Low-impact recreation at its peak.

Thanks to the vision of General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, and the many others who have carried on his legacy, local residents and

visitors to the area have been able to enjoy the community's beautiful parks and other outstanding recreational facilities for more than a century. Today, there are more than 110 parks scattered through out the city which, combined with trails, medians and golf courses, cover nearly 8,000 acres.

One of the more recent additions to these facilities is the North Slope Recreation Area, located on Pikes Peak, the most frequently visited mountain in the United States. The area includes three reservoirs--Crystal Creek, South Catamount, and North Catamount--all of them part of the watershed which sup" plies much of the drinking water for Colorado Springs and surrounding communities.

Built in 1935, 1937 and 1960, respectively, the reservoirs were long unavailable for recreational purposes, due to a nearly century-old city ordinance prohibiting public access to watershed areas. The ordinance, still in effect, was the result of an overriding concern by city officials for public health.

In 1967, the citizens of Colorado Springs passed a charter amendment allowing the city to open the reservoirs for recreational use only when all municipalities receiving water from them had water treatment capabilities. By late 1990, all affected communities had begun to receive treated water and, in August 1991, the Colorado Springs City Council appointed a North Slope Watershed Advisory Committee to develop a plan for recreational use.

A well-balanced group, the members of the advisory committee represented a broad range of interests, including those of area residents as well as environmentalists and others. Although appointed to three-year terms, the committee members were asked to have the facilities ready to open by the following summer; less than a year away. To aid the committee in its work, representatives from the various city agencies that would play a role in the project were assigned to help staff it.

Under Chairman Stu Dodge's leadership, the committee went to work, meeting monthly to verify that all conditions of the charter amendment had been met, to get technical briefings from various agencies, to study the experiences of other Colorado communities in setting up similar facilities, and to review various aspects of recreational possibilities, specifying exactly which ones would be permitted. In addition to city agency representatives, the committee worked closely with the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Dodge has high praise for the members of his committee and for all the representatives of the agencies involved. The city agencies included the Planning, Development and Finance Department; the Transportation Department, which operates the Pikes Peak Highway; the Parks and Recreation Department; and the Water Resources Department, which is part of Colorado Springs Utilities.

From the outset, Jim Rees, capital improvements projects manager for the Planning, Development and Finance Department played a key role in the process. It was Rees who did all the early on-site planning, and served as the primary coordinator between the advisory committee and city staff. "He was of enormous help," says Dodge, "in getting us off to a fast start and keeping us going in the right direction."

The committee members decided very early that they-wanted to proceed with the project. "From that point on," reports Dodge, "our focus was on how to do it in a way that would be an asset to our community. Our vision was for a low-impact, attractive area, with only minor amenities and no overnight camping We wanted visitors to have a remote and peaceful experience, with minimum disruption of the environment and of the wildlife." The committee did its job well and less than a year later, the North Slope Recreation Area opened for its first season.

Located along the Pikes Peak Highway within an easy 30-minute drive from downtown Colorado Springs, the North Slope Recreation Area covers 2,267 acres. The three reservoirs have combined totals of 466 surface acres and nearly 14 miles of shoreline. Depths range from 50 feet at Crystal Reservoir to 135 feet at North Catamount, the largest of the three reservoirs. All are more than 9,200 feet above sea level. Recreational opportunities include bank fishing, non-gasoline powered boating, belly boating, mountain biking, picnicking, hiking, and scenic enjoyment.

The area is accessible only by way of the Pikes Peak Toll Road. A fee of $2 per person (for ages 16 and older) is collected at the toll gate, instead of the $5 per person fee for those heading to the summit. The fees are used to help offset operating costs. Amenities within the recreation area include parking lots, restroom facilities and picnic units at all three reservoirs. There is also a fishing pier and fish cleaning station at Crystal Reservoir. There are more than 23 miles of trails, including nearly nine miles which are available for mountain biking. A portion of the trail system and fishing areas are wheelchair accessible.

To maintain the purity of the community's water supply, strict fishing and boating rules apply. No substance that could cause pollution may be discharged into the reservoirs. Trailers are not allowed on the Pikes Peak Highway, so boats must be transportable only on car tops or in the back of pick-up trucks to designated parking areas, and then manually carried to boat entry points. Once in the water, they may be propelled only by oars, paddles or electric motors. Fishing licenses are required, and catches are limited both in number and size. Bait can be used at Crystal and South Catamount reservoirs, while North Catamount is limited to artificial flies and lures only.

Virtually from the day it opened, the North Slope Recreation Area was a huge success. By the time the first season ended more than 17,000 visitors had come to hike, fish, bike, or simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings high above Colorado Springs. That fall, the advisory committee's the outstanding work was recognized by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, which presented the group with a plaque in recognition of its "real contribution" to the community. The Partnership for Community Design, which recognizes significant local projects, also presented the group with an award.

The second season opened May 1, 1993 and, during the following six months, the number of visitors increased to more than 21,000. Another record was set in 1994, with nearly 24,000 visitors. The numbers fell in 1995, but not as a result of a drop in popularity. For the first several months of the season, only Crystal Reservoir was open for public access. The North and South Catamount reservoirs were closed to allow for reconstruction of the spillway at the South Catamount Dam. As summer drew to a close, the project was completed and the areas were reopened to the public in September.

One of the tasks of the Watershed Advisory Committee was to decide which agency would operate the facility. "Ultimately," says Chairman Dodge, "we decided it fit in better with park activities than with water, and selected the Parks and Recreation Department to run it."

Overseeing the operation is Bill Stookey, superintendent of natural resources for the department. "Our goal," he says, "is to make visitors welcome and to help them have a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We staff the area with personable park rangers, and make sure they are both visible and friendly." Although they are uniformed, the rangers are not law enforcement officers.

According to Stookey, enforcing the law hasn't been a problem. "The people who come up here," he reports, "have been most considerate and respectful of the area. We've had lots of visitors, but the facilities have never gotten crowded enough to cause us any concern."

Use of the area's extensive recreational facilities has by no means been limited to individual visitors. Several local organizations have also found them ideally suited for their needs. For example, the United States Olympic Committee was seeking a high-altitude training site for its kayaking and canoeing teams and the North Catamount Reservoir proved to be the perfect location for them. Another group, Sand Creek Sports, sponsored a mountain bike race, which was held on a course that was laid out by the Parks and Recreation Department along the western shoreline of North Catamount.

Stookey is also quick to give credit to the other agencies involved. "Although we have the primary operating responsibility for the area," he says, "it remains very much a cooperative project. For example, the Transportation Department, which operates the Pikes Peak Highway, keeps the road open as long as possible. Their people collect the entrance fees and handle the accounting. They have the initial contact with visitors, and do a fine public relations job in greeting them, giving them brochures and answering their questions."

The watershed area itself is under the direct control and supervision of the Water Resources Department of Colorado Springs Utilities. According to Vic Eklund, natural resources planner for the Department, the three dam sites and most of the shoreline are owned by the city. "Our people regularly patrol the area," he says, "to make certain that nothing takes place that could contaminate our water supply."

As Stu Dodge and Bill Stookey have, Eklund emphasizes the cooperative nature of the project. "In addition to our people," he says, "there are Parks and Recreation Department Rangers and Pikes Peak Highway Rangers on the scene. It's a three-way partnership, with overlapping responsibilities. Everyone is cross-trained."

Eklund gives a lot of credit to the Advisory Committee. "They reviewed all aspects of recreational possibilities," he notes. "They made certain that all conditions of the charter amendment were fulfilled, and they specified which types of recreation would be allowed. Overall, they actually speeded up the entire process."

Eklund also notes the contributions of state and federal agencies. He points out that the United States Forest Service, for example, owns some of the land in the region, and permits access across it to the recreation area. At the state level, the Colorado Division of Wildlife stocks the reservoirs and oversees the fishing operations. Each season, the reservoirs are stocked with up to 30,000 fish. Officers from the division patrol the reservoirs to monitor compliance with state fishing rules and regulations.

The construction of the fishing piers and the fish cleaning station were made possible by a "Fishing is Fun" grant that included $103,000 from the Division of Wildlife and $43,000 from the city's Capital Improvements Projects fund. A second grant of more than $121,000 included $91,000 in federal funds and $30,000 from the city.

In addition to federal, state and local agencies, there is another group that plays an important role in the operation of the North Slope Recreation Area. In 1993, the Parks and Recreation Department launched a Volunteer Park Ranger program that has proven to be very successful. Last year, 35 volunteers donated more than 350 hours to the program. Wearing identifying vests, they patrol the area on foot and on mountain bikes. "They've been a tremendous supplement to our staff," reports Superintendent Bill Stookey.

Several projects were also completed through the volunteer program. Mountain bikers were recruited to improve a section of trail, and groups of Boy Scouts and their families undertook maintenance and improvement projects.

In summing up the success of the North Slope project, Stookey says, "From the very beginning, there was tremendous cooperation among all the agencies. This could not have happened without the great team spirit of everyone involved."

With the North Slope Recreation Area completed and operating successfully, and with its original three-year term expiring in August 1994, it would seem logical that the work of the Watershed Advisory Committee had ended. Such a conclusion, however, would be inaccurate. Recognizing a winning combination, the Colorado Springs City Council reappointed the committee to a second three-year term; gave it a new name, the Pikes Peak Watershed Advisory Committee; and assigned it the task of investigating the recreational possibilities of Stanley Reservoir, which is located north of the United States Air Force Academy.

Under an agreement with the city, use of Stanley Reservoir had long been reserved exclusively for Air Force Academy personnel. When Academy officials waved those rights, the city decided to open it to the public. Now, the Pikes Peak Watershed Advisory Committee must determine how best to add it to the list of already impressive recreational assets.

Given the excellent and continuing cooperative spirit displayed by everyone involved in the North Slope project, successful completion of the Stanley Reservoir Recreation Area seems virtually assured.