Our Picture of Health 1998:
Focusing on Community Health to the Year 2000

CHAPTER 9: NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

LAND USE AND OPEN SPACE (PART 2)

75. Acres Developed as Parks

The National Recreation and Park Association standards call for 6-10 acres of accessible park space per 1,000 population within a one to two mile radius from home.

Mesa County has 2.27 acres per 1,000 population and much of that is not be within the distance from home recommendation.

The developed park land is significantly augmented by the Colorado National Monument, the Grand Mesa, and other federally owned lands and parks. Riverfront Trails are also not included in Figure 9-5. Mesa County now has 18 miles of trails, up from 11.7 in 1993.

The County does not maintain any park land, but does distribute lottery funds for special projects. In unincorporated areas, schools become the primary source of park facilities, resulting in limited availability, especially to nonstudents during school hours.

Recreation, one of the top five priorities identified in Mesa County: Our Picture of Health, 1995, is a component of parks. Limited recreational opportunities existed in 1995 for those without transportation, senior citizens and young people.

While the need has not yet been met for teens and seniors, Trend Benders did implement STARS - Summer Time Arts and Recreation for Students to help provide opportunities for students during the summer. This program was sponsored by School District #51 and Grand Junction Parks and Recreation. The Parks Department took charge of the program in 1998 and expanded from two to four sites.

There is no public recreation center in Mesa County.

May link to . . .

  • Growth
  • Economic Development
  • Physical Activity
  • Health and Well-Being

Figure 9-5: Acres of Developed Park Land
 Source: Mesa County Data Book, 1996

Acres of Developed Park Land

Acres of Park Land

1998 Inventory of Park Acreage — Acres

National Park Service — 18,005.3
Regional Preserve/Parks — 322.3
Grand Junction Developed Parks — 232.73
Grand Junction Undeveloped Parks — 603.75
De Beque Developed Parks — 1
Fruita Developed Parks — 10.1
Palisade Developed Parks — 3.6
Other GJ Park Facilities (roadside, mini) — 11.8
Special Use (golf, cemetery) Developed — 156.2
Special Use (golf, cemetery) Undeveloped — 85.0
Other Facilities Developed — 10.0
Other Facilities Undeveloped — 697.2

76. Public / Private Partnership Projects for Natural Resource Preservation or Restoration

Not counting the public agencies mentioned previously, there are 18 organizations and partnerships with specific goals to preserve and enhance the natural environment within Mesa County. Some organizations focus on education and others on preservation.

The Mesa County Wilderness Coalition is made up of the Grand Valley Audubon, Colorado Mountain Club, Western Colorado Congress, Concerned Citizens Resources Association, Sierra Club, Colorado Environmental Coalition and the Wilderness Society.

These groups represent an environmentally-oriented segment of Mesa County whose interest is to see more federal lands preserved as wilderness in Mesa County. The Mesa County Riverfront Commission is a more urban-oriented partnership organized to acquire and preserve riverine habitat along the Valley's waterways, the construction of trails, and improvement of river access. El Pomar Foundation recently honored the Commission for excellence in environmental issues.

Other processes are in place to oversee the development of plans to cooperatively manage large tracts of open space in Mesa County. The Grand Mesa Slopes partnership, the Bangs Canyon Citizens Group, the Ruby Canyon management review team, the BLM/Mesa County memorandum of understanding, and the City of Grand Junction/Forest Service memorandum of understanding all function to this end.

In 1997, these organizations controlled over $2,000,000 in financial resources.

May link to . . .

  • Education
  • Tourism
  • Built Environment
  • Economy

Working Together To Preserve Open Space

  • Riverfront Commission
  • Interagency Fire Advisory Board
  • National Resources/Tourism Council
  • Grand Mesa Slopes Advisory Council
  • Mesa County Land Conservancy
  • Glade Park Open Space and Agricultural Preservation Board
  • Ruby Canyon Management Plan
  • Bangs Canyon Citizens Group
  • Friends of the Mustangs
  • Colorado National Heritage Inventory
  • Western Colorado Botanical Society
  • Mesa County Wilderness Coalition:
    • Grand Valley Audubon
    • CMC West Slope
    • WCC
    • CCRA
    • Sierra Club Uncompahgre
    • CEC
    • Wilderness Society
  • Mesa County Water Association
  • Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association
  • Grand Valley Bike Patrol
  • Grand Junction USFS: MOU
  • Mesa County / BLM: MOU
  • Museum of Western Colorado

Source: Natural Environment Trend Benders Subcommittee

77. Natural Heritage Sites Identified on BLM Land

The 1996 Mesa County Natural Heritage Inventory identified 78 conservation sites, with 620 occurrences of rare or imperiled plants, animals and natural communities. The inventory did not confer regulatory protection on listed sites, but rather is "intended to be used to support wise planning and decision making."
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