Citizen survey launches as Colorado residents worry about new camping area proposal

Colorado residents have a chance to voice their thoughts on a proposal to allow camping in nearby open space. Douglas County has launched its latest citizen survey, encouraging residents to weigh in on this and other issues. The anonymous survey can be accessed online, and residents can fill it out before May 2.

The survey asks about resident satisfaction and priorities, including their feelings on developing a home rule charter. But one question on the survey has to do with a controversial camping idea in Larkspur.

There are a lot of reasons Gary Wood loves living in Perry Park.

"I'm blessed to be where I'm not in a city, and I've got open spaces, and I've had the privilege of being horseback all over this ranch," said Wood, who's lived in the area for nearly 30 years.

The Sandstone Ranch Open Space, just over a mile from his home, tops the list.

"This is one of those places where you can have open pastures. There's four, at least, trophy bull elk that live over here, and you just don't get that anywhere else in the county. We've got red rocks. We've got historic ranches," Wood said.

But when Douglas County commissioners began considering allowing camping on the 2,000-acre+ open space, Wood was one of many neighbors vocally opposed.

"The risk here for fire is substantial. If you move into protected species," Wood said, "the risk for damage to those is substantial."

Wood says the area sees high winds and has a high risk of wildfire. Larkspur's fire chief has echoed the concern.

"There will be fire one way or the other. Some people may actually choose to build an open campfire. Other people will be within the rules using a camp stove of some kind, all it has to do is fall over," Wood said.

The county says they're considering minimalist camping, and no fires would be allowed.

"We do get requests to do camping on our public lands here in the county, but we've never had a room full of people say we want camping. And so we do want to gauge that through the survey," said George Teal, Douglas County commissioner.

"I'll absolutely be a no vote, and I'm very concerned about how the survey will be worded," Wood said. "I believe the commissioners were deceptive in their January 7 announcement of what they wanted to do, and I don't trust them to word the survey question in a way that provides maximum information to county residents."

The citizen survey asks residents to rate their interest in "creating several county owned and operated campgrounds and associated amenities," but does not reference Sandstone explicitly.

It asks several questions about home rule and about satisfaction with county leadership.

Commissioner Teal says the Sandstone camping plan is on hold until the county gets survey results.

"When we talk about camping at Sandstone, (it) might be the right idea, but the wrong location. And so we're gonna hope to figure out where that interest truly lies with the public at large, and then we're gonna write our policy based on what we hear," Teal said.

"Don't risk Sandstone. Don't risk our lives and property over this. No camping on Sandstone," Wood said.

You can find the link to take that survey here.