Draft Bijou Basin master plan favors limited, low‑impact access; staff recommend no dogs because of active grazing

Arapahoe County open‑spaces staff presented a draft master plan Thursday for the county—s Bijou Basin Open Space, a property of more than 3,100 acres acquired incrementally by the county that contains shortgrass prairie, riparian habitat and working grazing units.

The plan presented a preferred concept that includes roughly seven miles of natural‑surface trails arranged in several loop segments, a trailhead with a small, natural parking area (about 15 vehicle spaces and six horse‑trailer spots), a primitive restroom, a shaded picnic/shelter area and an accessible overlook near the riparian corridor. Staff said the design emphasizes low‑impact materials and placement of trails on existing maintenance roads where feasible.

Why it matters: Bijou Basin expands preserved habitat in the eastern portion of the county and sits within a roughly 12,000‑acre conservation landscape that includes county parcels and privately held properties under conservation easement. Staff said balancing public access with grazing and resource protection was the central challenge of the plan.

No‑dog recommendation: staff recommended a no‑dogs policy for Bijou Basin. "Dogs would not be allowed on the property," a presenter said, explaining that the conservation easement holders and animal‑control partners argued off‑leash and off‑property dogs would threaten livestock, sensitive habitat and enforcement capabilities. Staff said animal services and neighboring landowners raised the same concern; they recommended prominent signage and pre‑opening public education about active grazing and seasonal closures.

Public engagement and programming: staff reported two full rounds of public outreach to date (including Bennett Days and two public open houses), nearly 600 completed surveys and several hundred project website visits and email signups. The public favored protecting natural resources, maintaining the property as working agricultural land and providing limited, carefully sited public access. Potential future programming identified by staff included environmental education, astronomy events at the trailhead parking (low light conditions), and limited mentored hunting programs run in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Cultural resources and utilities: staff said a cultural‑resources study found archeological sensitivity across portions of the site. The county has overlaid proposed utility corridors and easements (e.g., pipelines, transmission lines) on the draft plan and will use the plan to advise utilities and minimize impacts to sensitive areas, staff said.

Timeline: staff said they would open a third round of public engagement on the draft, revise the plan based on comments, and present the final plan for county adoption this fall. Design development, land‑use approvals and location‑and‑extent permitting would follow; staff estimated construction could occur in 2027 depending on approvals and funding.

Next steps: staff will release the draft plan for public review, incorporate comments and return to the Board for formal plan adoption later in the year. The county will continue coordination with conservation easement holders, neighbors and potential programming partners.

Source: open spaces presentation and staff remarks at the Arapahoe County study session. "Dogs would not be allowed on the property," staff noted when explaining grazing and conservation easement constraints.