Colorado Springs area can't afford to lose beloved trails and open spaces | Trail Talk

New residents in Colorado Springs might find Section 16s to be a bit baffling. These mile-by-mile square plots were created almost 150 years ago when the federal government gave parcels of land to new states to produce revenue.

Across Colorado, there are 2.8 million acres of Section 16 trust land used to generate income for Colorado public schools. Managed by the State Land Board, some are leased for mining, others for grazing cattle and some become recreational resources. The State Land Board is required to maximize income from these leases; over the past 15 years, the parcels have earned $2 billion.

Black Forest Section 16 cost county taxpayers a mere $452 annually for the past 25 years. But an updated proposal would raise the lease to $21,825 per year for the next 10 years. That increase might be considered excessive, but consider how land prices have increased over the past 25 years. It could be argued that the folks who negotiated the lease 25 years ago did an amazing job and saved the county thousands of dollars. Those days are over.

Recently, I’ve heard from dozens of county residents who use the trail. Few have said we should give up the land. Most regularly use the 91-acre, 4-mile loop on horseback, bicycle or on foot. They love the large parking lot and the wooded, rolling trail. Some women say they feel safe hiking alone because a county road is always in sight. Years ago, Black Forest Trail Association raised the money for a much-appreciated vault toilet at the trailhead.

Now more than ever, I would argue we need to preserve public spaces such as this one. There was a time when new housing proposals brought by developers to the El Paso County Park Advisory Board reflected 2.5- and 5-acre lots. That’s no longer is the case. These days, the proposals are usually for quarter-acre lots.

County rules do not require these developers to provide parks and trails. The result: developers will continue building and thousands of people will be buying the homes on small lots. They won’t be surrounded by acres of fields to wander. Forested places such as Black Forest Section 16, Pineries Open Space, Fox Run Regional Park and Black Forest Regional Park will become incredibly important to the physical and mental health of new county residents.

Folks sending me comments about preserving Section 16 don’t want to lose this and are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it.

Susan Davies is executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. Send questions and comments to susan@trailsandopenspaces.org.