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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

PitCo seeks feedback on North Star

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy/Aspen Public Radio News

 

Officials with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails are asking for public input on recent changes at North Star Nature Preserve.

  A new management plan for the popular flat-water spot went into effect earlier this summer, and Pitkin County has partnered with several other government agencies to enforce rules about noise, litter, and parking.

Environmental planner Lindsey Utter said parking along Highway 82, which is managed by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), continues to be a problem.

“No matter what, we need to work with CDOT and we need to look at how we can make it safer,” Utter said.  

The department is considering several options for changes to four parking areas, including a possible increase in the number of spots.

Open Space and Trails has received almost 60 comments about the property so far through an online survey and targeted emails.  The public can also give feedback at an open house tonight at 5 p.m. in the Forest Service building.

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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