Board reviews draft South Hogback management plan, asks staff to develop outreach

The Metropolitan District board heard a presentation of the draft South Hogback Management Plan from ERO Resources and members of a volunteer task force and asked staff to develop a public outreach plan to gather community input.

Carrie Tanak, a natural resource planner with ERO Resources, told the board the team started with an existing-conditions analysis, field reconnaissance and partner outreach, and assembled management strategies ordered by timing and priority. "The plan pulls in all the resource inventory," she said, and singled out sensitive areas that the team recommends remain closed to the public "in perpetuity." Task force members described a multi-year process that began with the property's 1993 acquisition and subsequent general management plans.

The draft includes an existing-disturbance analysis that overlays trails, roads and other disturbed areas with wildlife and vegetation data; it also lists management strategies with short-, long- and ongoing priorities and a separate quick-guide table for the board. Task force co-chairs and members praised the plan's thoroughness and reported little dissent among volunteers who took part in multiple meetings and field trips.

Board members emphasized the need to preserve cultural and biological resources while balancing future public access. Joe Levy, identified in the packet as the board liaison to the project, and others supported engaging the community and returning recommended edits after outreach. The chair asked staff to develop a robust outreach and public-comment process; several members suggested a field trip to parts of the property to inform perspective.

The board did not vote on the plan at the meeting. Next steps are community outreach and further revisions to the draft based on public comment and task-force input; staff will return with a plan for outreach and public engagement.