{"id":2445109,"date":"2019-06-08T07:12:01","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T13:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on\/"},"modified":"2019-06-09T10:20:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T16:20:47","slug":"bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad behavior curbed, Aspen\u2019s North Star Preserve moves on"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.3933333333333\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-307596-375\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy Megan Ballard | Two moose trudge down the Roaring Fork River in the North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Two moose trudge down the Roaring Fork River in the North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy Megan Ballard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1.jpg\" alt=\"Two moose trudge down the Roaring Fork River in the North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy Pitkin County Open Space and Trails | A moose crossing the Roaring Fork River at North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018 snapped by a wildlife camera.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>A moose crossing the Roaring Fork River at North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018 snapped by a wildlife camera.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy Pitkin County Open Space and Trails<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/northstar-atd-060819-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"A moose crossing the Roaring Fork River at North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018 snapped by a wildlife camera.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The word is out and the bad behavior that plagued the North Star Nature Preserve just a couple years ago seems to be a thing of the past, sources said this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere\u2019s been a huge shift in how the area functions for the better,\u201d said Lindsey Utter, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails planning and outreach manager. \u201c(The bad behavior) has become almost a non-issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails officials are looking to further refine management of one of Aspen\u2019s true outdoor gems, including discouraging dogs, providing tips on what to do if visitors encounter a member of the preserve\u2019s burgeoning moose population as well as refining the parking situation at the Stillwater take-out and, said Utter and Pryce Hadley, Open Space ranger supervisor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201c(North Star) is prime moose habitat,\u201d Hadley said. \u201cMoose do react aggressively to dogs, \u2026 so we\u2019re really trying to get people to consider leaving dogs at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Dogs, however, are not forbidden at North Star as long as they remain on a watercraft, he said. Dogs are only allowed off the water at the Stillwater Bridge take-out, Hadley said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">North Star Nature Preserve, located east of Aspen, is the only flat-water stretch of the Roaring Fork River. The 175-acre parcel is owned by taxpayers through the county\u2019s Open Space program, though most of it is closed to the public to preserve wildlife habitat that includes a blue heron colony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The public can float from the Wildwood put-in a few miles up Highway 82 toward Independence Pass, to Stillwater Bridge, but can only get out of the water at the designated beach area along the route.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Around the summer of 2015, the preserve\u2019s popularity skyrocketed and began to attract an irresponsible, intoxicated and noisy crowd who left trash strewn along the banks and disrespected private property along the river. Perhaps most problematic at the time was the parking situation at Wildwood, where parking along the road blocked access for emergency vehicles and to Wildwood School.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That led Pitkin County to partner with the U.S. Forest Service \u2014 the put-in is on Forest Service property \u2014 and pay for a seasonal ranger to police the parking area and write tickets when necessary. That strategy has worked well, and a ranger will continue to be posted at Wildwood this summer, Hadley and Utter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Open Space officials began a public education program emphasizing that while it is fine to sip a cold beer or two on the river, it is not the place for loud, boisterous behavior. They also urged boaters to remain on the river because much of the land bordering the river is private property.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Finally, Open Space officials have tried to discourage the use of inner-tubes or other flotation devices that directly expose any part of the body to the cold river water, Hadley said. Hypothermia can and does occur even on warm days, he said, and thunderstorms also can quickly form, which means be prepared with a rain jacket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taken together, the efforts seem to have paid off, they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In fact, officials are finding that locals learned so well from the campaign, they now often educate visitors about appropriate behavior at North Star, Hadley said. The presence of naturalists from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies has helped improve the situation, they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cPeople take a lot of pride and ownership out there (now),\u201d Utter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The moose population in the North Star area has been increasing in recent years, as evidenced by violent human-moose interactions this spring near the Highway 82 winter closure gate and near Difficult Campground, Hadley said. It\u2019s now become necessary to educate people on what to do if they encounter a moose while on the river, Hadley and Utter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The best advice in that situation is don\u2019t get out of the boat, stay as far away as possible and leave the area quickly, they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s just the new reality,\u201d Hadley said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re out there, we\u2019re in their backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The last remaining issue is the parking situation at Stillwater, Utter said. Boaters often leave cars at the take-out, crowding the limited parking along Highway 82 and creating conflicts between pedestrians and traffic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Open Space officials are working with Colorado Department of Transportation officials on a plan to fix the problem, Utter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:jauslander@aspentimes.com\">jauslander@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/bad-behavior-curbed-aspens-north-star-preserve-moves-on\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two moose trudge down the Roaring Fork River in the North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018.Courtesy Megan Ballard A moose crossing the Roaring Fork River at North Star Nature Preserve in July 2018 snapped by a wildlife camera.Courtesy Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Show CaptionsHide Captions The word is out and the bad [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2445109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 11:11:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2445109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2445125,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445109\/revisions\/2445125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2445109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2445109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2445109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}