Though slowed by coronavirus, the city of Longmont is forging ahead with crafting a management plan for Button Rock Preserve and is seeking community input as it works to do so.
A third and final community survey on the future of the city-owned Preserve west of Lyons is available through Friday. The survey is seeking input on parking, limiting the number of visitors, and eliminating fishing permits and fees at the popular recreation area.
The 3,000-plus acre Button Rock Preserve is home to Longmont and Ralph Price reservoirs, and a section of North St. Vrain Creek runs through its eastern portion. It is popular for activities such as fishing, rock climbing and hiking.
And just as recreation areas across the state have seen visitor numbers surge, it, too, is seeing more people seeking outdoor fun as the pandemic has quashed other summertime events.
“(The) number of visitors and cars have increased at Button Rock this year when comparing counts from the same months last year,” Danielle Levine, a project manager and volunteer coordinator with Longmont Parks, Open Space and Trails, said via email. “This was especially true in late spring and early summer when more other things were closed down around the Front Range.”
Button Rock Preserve pictured in July 2020.(Photo by Shona Crampton)Use was increasing even before COVID, though, which prompted the city to seek ways to protect the main municipal water source for both Longmont and Lyons.
“As visitation continues to increase, the need to balance resource protection with passive recreation has become critical,” the city stated on the Caring for Button Rock Preserve homepage. “Visitation policies were developed starting in the 1960s and 1970s and were substantially updated in the 1990s. We are evaluating current regulations to determine if they still align with the Preserve’s present-day management needs.”
Work on the management plan, which kicked off last year, “has slowed since the pandemic due to staff needing to work on more and different projects,” according to Levine, but it is still slated to be finalized in December.
The plan will provide direction for protecting water quality and natural and cultural resources, as well as infrastructure and rules and regulations, according to the city.
The survey online now also asks if dogs should be allowed at Button Rock.
Prior to last year, when city council passed an interim rule allowing one leashed dog per person, the preserve was a popular spot for off-leash dog walking. And while the city is “seeing a handful of repeat offenders … the vast majority of people have been complying with this rule,” according to Levine.
Button Rock Preserve is pictured in July 2020.(Photo by Shona Crampton)
