(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Plans to bring a new addition to Fox Run Regional Park are in the works with a new nature center aimed at fostering outdoor education and showcasing Mother Nature’s beauty with the expansive 400-acre landscape.
The planned layout for the new nature center is designed to be interactive, incorporating an outdoor classroom, a plaza area, and an observation tower soaring high above the trees.
Residents in the surrounding area, however, express a sense of frustration, believing their voices have been overlooked by the county. Joining forces, these neighbors are coming together in hopes their concerns will be heard and changes can still be made.
“We are not exclusive, we are not elitist, we aren’t trying to keep people out,” neighbor Carrie Dyster said. “We love to share this; we just want it to be what it already is. It’s well known that that park is a historical site, it has links to Native American culture, it has links to preserving those foxes and it’s really, really important to us.”
Dyster, like numerous other neighbors, shared her concerns about the potential significant environmental impact this new nature center will have on the local ecosystem and the animals that inhabit this area.
“We are so passionate about that park, the historical value of it, but mostly about our wildlife,” Dyster said. “It’s unfathomable to us that we would tear down trees and displace habitats in the name of nature.”
The proposed nature center would be located in the northern area of the park, an area that residents say is the heart of the park, known for its scenic walking trails.
Kelly Bane, who has lived in the area for 25 years and frequently uses the park, raised several points concerning this designated site and its potential repercussions on the surroundings.
“One of my questions would be could we not proceed with a project like this in an area that’s already more developed in the park, where there’s already parking spaces available,” Bane said. “Rather than removing trees, rather than destroying the very nature that we say that this nature center is designed to preserve.”
El Paso County was unavailable for an interview Thursday; however, it supplied a document addressing frequently asked questions. This document outlined several advantages of the nature center, including that it will “minimize forest impact, complement the landscape, and embrace the forest setting.” This material can be read online here.
Another point voiced by Bane was whether the county would prioritize the preservation of the natural landscapes and trails within this particular area of the park.
“So if you’re going to take on a project that significantly increases the traffic in the park, I would think that it would be responsible to address those repair needs and to make sure that that’s built into the budget, because obviously somebody’s got to pay for that and it’s going to be the county and it’s going to be all of us that are impacted by it,” said Bane.
In advocating for this new addition to the park, the county has pointed to the success of educational facilities like Bear Creek Nature Center and the Fountain Creek Nature Center. However, these neighbors are expressing their concerns about the existing infrastructure for access to Fox Run Regional Park in contrast to these other centers.
“Their major thruways are on a major thruway, it’s a road,” Gina Hluska said. “This is a neighborhood, these are residential drives and avenues. This is not a major thruway; this is not a highway and so that obviously is concerning. We already have issues with speeding traffic through here. Unfortunately, there are young drivers that live in the area and so it’s a concern like we already have, again, issues with the safety, walking to the park, crossing into the entrance that’s there on our residential drive.”
While they live in close proximity to one of the park’s entrances, Dyster and fellow residents cited the typically quiet nature of the road and how this nature center would change that. They recalled the increased activity during the construction of Rollercoaster Road, and many shared concerns to the anticipated surge in traffic should the nature center move forward.
“There are always deer, there are always small animals out there,” Dyster said. “There’s people with children, people walking their dogs. It’s very quiet and very nature, and that’s exactly what we wanted to stay. So, at the very least, we think that we should be afforded the voice for an alternate entrance to this new nature center that does not really disrupt all of the animals that live here outside of the park.”
When expressing their concerns, some neighbors advocate for the addition of another entrance to the park, while others argue than an alternative location should be selected instead.
“This is kind of a more remote area or nature, if you will,” Dan Olmstead said. “It’s just, I don’t think they’re comparable, I mean I don’t have anything against a nature center per say, but I just don’t think this is right putting it in a community, a neighborhood, it’s just it would [have] too many adverse impacts to our area.”
On Feb. 16, there will be an open house to discuss the Fox Run Nature Center project at the Black Forest Community Club located at 12530 Black Forest Road from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Ultimately, this group is fully supportive of showcasing the beauty of Fox Run Regional Park and promoting outdoor education. However, they want their voices heard when it comes to preserving the trails, along with ensuring both the infrastructure and environment will not be greatly impacted.
“We have a lot of concerns, they want to build a nature center and that’s fantastic, we’re all for that,” said Hluska. “Here again, the concerns are the infrastructure and then if you’re building a nature center, destroying the nature to do so is counter counterintuitive. It causes a little bit of concern not only for the natural animals, the habitat there being destroyed, but there’s a lot of historic preservation that has already taken place there.”
