Preserving with Passion

(credit: cid69.blogspot.com)

Last night I attended the Douglas County Open Space Advisory Committee. I'm a newer committee member, having recently transferred from the Parks Advisory Board.

At each meeting, I learn more and more about our county's current inventory of Open Space, as well as the philosophy that guides our determination of what  land should be acquired. I'm also learning a lot about the difference between land conservancy and the fee simple acquisition of land, and the reasons to pursue one type of land preservation rather than the other.

Tonight we talked about several key parcels of land in Douglas County, including the Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve (LSAP). It's an internationally significant archaeological site; the Smithsonian Institution conducted extensive excavations in 1960-61 and 1980-81, yielding mammoth remains dating back 13,000 years as well as artifacts of the earliest people to inhabit North America. The site is now preserved through a cooperative agreement between the Archaeological Conservancy and Douglas County.

Also mentioned was a place called Lost Canyon. It is a stunning piece of land near Castlewood Canyon State Park. Contained within Lost Canyon is the Franktown Cave, another fascinating and well-documented archaeological site.

(credit: parks.state.co.us)

We are so fortunate, we, the inhabitants of this land, to live in an age where preservation is a priority. Each time I attend a COSAC meeting, I am surrounded by land use professionals and citizen-volunteers who care passionately about our land trust and the heritage we pass to future generations. And Douglas County isn't unique. Across the United States and Canada, good people spend valuable time working to preserve and protect our geological and historical treasures.

Here's to the folks that invest the best of themselves to such an important endeavor.
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