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Image represents results from 2022 Steamboat Springs Survey You can help!If you were a Steamboat resident in 2013, you may have voted for the “2A” Trails Referendum believing you were voting to fund the Core Trail. In fact, the Steamboat Pilot stated that “2A will build an interconnected, comprehensive trails network, including an extended Yampa River Core Trail…” when they encouraged voters to vote YES on 2A. This promise was a key reason Referendum 2A passed. The Steamboat Trails Alliance proposal stated in the description of the Core Trail expansion, “A city-wide transportation survey noted that expanding the urban trail system gets strong to moderate support from 92% of local citizens.” This 92% support of the Core Trail and other urban trails undoubtedly led to the referendum’s success, garnering 71% of the vote. But Core Trail expansion never occurred. The 2A Trails Committee subsequently prioritized building of mountain bike trails instead, claiming their charter was to encourage tourism, not local amenities. Thus the City funded a massive construction of bike trails in the Buffalo Pass area, but not the Core Trail. Now there is a proposal that the bulk of the remaining funds be used to fund a second set of mountain bike trails, Mad Rabbit, again with little or no funds for the Core Trail. We’ve extensively documented that Mad Rabbit creates serious environmental and wildlife impacts, and was objected to by over 20 organizations, including Colorado Parks and Wildlife. We can avoid these impacts and invest in the future of Steamboat by directing these funds toward our urban trail network instead, and specifically the Core Trail. Conversely, prioritizing Mad Rabbit at this time would be counter to the will of the citizenry. A City of Steamboat Springs survey in 2022 found that only 18% of the respondents prioritized “Keep[ing] Accommodations Tax as-is to fund new tourist and resident amenities” (the current funding mechanism for Mad Rabbit). This compares very unfavorably with other options from the survey. As the Executive Summary states, “Virtually all survey respondents rated the Yampa River Core Trail and other bike and pedestrian paths as essential or very important...” Indeed, the Yampa River Core Trail was the top-rated amenity from a list of 31 amenities. (See graphic at beginning of this article). This year the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association advertised on their mountain bike page, “Dirt lovers, especially, have plenty to love in Steamboat, with more than 500 miles of trails in the area.” We have to ask, “When is enough, enough?” The Steamboat Springs City Council has an opportunity to do the right thing here for our community. They can simply decide to direct all remaining 2A funds towards funding the Core Trail and other trails in the City. This would not only align with what the voters intended in 2013, but would align with what citizens want now, as evidenced through the City’s own surveys. If the Council wants flexibility to pursue Core Trail options not enumerated within the 2A ballot proposal, they could also place a referendum allowing that at the next city election. We are confident if such a proposal were placed on the ballot, it would win handily. This topic is scheduled to be discussed at a City Council work session on August 13. You can make a difference! You can write to the City Council asking them to fund the Core Trail instead of Mad Rabbit at citycouncil@steamboatsprings.net You would not only be defending wildlife and wild places, you’d be helping to build a Steamboat Springs for the future.
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