The number of people using our trails continues to increase and that is a good thing. The number
of people misusing our trails also continues to increase and that is not good. Rogue trails and
shortcuts seem to be multiplying and widening; multi-track trails are obvious. I suspect some of
this is due to inexperienced new users who have not considered the effects of hundreds of users
each slightly widening a trail because they have not been out on the trails long enough to witness
the effects. Similarly, the effects of steep shortcuts bypassing the established trail gradients and
switchbacks are apparent on our local trails and in the mountains. The determination of some
rogue trail builders in reopening their path after generous, experienced walkers have piled the
biggest logs and slash they can handle onto the rogue trail is remarkable! Thank you to all the
users who help “keep the loonies on the path” as Pink Floyd put it.


I have been wondering if Leave No Trace and trail etiquette signage could help. City of Colorado
Springs Parks, Trails and Open Spaces have put up such signage, as have many state and national
parks. The County Parks administration is not ready to go there yet, so maybe the Black Forest
Trails Association should take the initiative, with the county’s consent of course.

Happy New Year fellow trail users. My name is John Wallace. Iwas elected president of our association at last October's membership meeting. I have been a member since buying a property in the SW corner of the trees on Falcon Drive in the fall of 2017. Iwas an at-large board member until 2022 and treasurer in 2023.

I grew up on Long Island, on 5-acre lot 23 miles from New York City, in an amazingly rural environment where we could not see the light of another house at night. I spent my younger days wandering in the woods, drinking from natural springs (without a purifier), and learning about the natural world. In my travels since, I have lived in upstate New York, Montana, Saudi Arabia, Colorado (San Luis Valley), Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, England (Cambridge), Nebraska, Colorado (Colorado City), Oregon, and back to Colorado (Colorado Springs and Black Forest). The Rocky Mountain Front Range is my favorite climate and location in the country.

I have attended 5 different universities, with my first degree in soil science leading to two glorious summers camping out full time in three National Forests in SW Montana describing soils and erosion, in amazing, remote locations, randomly chosen by a computer in Washington D.C. After graduating, there were no soil science opportunities in wildland due to a federal hiring freeze. Imoved over to agriculture, specializing in efficient irrigation water management for my M.S. degree. After a year growing wheat in Saudi Arabia, I spent three years with an irrigation and farm consulting company in the San Luis Valley and discovered the potato's fascinatingly complex biology and production systems. Back to school I went for a Ph.D. in horticulture and began my career as an agricultural research scientist and partner in a multi-state potato farming operation. I retired in 2015 and my email name and occasional nickname, Potatodoc, is my only remaining connection to the potato industry.

My present activities include remodeling a great 50-year-old house, occasional travel, and advancing the cause of interconnecting trails in the Black Forest and all of El Paso County. I am the friend/adopter of Black Forest Regional Park, a member of the EPC Parks Advisory Board, and now President of BFTA. Those roles have helped me become familiar with the personnel policies, and politics of our local parks, trails and open spaces. My objectives in this involvement include:

• Increasing the miles of trail rights of way (ROW) in the county
• Encouraging the actual building of trials on those rights of way (separate goals as described in another article)
• Developing connecting social trails where needed to connect with existing/proposed trails and open spaces.
• Increasing awareness of, and compliance with Leave No Trace principles of outdoor recreation.
• Working with civic and government partners to fund building out the proposed regional and secondary trails.
• Modernizing BFTA's computer records and systems for easier sharing and greater transparency among the board of directors
• Improving BFTA's digital engagement with young people and new residents in our community

I look forward to working with our new officers and board members and look forward to meeting lots of our members in person at future events.

Greetings Black Forest trails users and another glorious Summer to you. I trust you are all getting out on the many beautiful trails we have in the Forest. Well it's time for me to pass the baton to the next leader of BFTA. 

After two years as an At Large Board Member, and four as President, it's time for me to move on using another sports analogy. I always enjoy the relay race at track meets. It involves four team members that outperform a solitary runner. But the key is smooth handoffs of the baton. If it drops, you lose. So, I'm working toward a smooth handoff to keep BFTA's trail advocacy mission winning the race. 

Long time BFTA president, Larry Fariss, recruited me as his replacement and he is a hard act to follow. That said, I think the BFTA board did well the last four years with a little help from me. 

The most important accomplishment was keeping BFTA functioning during COVID. Many organizations failed, but we adapted using technology to keep us going with no drop in membership. Through many generous donations we were able to install a bench at the Pineries overlook (see picture) and provide trail base for Fox Run Regional Park. We also built a connecting trail from Retail Ranch to the Pineries and resolved several neighborhood trail issues. 

I leveraged my relationship with El Paso County Parks staff built through my time on the Parks Advisory Board and Fairgrounds Corporation. Parks and Rec Director, Todd Marts drew the largest crowd I've witnessed at the March Board meeting when he talked about the future of Section 16. 

And I'm hoping we set another attendance record at the July 11 members meeting held at the Black Forest Brewery where Theresa Odello will update us on the Fox Run Nature Center. First beer is on BFTA, another of my ideas. 

We also coordinated our annual trail clean-ups with the larger Great American Clean-up for the Fountain Creek drainage basin. We completed BFRP and the Palmer Divide Trail but still have to do Section 16, now scheduled for June 16. 

To improve the handoff, I created an organizational email ([email protected]) and built a digital repository for BFTA documents. Being an Air Force Powerpoint ranger, I leveraged the BFCC projection system to use slides at our board meetings 

I've been fortunate to work with a great board. I already mentioned Larry Fariss, who I refer to as the Eskimo ice salesman for his ability to recruit new members. Andy Meng has moved on from his treasurer/membership role but continues to support us. I consider Cheryl Pixley as our unofficial lawyer for her understanding of BFTA history and negotiating with the county. She is currently working to transfer a quarter mile stretch along Vollmer Rd, given to us by a developer, to the county to create a N-S connector to Section 16. Nancy Reinhardt continues to support BFTA as an At Large Member and provides an equestrian perspective. 

The PotatoDoc, John Wallace, has stepped up to take on Andy's duties plus is a current member of the Parks Advisory Board. It's great to have Judy V's historical perspective back on the team as our secretary. New At Large member, Gary Sherwood is our eBike expert, an issue that will continue to grow. Lastly Jack Yonce joined last year as an At Large member. He has lived in the heart of the forest for many years and has a ton of talent to tap.

Please stop by our booth at the Black Forest Festival on Saturday, August 12, to discuss any trail related issues and to get involved in BFTA.  BFTA Elections will be by mail-in vote this year to be held on October 5th. Happy trails to you until we meet again. Peace out! 

Rich Mock President of BFTA since 2020

Greetings Black Forest trails users and I trust your Summer is going well in spite of all the turmoil in the world.  
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In this newsletter we again have a couple of guest articles for you plus interesting articles from our board members.  Dr Judy Van Ahlefeldt explains the Section 16 lease history and Keith Henry updates us on his trail ventures. I hope you enjoy it and please contact me if you have anything you think our members need to hear.

But first I want to appeal to you to become an active member of BFTA using the iconic Uncle Sam character.  Popular legend has it that a meatpacker from Troy, NY (adjacent to my hometown of Albany) supplied rations for American soldiers during the War of 1812.  The meatpacker, Samuel Wilson, was required to label his packages with” E.A. – U.S.”  When someone asked what that stood for, a co-worker jokingly replied “Elbert Anderson (the contractor) and Uncle Sam (referring to Wilson”.  And thus the legend was born and later disputed.  I know this image worked well for recruiting for the Army in World War II and I’m hoping it will work for BFTA this recruiting season.  

BFTA needs you!  After many years of dedicated service, two critical board members are stepping down this year and we ungently need replacements.  Andy Meng is one of the workhorses of BFTA.  Not only is he our current treasurer with many ancillary duties but he also produces our biannual newsletter you’re reading now.  He’s served BFTA well and deserves to move on.  Nancy Reinhardt is another long serving BFTA member.  She currently serves as secretary and keeps track of my ramblings at board meetings.  Her historical knowledge of the association is invaluable.

So now it’s your turn to step up and serve your community.  Board meetings are held every other month at the Black Forest Community Club.  So the commitment is not overwhelming.  I plan on stepping down next year after four years as president so that position will also require replacement.  I figure if I can’t convince you, maybe Uncle Sam will.  It’s time for some new thinking in BFTA.

Meanwhile BFTA has contributed 15 tons of trail base to Fox Run Regional Park and is working with the county to provide a bench around the halfway point in the Pineries Open Space.  We have some other projects and solicit your ideas for improving the Black Forest trails system.  Your generous donations have made this possible.  Thanks!

I’m still struggling with documenting all our connector trails that cut through private property that were established with verbal agreements years, and probably owners, ago.  This year I’d like to revisit these trails to ensure the owners are still cool with the agreement and try to establish a formal easement.  So if you’re one of these property owners please contact me to discuss.  Community trails increase property value and security.  

Our annual members meeting is Tuesday, Jul 12 at the Black Forest Brewing Company 11590 Black Forest Road starting at 630 PM.  Susan Davies from Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) will be our guest speaker.  Greg Stanchon from El Paso County will discuss the Homestead Ranch Master Plan.   Get there early to enjoy a beer on BFTA and sample the food truck offerings.    We will be electing new officers and board members at this meeting so be prepared to step up.

I hope me and my Uncle Sam can convince you to be an active part of the BFTA team and don’t forget to visit us at the BFTA booth at the Black Forest fest August 13.  As always, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with your thoughts, issues and ideas.  And look for me and my dogs on the trails. Happy Summer!