O open in the county.

On-Line Students - Everybody deals with graffiti. Create stops to illustrate this form of public "art".

At about mile 3.0 begin to look for "Haystack Rock" on the west side of 287. It is at about 3.8 on the odometer and recognizable by the graffiti that is annually refurbished by a war party from the University of Wyoming. This huge rock was a part of the rimrock on the hogback to the east. Look at the larger landscape and imagine how long it took for all these boulders to break off, roll down, and create this unique landform that helps people understand geological processes. Can you spot rimrock that has recently broken off, or is about to?

40) What are the forces that cause these rocks to break off and roll down?

At odometer reading 4. you can see where the North Poudre Irrigation Company's Munroe Canal tunnels through the hog back. Pull way off the highway and walk east to look at the tunnel taking your set of maps with you. You will cross a fence, two old "right of ways", and another fence near the tunnel.

41) which one is a railroad right of way, how do you know, what was it called, where did it go and approximately when was it built? (you may later consult the old map at the back of the classroom for part of this info.)

42) Name one current productive use for abandoned RR rights-of-way in many areas.

Now lets think about the canal itself. Please open up you maps. This is the same canal you saw a few minutes ago coming around the mountain. The diversion for this water is higher up in the Poudre Canyon near the Stove Prairie turnoff. This was necessary in order for the canal to gain a high enough contour and swing far enough to the north (natural drainage is south towards the Poudre) so that land miles north of Ft.Collins and Wellington could be irrigated using only gravity. This water joins with other North Poudre water taken from the North Fork of the Poudre. Find also, the aqueduct which diverts water from the river below Halligan Reservoir (and below The Nature Conservancy's Phantom Canyon Preserve which is unnamed on your the map - a subdivider coined the name "Phantom Canyon" to spice up potential sales and it has stuck). Upstream, find Halligan reservoir developed years ago by the same North Poudre Irrigation Co. These structures (dams, canals, aqueducts etc.) were built long before the CBT project by farmers who formed a "mutual ditch company" - an example of common property. You will stop at their office in Wellington. Most irrigation systems were built with some subsidies paid by the public. Trace the routes of both the Munroe and the North Poudre Canals from beginning to end to see how an irrigation district is shaped by landform contours.

43) Can you tell what federal agency helped North Poudre to construct this tunnel and canal?

44) North Poudre owns CBT water stock. How in the world could it be delivered to irrigators who use the North Poudre system? (remember, the company has considerable, but not all water rights on the North Fork of the Poudre - hence its name) Solve this puzzle.

45) Sharpen your eye! Look at the tailings pile for the tunnel and tell us why the vegetation type is different from that found on the adjacent hogback. When was the tunnel constructed and what does that tell you about the vegetation?

Park, protected area and natural resource managers also have to understand the water rights, flows, diversions storage and conveyance structures and maintenance associated with the water flowing through their areas.

Continue on and At 5.0-5.4 on the odometer slow down and watch for the evidence of the intensive collection and hauling of moss rock from these hogbacks. Recently, there were cranes, heavy trucks, and piles of moss rock on pallets visible here. You may still be able to see the roads cuts, and scars where rocks have been removed.

46) Where have you seen this rock before? What might be some of the other impacts from this type of extraction?

47) Is mining on private land regulated. If so, who is responsible for doing so?

Pull back onto Hwy 287 heading north. At about 7.3 start watching for Bonner Peak Estates. (odometer reading 7.6) This rural subdivision borders on National Forest to the west. This is a subdivision built without going through the review process

48) Why are all the mail boxes at the entrance? Count them and tell us what is the minimum land area occupied by these residents.

49) Approximately how many people live in the development? Make a rough comparison of how many people would be in the same area within the City of Fort Collins.

50) List two of the impacts on wildlife or on national forest management that we discussed in class that such a development might have?

At about mile 7.5 on the odometer, you will be approaching the Owl Canyon turnoff. (actual reading 8.1) drive past the turn-off but slow down pull over just past the sign that says "Falling Rock".

51) Is this a natural or a man made passage through the hogback? how do you know?

Carefully pull out and drive on another 150 - 200 yards or so and you will come to a wide unofficial pullover. Stop here and take a good look around. (it's possible to find fossils). By walking east along the old road (we have permission to cross the fence), you walk past each of the strata at eye level since they are rising up at a ______ % slope.

52) Using what you learned at the museum and at Bingham Hill, (or other classes), name at least three of the formations and the type of rock types found in the cuts.

53) Name at least one economic value of the any of the rock formations found here.

54) What is the origin of these formations?

Walking on east you'll come to a place where you can see that at least two roads have come through this low spot in the hogback at one time or another.

55) Can you look at the clues left and tell us what you think happened with these roads and bridges. Remember that planning often a combination of foresight, understanding resource constraints and available technology.

Walk back to the car. (you might pick up one piece of trash). Head back south on 287 toward Fort Collins but be prepared to turn onto the Owl Canyon road. Reset your odometer to zero and drive NE on this road. You will soon pass by the entrance to a shooting range.

56) Are shooting ranges allowed in an O open zone or in a farming zone and with or without review? Name two other uses that are only permitted in this zone if approved by special review (http://www.co.larimer.co.us/planning/planning/master_plan/toc.htm).

Look for a Realtor's sign on the right around mile 1.2. Think about what this landscape will look like after it is divided into 35 acre lots. In a few minutes you will see such a subdivision and we want you to have this a reference point.

At about reading 1.5 slow down and look to the west-northwest and you will see the Ingleside Quarry / Colorado Lein Mine.

On-Line Students - If you have mining (hard rock, coal, building materials, etc.) activity in your area, design some stops to demonstrate its environmental influence.

57) Why do you think its called Ingleside Quarry?

58) What is being mined here and what uses do these minerals have?

59) Where did you see this type of rock earlier on the field trip?

60) Who owns this land (you may need one of the maps in our classroom)? Who is responsible for overseeing the management and reclamation of such mines?

As you drop down into the bottom, you will come to the site of the Owl Canyon road improvement controversy. People complained that the road widening was overdone and a premature preparation for an unapproved I-25 to Hwy 287 connection and truck bypass. The also complained that the crossing location and culverts impacted the waterfalls here. This was a front page story in the Coloradoan on several occassions. The gentleman who led the move to stop the culvert and build a bridge in a better location lives in the orange trailer just above the bridge and would be glad to explain the situation as he views it if you see that he is around. At the time of the controversy, one main objection was that there was no public review process for public works projects in the County. A review process has since been created as a result of the controversy.

On-Line Students - Can you illustrate road construction issues using stops on your field trip?

Drive on and as you go, notice the vegetation in the draws. Add a little water to the desert and quadruple the bio-diversity. Riparian areas in the arid west are extremely important since all species depend on them part of the day/season for part of their needs. This entire area was once studied for possible designation as a National Park. Since the bridge controversy, and recognition of the areas many unique qualities, some have asked our planning commission and County commissioners to designate the area as an area of state interest as per State enabling legislation HB1041 which makes this possible.

Continue along until you come through the next hogback and arrive at a road that goes to the north with a number of houses and trailers. (about mile 3.2). Drive into this 35 acre lot subdivision. This is your chance to understand why many people object to the state law that says subdivisions of 35 acres and larger need not pass any development review process - better known as the 35 acre minimum lot size rule. Be discreet and polite if anyone approaches you. You may explain to them that you are on a CSU field trip looking at many different kinds and patterns of rural development if asked.

On-Line Students - Think of some stops to illustrate poor subdivision siting and regulation.

61) Observe the road and comment briefly of its construction, aesthetics, and potential for future problems. Who do you think is responsible for road maintenance?

62) People have livestock here. How would you assess land health (range condition)?  What kind of grazing management do you speculate occurs here?

63) What appears to be the water source for these homes? How is human waste handled?

64) Do there appear to be any covenants or agreements among owners about building standards, land uses?

65) Do you feel that these improvements (houses, barns, fences, etc.) have been put in appropriate places given the site? If you owned this piece of property (640 acres), how might you have developed it to accommodate the same number of people?

Turn around and as you head back to the Owl Canyon rd., notice the hogback to the west. In previous years the slopes were stripped of the moss rock and you can see the scars of the old rock hauler roads which have eroded down to bedrock in some cases. These road scars can be seen distinctly from I-25 many miles to the east. Once started, erosion continues without additional use. That is why it is such a profound impact. Across the Owl Canyon Rd. on the next Hogback, you can see evidence of recent rock hauling - rocks piled in the meadow, broken rim-rock and many new road scars.

Drive back south to the Wellington/Owl Canyon Road, go east and then take a right on County Rd 21. Go south a mile, then east a half mile to the corner of County Rd. 70 and 19 which is paved. Go south on County Rd 19 (Taft Hill) and pull over.

66) Describe the two types of agricultural land use that can be observed to the east and to the west of 19.

67) The soil type on the east is basically the same as the land on the west. What did the owner on the east do in the early 80's in order to change the way the land could be used? List the changes you see. Is this "development"?

68) Land use is changing again in the 90's and you can see several "trophy homes" that have been built on this section of land. What do you suppose an acre of land was worth in 1980 on the west side, the east side and what is an acre worth now on the east side? (the first group might call the realtor who has the sign on the corner). Look at the ownership map in our classroom and see if you can tell why the land use has not changed on the west.

On-Line Students - Do you have issues associated with "trophy homes" in your area?

Hop back into the car and continue south for about 2 miles (odometer reading 10.1) and turn east on County Road 66. The electrical substation on the corner was built after REA condemmed the land for it.

68a) What is the power of condemnation based on? Are landowners compensated and who determines how much the land is worth?

Go east about .5 mile and turn north into "Soldias farm". This is where the Wallaces live. Please park on the road where you see the house, barn and other improvements.  There are several conservation practices visible here: a) there are three windbreaks (one is 3/4 mile east by the east improvments) that serves to reduce soil erosion, moderate wind and temperatures and provide wildlife habitat; b) croplands to the south and elsewhere that have been leveled and are sprinkler irrigated to save water; c) a wet land 1/2 a mile east that has several wildlife plantings and which we are restoring by slowly eliminating exotic species, planting natives and increasing the water flow through the wetland. Almost three thousand young trees and shrubs have been planted and grazing excluded from the riparian area until the plantings become established. We have hauled 7 semi loads of junk and trash from the gullies along Dry Creek. We are working on a corridor with the Division of Wildlife and neighbors that will go from the foothills to Douglas Lake.

69) How many years old do you estimate the windbreak by the improvements to be? (Trees grow slow in this climate. It was difficult to protect them from the Wyoming wind for their first years when the land was open and totally exposed).

The rest of the trip back to Ft. Collins will have a few stops and go much more quickly. Since you have worked hard up until this point, we will interpret more of the landscape for you and you will be able to see most of what we have selected for you from the car as you drive and read. Your route will take you into Wellington and down the interstate to Ft.Collins. We will use this opportunity to teach a number of things.

As you leave the farm, set your odometer at the gate and drive east on 66. You are in the rural community known as the Waverly Area. You will cross the Dry Creek and see the wetland on the left, and on the right and over the hill a bit is a trout hatchery owned by a CSU Fishery and Wildlife Biology professor. The hatchery was made possible by underground tile lines that drain spring and seep water from several sections of land (constructed before the wetlands legislation). The water is cold and clear and has the right water quality for trout. Hatcheries like sawmills, riding stables, nurseries etc. are often listed as appropriate use in a "Farming" or "Open" zone where lower density is desired.

Speaking of zones that are designed to be agricultural in nature and have low density, Larimer Co. is full of what are called "exemptions" to that were supposedly hardship favors given to exempt people from the guidelines specified in the Comprehensive plan, and the requirement that lots smaller than 35 acres are subject to subdivision regulations. Cross county rd. 17 and continue on east. Notice the high density rural subdivision to the south that seems somewhat out of place. (If you want a look, turn on 17 and drive through. This a typical rural subdivision with little planning or review. The street is configured for maximum units, there are no curbs and gutters, covenants etc. Compare this with the rest of the development you will see in the next 20 minutes or so.

Most of the places in Waverly that you will see are from 10 to 160 acres (many years ago, some land near Waverly were platted into 10 acre lots in anticipation of settlement that would occur around the school and community center) and have owners who farm part time and work in town most of the time. Some have livestock elsewhere on summer pasture and will winter and calve out their cattle in Waverly that is why you see haystacks everywhere. Since there is a demand for rural acreages, counties need to identify some nodes for low density rural living of this sort. Waverly has been so identified in Larimer Co's Comprehensive Plan. It is a suitable area because it is not the counties best farmland but has good enough soil, is served by the North Poudre Irrigation Company, has some services and community identity based around school, community center, fire station and tradition.

As you come to county rd. 15, (about mile 1.7) a paved road, turn south at the rural fire station. Drive down to the white rail fence and a sign that marks "Gray Hawk Knoles". Drive around the loop and look at the project. This is an example of the new Rural Land Use Process (http://www.co.larimer.co.us/planning/rural_land_use_center/index.htm). The basic concept is to cluster houses on about 20% of the land keeping the other 80% in some form of open space. What do you think of this kind of development?

On-Line Students - Do you have any regulations similar to the Rural Land Use Process in your area?

When you come back to county rd. 15,  turn north and drive by the rural fire station. This fire station is manned by volunteers who serve the Waverly area - and they have become increasingly busy as rural people move to the area who are not used routinely burning ditches, woodpiles and weeds as is necessary in the country or to fuel management around their buildings. Many of these volunteers give 20 hours a week of their time to keep up with this. In about 3/4 mile, you will come to the Waverly School which, over the objection of the community, was closed last year with efficiency cited as the reason. Waverly always had more parent involvement than any school in the District and a high level of academic achievement because of this community atmosphere. The closure hampers the Comprehensive Plan's idea of having a node of suitable rural development and greatly reduces community spirit since the school was always a hub of activity for all of us. Waverly kids are now bused to Wellington. Volunteers are attempting to keep the school active as a community center. Good planning strives to maintain community and cultural resources. School location is a key planning decision. Development patterns always follow school location yet planners and school officials often do not communicate enough!

As you pass the school look at the mountains and see if you can get a new angle on Greyrock Mtn. This a favorite road for bikers who like its rural character and nice vistas. Turn east on county rd. 68 just past the Waverly School house. After you cross another creek, notice the shortgrass prairie on the south side of the road. Notice the severe channel erosion on both sides. You will see a blue/gray house (Woodmansee's) on the south with a 15 year old shelterbelt/windbreak that was started with trickle irrigation and switched to flood irrigation at five years. Carefully, observe this property because we'll discuss it at length later. The Woodmansee's have placed a Conservation Easement on most of the farm (http://www.larimerlandtrust.org/).

On-Line Students - Can you illustrate examples of conservation tools such as, conservation easements on your field trip.

69a) Look at the cottonwoods in this planting and speculate as to why they look so bad while other plantings look better.

Next look at the field on the east side of the entrance road to the house.

69b) Why is this field so flat while the surrounding landscape is rolling?

As you proceed east on Co.Rd. 68 1/4 to 1/2 a mile, you will come to several 10 acre parcels with several recently built houses. Most owners have continued to irrigate and put up the hay (themselves or by custom farmers) on their parcels. This and windbreak plantings or other conservation practices usually ceases to happen when lot sizes drop below 10 acres in size. As you approach the next mile road, you can see Box Elder Creek off to the NE. This property owner does not graze the creek bottom, has lanes to water for livestock and you can see the result in terms of the amount of vegetation and habitat it provides. This land also, was placed in a Conservation Easement recently. The Wallaces used to put up the hay for this owner, would frequently have to slow the machinary for deer, pheasants, foxes and other wildlife that co-exist in such a place. Go slowly as you come to the intersection of 68 and county rd. (mile 3.75) and notice that a landowner has put a high board fence completely across the creek. We have all noticed that this is a problem for deer and other wildlife that move up and down this corridor. It will take much planning and cooperation, but this type of drainage is very important for bio-diversity and allowing wildlife to move. In the past we have used our creeks more often than not, as dumping grounds and loafing areas for livestock that underutilize upland forage as a result.

Turn south on rd.13 which will take you diagonally to the SE. to county rd. 66E. You have no doubt noticed all the horses kept by people holding on to western culture. They are everywhere. Soil erosion from horse pastures that are grazed continuously (instead of by rest-rotation grazing) present a serious problem in Larimer County on small acreages where sustainable grazing is difficult at best. The CSU/State Extension Service has begun to work with land owners of this sort. Livestock projects are much more feasible on 35 acre and larger parcels with irrigation.

Notice all the lakes and reservoirs on your map. From where you are on county rd. 13, several are visible,

70) Name the reservoirs that you are viewing before the road turns and goes straight east. These reservoirs are almost all leased by private recreation clubs but receive little or no management. Notice how RV's tend to line the shore. (This is a new frontier for some of you rec. majors who could approach the irrigation companies who own them. There is currently little or no zoning for wakeless or wildlife areas, campgrounds are poorly sited and eroding, shorelines erode - much could be done by someone who knows what to do!)

Go east on rd 66E As you come to the intersection of 66E and County rd. 11 stop and look in all 4 directions. You will see two North Poudre lakes that are leased by the Division of Wildlife and managed for public recreation. Smith Lake on the NE corner (very low) and Wellington # 4 in the distance south down rd. 11. (lots of trees good fishing - a very popular recreation area but also one needing trained recreation management). On the SW corner of this intersection is a dairy. Notice the huge piles of hay, silage corn etc. Larimer Co is one the state's main dairy regions and many of the common local crops like alfalfa, silage corn and picking corn go to the production of milk.

70a) What are some of the environmental problem associated with concentrated livestock operations and intensive farming operations?

On-Line Students - What about concentrated livestock operations on your field trip?

Look to the SE and drive on. You can see two good examples during the next 1/2 mile of rural residences using native vegetation that is less water intensive, blends in well and provides much wildlife habitat. Dr. Andelt (Fish and Wildlife Biol) is practicing what he preaches (at about mile 5.9). It is the place with the bird house on the telephone pole and much wildlife habitat, windbreaks using mulch cloth/in-sloping to self-irrigate.

Just past Andelts, pause near Frank Smylie's gate - three generations of Smylies have farmed here full time. Again, How sharp is your land use eye! We are now leaving a marginal farming area (look behind you) and rather abruptly, we have entered different soil types and good farmland (look to the NE and SE), some of the best in the County or the State. Why the change? It is here that Box Elder Creek flood waters spread out and have for thousands of years left their alluvium. General Fremont drew Box Elder Creek on his early maps at the same scale as the Poudre and the Big Thompson Rivers when he passed by towards the end of the last century.

71) Spread your map out on the hood and locate where the Box Elder Creek Watershed starts and ends? Estimate its length and total land area. (use the square mile grid to help you). Planners must understand watershed function! What time of year would you say that Fremont arrived at Box Elder Creek? What is the relationship in a watershed's size and its ability to form and move soils? What does watershed size - even on intermittent streams - tell a planner/resource manager? Take some time on this one. If you see Frank or his son, out working, they are good sources of information on this.

Besides soils, the water table makes this a wonderful farming area. You can see on the GIS maps we have in class that there is an aquifer near the surface here. Notice that farmers here are using wells which put the water into concrete lined ditches and only have to pump from 60 - 80 feet under the ground. These farmers have both snow-melt surface irrigation and good wells. This part of the country will produce good crops year after year even when there is widespread drought (if we can keep it in production). This good soil and water table starts about 10 mile NW of where you are now and goes South along I-25 clear down to Johnstown - right under Wellington, under the new CSU Experimental farm (good investment) and, unfortunately many would say - under Budweiser.

Drive slowly on and let's learn some crops (teach each other). Nearby, you will see all the main crops raised in the area except beer barley, in the next few minutes. Picking corn is used for grain rather than green chopped like the silage corn you saw at the dairy. Picking corn is drying and will be combined to get it off the cob. Silage corn is chopped green and allowed to ferment slightly in a pit. In 95, an early storm froze much of the silage corn before it could be green chopped. . You will also see a number of alfalfa fields, some still being harvested (we get three cuttings of alfalfa in most years). Alfalfa is a soil building, nitrogen fixing crop that is the mainstay of the dairy, cattle and horse industries. The fields you have been driving by have nearly all been leveled to promote irrigation efficiency (the public has cost-shared much of this work). Wells and pumps may be seen periodically, sometimes the pumps are covered with small houses. Well water is usually crystal clear when it emerges. You may also see a large leafy, very green crop which is sugar beets, one of the crops that built towns like Ft.Collins, Windsor, Greely, Johnstown etc. It is the crop responsible for bringing many immigrants to the region - German, Russian, Hispanic. The ties between land use, landform and a region's culture are great.

Pull over and stop at the intersection of rd 66 and county rd 9. Get out and bring your northern map , notes and compass. This is one of the last obligatory stops. Lets take compass bearings to find a few notable features. Those who are best with the compass should start and refresh the others.

72) Find the following: a) Longs Peak, azimuth = 210 degrees; b) Comanche Peak, azimuth = 230 degrees; c) Steamboat Rock, azimuth 305 degrees;

The view from here makes you realize that this is where the fruited plain meets the purple mountains majesty. You can see good "wild tissue, good pastoral tissue and good urban tissue" (Wellington to the SE) as Benton MacKaye would say. A nice division of land uses from this point of view. Lets keep looking.

73) d) You can see four strip mines, one large one at azimuth 300 degrees and one at 320 degrees called the Munroe Mine. What is the first one called? e) now look for the smoke stack of the Rawhide Power Plant at azimuth 350 degrees. You shouldn't see much of a plume because there was plenty of citizen involvement during the planning stages and it has state of the art scrubbers.

Looking to the north up by Rawhide to the "Big Hole" and the "Larimie Ridge" above it and you can see that the country is broken and dry - not much green. Now turn to the east and look across the irrigated country past the interstate and to the distant horizon. If the land above that rise looks mighty dry that's because it is too. Only 13" of rainfall and the beginning of prairie and plains that go for thousand miles or more. That ridge is above our ability to gravity irrigate. Dry to the north, dry to the east, dry in the foothills. From here you can realize that this moist and green belt where you stand is not really characteristic of our physiographic or bioregion - that irrigation has had a profound effect. Irrigation occurs in a narrow band along the mountains and along a few rivers as they flow east. People who come to Ft. Collins may not perceive that this is really a desert - part of the "Great American desert" described by Fremont, Powell and others. Were it not for our ability to capture and convey snowmelt from the high mountains where there is more annual precipitation. All the lakes and trees and green fields are deceptive and give a false sense of confidence. Developers fly over this area for the first time and they see all the lakes and green fields and they are deceived too.

74) (far view) Former Governor Lamm and co-authors in their paper "The West at Risk," said that everyone thought that water would be the big growth limiting factor in the west but that they were seeing that it wasn't. If it isn't why not? Why does growth continue in the arid west apparently undaunted by its aridity? Can you talk about this on the way in and briefly try and explain?

Continue south on county rd. 9 towards Wellington which you can spot in the distance. On your way into Wellington, you will see a very large dairy "La Luna" dairy (they milk more than 250 cows, some cows 4 times a day!) on the west side of the rd. You will turn the corner to Wellington by a sod farm. (62 East)

75) Look at the land on the east side of the road. The new subdivision is being built on land that was productive farmland, then a sod farm (second to last cash crop) and now houses (the last cash crop). When a sod farm, was it a sustainable land use? What are the reasons that people don't often just seed and grow their own lawns like has long been the custom?

On-Line Students - Can you illustrate some changing land uses such as this on your field trip?

As you go through Wellington, you will see a humble building that says North Poudre Irrigation Company. Notice the signs in the window. (Note the board meeting time, re: the public meeting assignment.) During the week, we have arranged so that you can go in introduce yourself and ask to see the map of this ditch companies system that is on the manager's wall. This small office is one of the most powerful entities in Northern Colorado. If you are lucky enough to catch one of the employees or board members around, they might help you with 74 and question 44. Remember this is one of many mutual ditch companies in Larimer County. All over the west these small offices will continue to play major role in land use on both private and public lands. More on this later. Ask what a share of North Poudre is bringing, now, ten years ago, twenty years ago. What is causing the change.

75a) What does "appropriation" mean?

Drive back to Ft.Collins along the interstate. You will come to the CSU farm on the east and later to Budweiser on the west. The location (permission to locate is always a major land use decision - especially when large businesses or projects are involved) of these two institutions may have two very different effects. You will have to explain what you think they might be on the midterm. You may wish to start talking about that now on your way in.

Come into town on Hwy 14 or Mulberry and turn North on Lemay for one last short loop. Proceed to Buckingham Street and turn right. Buckingham Street continues only for a block or two and then you must take a left. Stop here before you make the left and observe the field in front of you.

76) You will see a new house across the street and an open field to the right of the house. Why do you think the area to the right of the house is so low? What purpose does this serve?

Make the left turn and head North on 10^th Street. You are now passing Larimer County's first Community Land Trust (CLT), called the San Cristo Chapter. The new single family homes that line the right side of 10^th Street were completed in late 1994. The families that own these homes are all low-income households, meaning their household incomes fall below 80% of the area median income for Larimer County. Homeownership was possible for these folks because the cost of the land was not a factor in the purchase of their home. They own the home, but not the land. The land is held in trust and they lease it from the CLT for a nominal monthly fee. Community land trust homeowners therefore enjoy the benefits of owning their own home and controlling the land beneath the home, without actually owning the land.

77) What would be 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of this type of homeownership?

Notice how old the surrounding neighborhood is. This neighborhood is called Andersonville and it has been here since the 1920's. It was established originally as a "colony" for Spanish migrant farm workers. The original dwellings were constructed of mud and wood supplied by the farmer that owned this land. The tenants were allowed to build homes, but had to repay the farmer $40 per year for the next several years until the materials were paid off. Later all wood structures were erected. Notice how small and box-like these structures are. Andersonville was one of the last neighborhoods in the city to receive indoor plumbing.

On-Line Students - How can you illustrate the social and cultural history of your area on your field trip?

At the end of 10^th Street take a left on San Cristo. You are now back at Lemay. Turn left, heading South on Lemay, and then take a right on Buckingham. At 2^nd Street take a left. You have just entered the oldest minority neighborhood in Fort Collins. The Buckingham neighborhood was built in the early 1900's by German-Russian migrant farm workers who worked in the sugar beet fields. The neighborhood was situated here because of it's closeness to the sugar beet factory, which was on Linden by the railroad tracks, and the fields in which the migrant workers labored.

79) How do you think Andersonville and Buckingham came to be named? Why is the location of the Buckingham neighborhood not an ideal place to build houses?

2^nd Street is only 2 blocks long. Take a right on Lincoln and pass the park (which used to be a dump).

Go back to the intersection of Vine and Lemay and go south. First you will see a big, affordable housing project and then you will see the highly controversial Walmart Super Center project. Why is it so controversial? What are the issues that cause so much concern.

Turn right at Mulberry  cross the Poudre River and the railroad tracks and now you are in "Old Town." which, at its core, is a good example of urban renewal and historic preservation and an attempt to "anchor" Ft.Collins to something.
 
 

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You have completed the field portion of this assignment and have the basis for your answers. You will need to use some of the resources on the Internet to complete the answers to some of the questions. You are close to completeing a major assignment in this course. It has been a long trip. THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK. We trust you have improved your ability to "read the land" and that your travels will be forever more interesting. Keep this eye for detail as you begin or continue your professional work in some area of natural resources, or as a member of the community where you live. Many people don't see half of what there is to see and we hope we have helped you give yourself "the edge".

You may now head for home (or for Coopersmiths).