Boulder County The Book

Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners and the City of Boulder invite local cyclists and recreationalists to celebrate the opening of the Four Mile Creek Bikeway Connection.

Where: Four Mile Creek Greenway at northbound SH 119 (Diagonal Highway) between Jay and Independence roads in Boulder.

By bicycle: Participate in the City of Boulder’s 13th annual Circle Boulder by Bicycle / B360 and bike to the ribbon cutting. Bicyclists can register and start this self-guided free event any time between 3-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 6 at Scott Carpenter Park, 30th Street and Arapahoe. 

Directions: From the intersection of the Diagonal Highway and 47th Street: Go north on 47th Street approximately 0.4 miles. Pleasant View Fields Sports Complex parking is on the west side of 47th Street. Take the Four Mile Creek Greenway located on the north side of the parking lot. Go east on the Four Mile Creek Greenway about seven minutes by foot to the site.

Past phases of the bikeway project include bike lane improvements at SH 52 and a bicycle bridge across Lefthand Creek north of Airport Road.
 
Commissioners will officially open the new connection to provide access for cyclists heading from Boulder to Gunbarrel, Niwot and Longmont. 

The project is a joint effort between the City of Boulder and Boulder County with funding provided by the city of Boulder, a 2007 Federal Transportation Grant awarded to Boulder County; and a countywide trails fund passed by voters in 2001.

More information about Boulder County regional trails is available at

Boulder County, Colo. – The 2010 Boulder County Bike Map is now available, offering a comprehensive inventory of the on-street bicycle facilities located throughout the county.

The map provides information on shoulder widths, traffic volumes, steepness, pullouts, and other important information so cyclists can be more aware of the conditions they may encounter on different roads and can choose the most appropriate route for their ride.

Free copies of the new map are available at bike shops throughout the county. An online version is also available.

The 25- by 32-inch map is double-sided, foldable, weather-resistant, and can be easily stored in a jersey pocket. The front side of the map is scaled to show the entire county and routes between municipalities. The back side of the map has enlarged inserts of the cities of Boulder and Longmont to show more detail.

“Thousands of bicyclists ride our beautiful county roads every weekend. We hope that this map will be used to try new and different routes, and realize there are many great alternatives to the traditional routes that are often crowded with cyclists,” Boulder County Transportation Director George Gerstle said.

The map was developed by the Boulder County Transportation Department in collaboration with the cities of Boulder, Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville, and the Colorado Department of Transportation. The map also includes information on rules of the road, safe biking practices, bike shop locations, RTD park-n-Rides, trailheads and restroom facilities.

“Boulder County has an extensive on-street bicycle network,” Boulder County Alternative Transportation Coordinator Scott McCarey said. “We felt there was a need to show all of them on one map and we hope it will serve as a valuable resource for both recreational cycling and bike commuting.”

For more information, please contact Scott McCarey at 720-564-2665 or smccarey@bouldercounty.org or visit

Boulder County, Colo. – Starting Tuesday, June 1, mountain residents can once again drop off tree limbs and brush (‘slash’) at the Boulder County Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Center at 286 Ridge Road in Nederland.

Slash, which includes limbs, branches and trees up to 6 inches in diameter, can be dropped off free of charge by residents and contractors. No other organic materials are accepted.

In order to ensure that space is available for each load delivered, users must call the transfer station at 303-258-7878 to make an appointment. There is no limit on quantities if space is available. The slash collected will be chipped on site on a regular basis and then hauled to Boulder for composting. Wood chips for use as garden mulch will be available free of charge while supplies last but must be loaded by hand.

The site will remain open through the summer until the Nederland Community Forestry Sort Yard, also located on Ridge Road, opens in August.

Other options for slash
The Meeker Park Community Forestry Sort Yard is located on the east side of the Peak-to-Peak Highway (State Highway 7), just north of Allenspark and Meeker Park near the Boulder/Larimer County border. The facility serves residents of Boulder and Larimer counties at no charge to drop off trees and slash from private lands. The sort yard will be open through mid-July.

Community sort yards were established by the Boulder County Forest Health Initiative to help give landowners a place to dispose of trees cut from their forested lands for forest health improvement, bark beetle mitigation and wildfire protection purposes. Hours are Tuesday–Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.

County residents can also use the Boulder County and the City of Boulder year-round organic waste drop-off center at Western Disposal Services’ Transfer Station at 5880 Butte Mill Road in Boulder (a half mile east of the junction of Pearl and 55th streets). The facility is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round, and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (March to November) and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (November to March). The cost to use the center for residents of unincorporated Boulder County is $37.50 per ton, 60 percent of the regular cost. Quantities less than a ton are charged a prorated amount. Boulder County pays 40 percent of the cost of this service.

For more information about the sort yards, visit www.bouldercounty.org/foresthealth or contact Ryan Ludlow, forestry education and outreach coordinator, at 720-564-2641 or pinebeetle@bouldercounty.org.

For more information on slash collection at the Nederland Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Center or the organic waste drop-off in Boulder, contact Hilary Collins of the Resource Conservation Division at 720-564-2224 or

Boulder County, Colo. – To help fill the need for instruction of hands-on caregiving skills, Boulder County Aging Services is offering the National Caregiver Training Program.

The course for family caregivers of older adults will be held on Wednesdays from July 7-Aug. 18 from 6-9 p.m. in Longmont, and again on Wednesdays from Sept. 15-Oct. 27 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in Louisville.

The 21-hour course, taught by a registered nurse, helps family caregivers acquire the skills needed to provide safe, confident home care for older loved ones. Classes include DVDs, detailed instruction, demonstration and hands-on practice. Topics covered include:

• Caring for someone on bedrest
• Personal care
• Safe wheelchair use
• Medication management
• Taking vital signs
• Infection control
• Fall prevention
• Reducing personal stress
• Local resources

The course, which is offered 3-4 times per year in communities throughout Boulder County, is open to county residents caring for a relative, partner or friend who is 60 or older (50 and older if the care recipient has dementia).

Preregistration is required and class size is limited. Registration is free but donations are welcome. Financial assistance for respite care (substitute elder care) during class periods is available. For more information and to register, please contact Emily Cooper at 303-678-6116 or