Park County Democrats Adopt Mt. Democrat; Seek Volunteers
The Park County Democratic Party “adopted” a Colorado landmark this month — 14,148-foot Mt. Democrat in the northwest corner of the county.
Under the “Adopt-A-Peak” program managed through the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI), ParkCoDems are signing on to provide funds and/or host work projects to help preserve and maintain recreational uses of the 29th highest peak in Colorado.
Greg Seabloom, representing CFI, signed the adoption papers with County Democratic Party 1st Vice-Chairman Soren Frederiksen during its August Central Committee Meeting.
The preservation and restoration of trails is part of a series of projects managed through CFI and in cooperation with other groups in different areas of the state. In Park County, the group is also working with the Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative to provide a balance between private landowner liability concerns and recreational uses. Colorado HB 1049, passed in 2006, helps in that area.
Park County Democrats are planning to be a focal point for trail restoration and are seeking to help coordinate volunteer groups during the late spring through early fall months. Additionally, the Dems see an excellent opportunity for local, state and national Democratic candidates to travel to easily accessible Kite Lake as a beautiful backdrop for environmental and business compatibility statements.
Kite Lake is used as the base for Mt. Democrat restoration projects and is located just a 15-minute, 6 mile drive from Alma. The lake is located 96 miles by car from the State Capitol, an estimated 2-hour drive.
Climbing the 54 Colorado “Fourteeners” is a hundred million dollar a year business for the state. A recent study through Colorado State University estimates that guests hiking the 54 peaks spend $200 on average in contributing to local economies, while CFI estimates a half-million hikers make an attempt to climb one in a given year.
The summit of Mt. Democrat lies just on the Park County side of its border with Lake County, and is less than three miles south of Summit County.
Two events are upcoming:
On August 30, CFI is arranging a Mt. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross site visit at to the public to see what goes into projects they undertake. For more information on this event, contact James at CFI, 303-278-7650 x 121.
On September 8, Park County Democrats are looking for a small group of trail volunteers to work with the help of CFI leaders. On that day, Friends of the Forest Foundation and CFI are organizing a Restoration Kickoff for projects on the three peaks marking the beginning of work needed to reopen access to Mts. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross in areas where trails cross private land.
Nearly two dozen individuals interested in the project have already signed on at a ParkCoDem information booth during this summer’s Burro Days in Fairplay. The county party is hopeful of gathering participation from other state Democrat groups, especially those in neighboring Lake, Summit and Eagle counties. For more information or to volunteer, please contact county party officials Soren Frederiksen, 303-816-5230 or Dennis Obduskey, 303-816-1616.
Other contact information:
Park County Democrats: www.parkcodems.org
Colorado Fourteeners Initiative: www.14ers.org
Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative: www.mrhi.org
Dennis Obduskey 303-816-1616