The Fort Collins City Council recently allocated $70,000 for a bike park feasibility study. The community needs a bike park to fairly serve its members, provide an important skills training ground for physical, emotional and cognitive development, and to create vested interests in sustainable natural area conservation.
Concerns and statements about conservation versus applied multi-use have been overblown, while failing to recognize the special value such a recreation asset provides. Considering the scope of existing natural areas throughout the region, the condition of old Hughes Stadium property, as well as the location by the head of the existing mountain bike trail system on the western edge of town and an area with natural elevation gradients necessary for such infrastructure, it is an ideal and efficient location for a bike park. It would provide multiple benefits and returns to the proximate community, instead of wasting funds“re-naturalizing”the property.
Fortunately, Fort Collins and Larimer County have an abundance of protected natural areas and open land spaces. The city has 52 natural areas providing conservation protections for over 36,000 acres, Larimer County has another 13 natural areas with another 33,000 acres, and there are others in the region.
The subject property is bordered by Maxwell and Pineridge natural areas that cover 343 and 752 acres, respectively. And, due to Fort Collins’ history of flooding occurrences, it has developed a strong Master Plan on the subject, which has resulted in stormwater drainage basins throughout most neighborhoods that, outside of the few instances of heavy rain, also serve as wilderness areas. All those lands provide abundant natural habitats for flora and fauna and trails or other access to additional city, county and state natural spaces.
In comparison, the Hughes property is not currently a natural area, but a barren field resulting from the removal of the old stadium grounds containing 164 acres. A bike park is proposed to take up 60-80 acres, leaving room for the existing frisbee golf and sledding hill facilities, and additional space for other multiuse infrastructure and natural habitats.
When it comes to discussions about use versus protection, it is important to recognize the many existing natural areas throughout Larimer County and, also, that conservation is best achieved when people are given access to land to experience its many returns and beauties.
The Colorado governor’s office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have found that pure protection without some level of public exposure can actually harm conservation measures long term. Recreation provides an opportunity for enhanced feelings that come with wilderness exposure. Government and organizational leadership on the subject opine that outdoor recreation is a vital part of conservation, and makes it more sustainable and successful.
The view that preservation should be absolute, without allowing for some balance of community use of such public lands, fails to take into account where society, community and activities have progressed as to recreation and respective infrastructure. We have youth and school mountain biking as a sport — one that comes with scholarship and future income opportunities, including Olympic medals, along with much more advanced bike product technologies and abilities.
Colorado has more than 20 bike parks with eight along the Front Range, including at least one in most major urban hubs in the state, except for Fort Collins.
We have scores of youth bikers in Fort Collins, but our lack of recognition into the breadth of abilities, educational opportunities and training facilities, and applicable benefits and returns, along with the required investment into such infrastructure, does them an injustice and fails to provide safer applied training opportunities.
When it comes to bike parks and similar recreation infrastructure, they provide many returns and benefits. There are more obvious ones, like personal and resulting societal health improvement and corresponding cost decreases, sustainable conservation support, tourism and other related business revenue, company and employee attraction and retention, increased property values, and lesser realized mental and emotional returns. Psychology studies show that such physical problem-solving involved in practicing an activity, whether it be biking, climbing, or other, builds and maintains cognitive mental health — the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember. A bike park provides such professionally created skills development infrastructure, and there should be opportunities for all levels of recreationists.
Immersion in the outdoors and nature is positive and rewarding, including serious health and mental well-being benefits. Doing so through an activity exponentially increases those personal returns, and such infrastructure can provide individual and community health, environmental, and economical returns.
To not use land well positioned for such an opportunity would be a travesty. Fort Collins has lagged behind other communities around the State and Nation on this front and lacks progression outdoor recreation opportunities and assets that match our population’s skill sets and desires, which could be used to advance our youth, ourselves, and our community.
Forrest Merithew, of Fort Collins, is the founder and principal of Conatus Counsel, a fractional general counsel firm for passion and social impact businesses and brands.
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