Latest news with #OpenLands
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Didn't we already vote on what to do with Hughes land? Why there might be another vote
When PATHS volunteers are out collecting signatures for their current petition effort that seeks to turn all of the former Hughes Stadium site into a city-managed natural area, they get one question a lot. "Why do we have to do this again? I thought we already voted for protected open space," said Elena Lopez, an organizer with PATHS, which stands for Planning Action to Transform Hughes Sustainably. Lopez is referring to PATHS' 2021 ballot measure regarding the Hughes site, and her group said making the site a natural area was the intent of that effort. PATHS has stated on its website that when they circulated petitions about five years ago, "signers told us that they wanted fully-protected open space at Hughes and no permanent buildings, but they also hoped that the sledding hill and the disc golf course would remain." "I don't know how many times we have to do this before they actually listen to what the voters and the public have overwhelmingly said," Lopez said. What voters intended in 2021 is at the heart of the debate. Read the full story: Hughes natural area and bike park advocates spar over claims What the 2021 ballot question specifically asked was whether or not the city should buy and rezone the parcel for Public Open Lands and use it for parks, recreation, open land, natural areas and wildlife rescue and restoration. That open lands zoning allows for a natural area to be located within it, but it allows for other uses as well, according to the code: neighborhood parks, cemeteries, agricultural activities, golf courses, wildlife and education centers, and community facilities. But it doesn't allow housing or commercial development. And advocates for a bike park on a portion of the site contend that stopping a proposed housing development was the main goal for many of the 69% of voters who supported the ballot issue and some who campaigned for it. "There's this story that is being told that, 'This was the plan all along,' and everyone else is going, 'No, that's not true,'" said Kevin Krause, a member of the Fort Collins Bike Park Collective. "We all just wanted to stop the housing." Nick Frey, a bike enthusiast and now a member of the Fort Collins Bike Collective, campaigned with PATHS to get the 2021 ballot measure passed. Frey said he doesn't know what each signature gatherer's conversations were like with individual voters, but at a higher level, he said there was no discussion specifically about what it should be. "It was more like what it could be," Frey contends. Frey became involved in the original effort to keep the site from being developed into housing after filing an ethics complaint against City Council members who were employed by CSU at the time council was making decisions about the site. He went on to campaign for the 2021 ballot measure. For Carin Avila, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, the ballot language holds the key. Her organization is proposing a wildlife rehabilitation and education center on the site. "I understand where PATHS is coming from. They've worked hard," Avila said. "But if they didn't want it to be parks and recreation, or a wildlife rescue, then they should have written (the ballot question) right the first time." But Lopez said there's been a "bizarre hyper-fixation" on the specific ballot question when it's only one part of the ordinance that voters approved. The whereas clauses contained within the ordinance don't appear on ballots. But they show the legislative intent by providing background, PATHS organizers say, bringing important context to the words printed on the ballots. The language that appeared on voters' ballots is legally binding, Assistant City Manager Rupa Venkatesh told delegates at the civic assembly, and if there was any ambiguity about it, then a court could look to the "whereas" statements for the intent. More: A civic assembly is done with its work on Hughes land. Here's what it recommended So what do those whereas statements say? Here are a few of them, paraphrased: Whereas there is strong support for preserving and providing open space, natural areas, community separators, wildlife habitat and trails. Whereas residents enjoy open spaces and natural areas, along with the recreation they provide, such as walking, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, bird watching and fishing. They enjoy the educational opportunities and programs provided to people of all ages and backgrounds, and they enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the views they provide. Whereas open space, natural areas, wildlife habitat, community separators, agricultural lands and trails benefit all members of the community. Whereas conserved open space and natural areas help make Fort Collins a highly desirable place to live, work and visit. Whereas the city values sustainability as it makes decisions to meet citizen needs, and it does this without compromising the ecosystems upon which we all depend. Whereas there has been continuous funding for open space and natural areas acquisition and maintenance because of a sales tax that voters have supported every time it appeared on a ballot. Whereas Fort Collins has conserved over 40,000 acres of open space and natural areas since 1973. Whereas converting the zoning to public open lands would build on the city's history of preserving open spaces and provide an invaluable social, economic, and environmental resource. Whereas the Hughes Stadium property would represent a crown jewel acquisition for Fort Collins open space. Whereas without acquisition and conservation efforts, the property would forever be lost to residential and/or commercial development. Whereas the acquisition should occur using existing voter-approved open space sales tax revenue, among other funds. Whereas the rezoning would be necessary to convert the property into an area for parks, recreation and open lands, and wildlife rescue and education. The current effort to get a Hughes natural area vote on the ballot has two potential paths: One petition calls for a special election, which requires 7,605 signatures, or 15% of voters in the last regular election. This petition wants voters to decide not only whether the land should fully become a natural area, but whether the city should be prohibited from selling, leasing or otherwise conveying the land to a third party. Even though this petition calls for a special election, the question could end up on a Nov. 4 regular election ballot if it meets the deadlines. The other petition simply calls for a question at the next general election, which would be Nov. 4. This would require 5,079 signatures, or 10% of voters in the last regular election. It only asks voters to weigh in on whether 100% of Hughes should become a natural area. Both petitions are due June 11. The reason for two petitions, according to PATHS organizers, is if deadlines can't be met to get a question on the next general election ballot this fall, the other petition would allow for a special election. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Didn't Fort Collins already vote on what to do with Hughes land?
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest Open Lands holds Celebrate Earth at Mellody Farm Nature Preserve
At Lake Forest Open Lands, celebrating the Earth and connecting communities to the natural world is a practice that goes far beyond Earth Day Weekend. Saturday morning, Celebrate Earth at Mellody Farm Nature Preserve in Lake Forest offered families an opportunity to slow down and recharge with guided nature hikes, hands-on activities on restoring native habitats, a birding station, nature journaling and readings by environmentally-themed children's book author, Ruth Spiro and much more. Ryan London, president and C.E.O. Lake Forest Open Lands says there is great health benefit to a moment of mindfulness and connection to the natural world — when we take care of nature it takes care of us. 'Conservation has its ancestral roots in the Midwest, and now more than ever, small community organizations like ours are working to involve a broader cross-section of communities in community conservation,' London Said. At Lake Forest Open Lands they are dedicated to expanding programs for youth and adults in Lake County, broadening and deepening access and connection to land and coastal conservation programming, London says. After receiving a recent Illinois Coastal Management grant in Winter 2024, these funds, according to London, are supporting new programs and collaborations focused on stewardship and education that highlight awareness about hyperlocal coastal resources along the Great Lakes. New community partners like Drip and Culture, a socially minded coffee company in Waukegan, have joined Cristo Rey, Boys and Girls Club of Lake County, Lovell Federal VA, Waukegan High School, and other LFOLA partners across North Chicago and Waukegan. London says, these community partners are taking part in guided hikes and other activities that provide access to natural resources, aimed at reaching out to the broader community to make preserving land relevant and essential to all citizens. 'Through our partnership with Lake Forest Open Lands, we are inviting people to the land, to an outside that is inclusive, that belongs to everyone – a place where it is possible to spark intellectual curiosity, caring and stewardship,' Adam Carson, founder and owner of Drip and Culture, said. Lake Forest Open Lands, director of engagement, Julia Lunn, says their Center for Conservation Leadership, is focused on providing innovative environmental opportunities for high school students, like the Edo-Ambassador program this summer at Illinois Beach State Park. 'Starting in June, our Eco-Ambassadors will be shadowing the Prairie Research Institute scientists, creating educational resources, gathering wisdom from community leaders, and growing deeper connections with the natural world,' Lunn said. According to London, since 2016, Illinois Coastal Management Program (ICMP) grants have supported a series of impactful area initiatives aimed at enhancing environmental stewardship, education, and public access along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Lake County. These projects have combined hands-on conservation, educational curriculum development, cultural engagement, and community-focused recreational access to deepen public understanding and care for the coastal zone. London says, conservation is not just about preserving landscapes, but about strengthening communities and the natural resources that they rely on. 'Our beyond-the-trail initiatives help to provide healthy land and clean water, which are fundamental to public health,' London said. David Forestieri of Lake Bluff attended Saturday's Celebrate Earth event with family. 'It's such a luxury to have these protected open spaces to connect with, and to experience the passion and education that can only come from experiencing it first-hand,' Forestieri said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Future of old Hughes Stadium could be on Fort Collins ballots again, despite civic assembly
The clock is now ticking on two petitions proposing the former Hughes Stadium land become a natural area, just as a panel of 20 residents specifically created to explore all the options is getting started. A citizen group wants voters to weigh in on whether the 164-acre plot now owned by the city of Fort Collins should be designated as a natural area, with no other uses allowed.` Four years ago, voters required the city of Fort Collins to purchase the former Hughes Stadium and zone it as Public Open Lands. The zoning district of Public Open Lands can include a natural area, but the 2021 ballot question did not ask whether the parcel should become a natural area, which is limited to even more strict uses than the open lands zoning. Advocacy group PATHS, which stands for Planning Action to Transform Hughes Sustainably, is circulating two petitions. The group was also behind the 2021 ballot initiative. One petition, which calls only for a vote on making the Hughes land a natural area, needs 5,079 signatures to get on the next regularly scheduled election ballot. Another petition includes the natural area question and would also ask voters to block any future sale, lease or conveyance of the land to a third party. This initiative asks for a special election, which requires more signatures, about 7,600. Organizers have 63 days to gather signatures. The Coloradoan has made multiple attempts over several days to contact PATHS organizers to get more information about the effort. None have replied as of the afternoon of April 14. Petitions are due back to the City Clerk's Office with the required number of signatures by 5 p.m. June 11. In April 2021, voters approved the citizen-initiated ballot question that required the city to purchase the land and to zone it as open lands. It passed with 69% of the votes. The approved ballot language, written by the citizen organizers, asked the city to acquire the land "for the purpose of using it for parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education." But PATHS, on its website, says the "legislative intent" behind the question isn't being honored by the city as it plans for the future of the land. PATHS says the intent was made clear by the "whereas" clauses of the ordinance passed when the measure was referred to the ballot. "What voters understood that they were voting for, was to CONSERVE Hughes as PROTECTED open space like a Natural Area with a the possibility of a SMALL 5-acre wildlife center, with LOW-impact, LOW-maintenance recreation," the website states. Nick Frey, who campaigned for the 2021 ballot issue with PATHS and is a volunteer with the Fort Collins Bike Park Collective, said while he can't be sure of what each individual petition circulator communicated to potential voters, collectively the campaign was about preventing residential development from happening on the site. "We didn't want to irreversibly develop this into a bunch of private housing, and that was it. There wasn't really any discussion about what it should be," Frey said. "It was more like what it could be." After the election, the city began conducting outreach with the community regarding their hopes for the land, based on the legal parameters of the ballot question: for "parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education." The city heard from a contingent of people who wanted to see it used, at least in part, as a bike park. Other ideas floated in the outreach period include a natural area, a wildlife center and a place for Indigenous cultural activities, among others. This petition effort was launched just before a 20-person panel known as the "civic assembly" met for the first time to help determine the future of the site. The residents on the panel were randomly selected while also being representative of certain city demographics. They will, over the course of two weekends this spring, get information about the site, the proposals and public feedback. The civic assembly is hearing presentations from different groups, including PATHS, Overland Mountain Bike Association, First People's Conservancy Center and the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, among others. The idea is to use consensus building during facilitated discussions to make recommendations to council, which will be the ultimate decision-maker. The first weekend of the assembly was April 12-13. The next and final weekend, which is set to end with recommendations to council, is May 3-4. Council could make a decision about the land in August, according to a city timeline. A successful citizen initiative could be referred to the ballot in August or September, depending on how long it takes the clerk's office to review signatures and whether there are any protests of the petitions. If voters were to approve the ballot issue, it would override any plans for the Hughes land that were decided by City Council. But it's also possible that City Council could decide to put the civic assembly's recommendations on the same ballot, Ginny Sawyer, policy and project manager with the city, told the Coloradoan. If both ballot issues were to pass, then the measure with the most yes votes would take effect. Colin Russell, one of the delegates to the civic assembly, told the group during its April 13 session that he believes the petition effort undermines the process of the civic assembly. "Twenty people put their heart and soul and time into this, and we worked hard and tried hard and listened and deliberated," Russell told the Coloradoan, saying he initially felt angry and crestfallen. He said he was surprised that PATHS did not talk about their petition effort when they presented to the civic assembly. Instead, city staff informed the panel after all presentations were given. Another delegate, also speaking to fellow civic assembly delegates, noted the citizen group is exercising its rights and following an established process, even if she thinks the timing is discouraging. Sawyer said while council showed its commitment to having an inclusive process by spending $150,000 for the civic assembly to be run by Healthy Democracy, there's also a different system that allows for people to use the initiative process. "Democracy can be messy," Sawyer told the Coloradoan. "We encourage the assembly to take their work seriously and dig in and come up with recommendations that they all can get behind," Sawyer said. "We're not going to stop our process because we do believe it's a unique and inclusive process." This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins group files petitions for another Hughes Stadium land vote
