Open Space Committee
A plan is being prepared by the City of Boulder for how the trails and open space behind our homes, and north to Mt. Sanitas and south to Dowdy Draw, will be managed over the next decade. The city recently held a caucus at which representatives to a study group were elected, and the representative elected for our neighborhood is Scott Gordon who also happens to be a member of the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance, or BMBA.

If you want to provide input to the group or follow the progress, here is the information received from Scott:

My name is Scott Gordon and I've recently been elected, by Southwest Boulder neighbors, to a committee that will be helping plan access, trails, and conservation techniques on Open Space and Mountain Park properties on the west side of town. My charge is to gather input (ideas, requests, concerns) from neighbors and represent them during the next year. Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks department is currently drafting a long-range plan for the public lands on the west side of town know as the West TSA. This plan will cover from Eldorado Springs to Linden Rd and will detail access points, trails, conservation techniques, and what forms of visitation are allowed. An important part of the process is to actively consider the benefits (like property value, views, access to trails) and drawbacks (like parking, etc) adjacent neighborhoods experience. Most importantly, you get a voice in the plan! In September, area citizens elected three representatives to ensure neighbor's thoughts would be present throughout the year-long process. They have set up a couple channels for two-way communication:

Stay Informed:
Follow the Blog where Neighborhood reps will post updates and you can provide comments. (RSS feed will be available shortly): http://westtsaneighbors.blogspot.com/

Get Email Updates: You can subscribe to a Goggle group which will provide updates via email. To protect your email address and let you control how much info you receive, they will NOT be sending updates directly to personal email address, rather only via this Google list-serve: http://groups.google.com/group/boulder-west-tsa-neighbors

You may contact all neighborhood rep via: west.tsa.neighborhood.reps@gmail.com

Art Schwadron art.westtsa@gmail.com
Ned Patton ned.westtsa@gmail.com
Scott Gordon scott.westtsa@gmail.com
Guy Burgess (Alternate) guy.westtsa@gmail.com

Noxious Weed Management
Our very wet spring and summer produces an abundance of plant growth in the open space, some not welcomed. At the request of several SR4 homeowners, a consultant was obtained to walk the open space and evaluate the health of the open space and possible problems. A memo was received identifying 4 problems and suggestions for control/eradication. The Board is evaluating the memo. Email the board if you have any input. Read Memo

Bear Alert
On 5/26/09, Division of Wildlife volunteers were visiting each home in the neighborhood to warn of bears in the neighborhood. In particular, last night a Black Bear got into garbage left on a driveway on Silver Plume. Then the bear broke the window of a car to get into it looking for food.

Also last night, a bear (maybe the same one) tore siding off a house trying to get in the kitchen in another South Boulder neighborhood (Devil's Thumb area). Bears are very strong and have an incredible sense of smell - a nose that's 100 times more sensitive than ours!

So please, for the safety of our neighbors, DO NOT ATTRACT BEARS TO THE AREA. Remember to:

• Keep all trash cans and compost cans in the garage or in a tamper proof container.
• Don't leave anything that smells like food where a bear could smell it (close kitchen windows when cooking at night.
• Put garbage/compost cans out morning of pickups, not the night before.
• Take in bird feeders.
• Don't leave pet food outside.
• Don't put edibles in outdoor compost pile.
• Don't leave food in car.
• Clean barbeques after each use.

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
Call the Division of Wildlife (303) 291-7227 if you have questions. Call Boulder City Dispatch if you have a bear that won't leave your yard. (303-441-3333)

Solar Systems and City of Boulder Energy Incentives
The City is currently running meetings for their ClimateSmart Loan Program for homeowners wishing to add energy improvements to their homes. The meetings are being conducted in March with deadlines for loan request submissions in April 09. Here are some resources for further information:

• DOE - Solar Systems and Land Rights
• Boulder County ClimateSmart Loan Program
• Boulder County Website & Deadlines