Officials seek balance between humans and natural resources

For years, all  motorized vehicles have been banned from many county and local trails. That is changing for individuals with disabilities who need power-driven carts, wheelchairs or scooters.

Larimer County, Fort Collins and Loveland have all taken steps this spring to comply with a new Department of Justice ruling that requires, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they allow some motorized devices.

“It is related to trails specifically,” said Meegan Flenniken of the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources.

“We want to accommodate but keep people safe and not have a negative impact on natural resources.”

The first version of the county’s policy — which is open for comment this month — lays out several rules for county properties:

• Such devices can be used only on weekdays except on a few, lower-volume areas.

• Devices may not be gas powered and must weigh less than 500 pounds.

• The outside wheel width of the device must not exceed the width of the trail, which will be posted online.

Most of the county trails are too narrow for mobility devices and many are rocky and uphill. Agencies are not required to change this, so disabled persons, like many hikers, will have to gauge whether they or their devices will make it on the path.

John Suess, chair of the Loveland Disabilities Advisory Commission, supported the policy but said he doubts it will spur more disabled residents to hit the trails.

“They already have enough trouble getting around town without going on the trails,” he said.

Some trails in the region are completely accessible to disabled persons, including the Morrison Loop at the Devil’s Backbone, the city recreation trail and the trail around Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

One resident, who commented about the county’s interim policy online, believes specific trails should be set aside and designed for disabled residents to avoid further resource erosion and other potential problems.

“This sounds like a nightmare to enforce,” the comment states.

“There should be designated trails that can handle these types of devices.”

But Suess would rather see resources for the disabled directed in other ways.

“I’d like to see more accessible buildings first,” he said.

For natural areas, Fort Collins’ new rules are similar to the county’s, and Loveland is still working on a first draft of its policy.

Until it is complete, specific details have not been released for Loveland.

The required changes apply only to state, county and local lands. So the national park and national forests have not changed their rules, although both do allow motorized devices in certain areas.

“We want to offer opportunities to all people to recreate in the national forest,” said Reghan Cloudman, Canyon Lakes Ranger District spokeswoman

“There are places that are open to motorized vehicles.”

Pamela Dickman can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 526, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Source: http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?id=33246