The U.S. Forest Service is holding a second round of public meetings, Oct. 13 and 14, to develop a road, trail and recreational use plan for the increasingly popular Rampart Range Recreational Area southwest of Denver. Input from the two scheduled workshops will be used to develop management alternatives and possible courses of action for the project.

Public open houses were held in mid-July to introduce the project to the public and solicit input on management issues. The upcoming public workshops will build on the ideas and information that were collected in July. The project includes the completion of an Environmental Assessment and a Roads Analysis, both of which will emphasize developing a road and trail system that supports the area's general recreational activities and the ever-increasing popularity of Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use. Of key concern in the project are the safety and environmental impacts resulting from the high volume of varied uses.

The Rampart Range Travel Management Project area encompasses approximately 91,000 acres on the Pike National Forest within Douglas County. The project area is bordered generally on the north by Waterton Canyon, on the south by the Long Hollow Road (FR 348), on the west by the South Platte River and on the east by the Pike National Forest Boundary.

This study has been initiated to address a host of issues resulting from significantly increased volume and types of uses that the Rampart Range Recreation Area has experienced in recent years. The public has expressed their concerns for safety issues, overcrowding on trails, resource degradation, unauthorized trail creation, private property conflicts and an increase in risk for wildfires.

At this juncture, planners are in the process of developing alternatives and are looking for possible courses of action. The Forest Service seeks public input with which to develop a range of feasible alternatives. The study is expected to be completed in June 2005. Work on the project is anticipated to begin shortly thereafter.

Two public workshops have been scheduled to enable the public to interact with Forest Service planners in developing management alternatives. The presentation and workshop will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. on each of the scheduled dates.

• Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Event Center Conference Room, Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Road, Castle Rock, Colo.
• Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the USFS Rocky Mountain
  Headquarters (Auditorium - 1st floor), 740 Simms Street, Golden, Colo.

Interested parties can obtain additional and updated information on the project as it proceeds by going to the Forest Service district website at www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/spl/: Click on Rampart Range Travel Management Project or call EDAW, Inc. at 970- 484-6073.