Last week I had the opportunity to talk with one of the Open Space Rangers regarding trail use. As usual Scott gave me some valuable insights and good food for thought. Here are some of the subjects we discussed.

As far as impacts on wildlife goes, bicycles are far more disruptive than horses. Interesting. It seems the quick, flashing sight of a mountain bike on a trail is much more startling to an animal than a horse. I didn't know that.

I also learned that it takes about two generations of wildlife to really adapt to human interaction. He mentioned the elk up around Evergreen as an example. They are quite used to people, and, if you get too close may even become aggressive. The wildlife in our Open Spaces here in Douglas County are slowly adjusting.

The simple, narrow trails on places like Spruce Mountain that I prefer were simply being overwhelmed by use. Their upkeep was expensive and time consuming. Hence, the need for wider, more accessible and easier to maintain trails.

A lot of time and thought went into the layout of the new trails. They were designed to keep people out of the habitat preferred by the wildlife. The end result is a better trail that bypasses critical wildlife areas.

I questioned whether horse pooh allowed noxious weeds to migrate easier through seeds. I learned that horses, even in hay, will tend not to eat noxious weeds. Look at any overgrazed horse property (which isn't too hard to find in this county) and you can confirm that one!

I still think horses should wear diapers on public trails, though.