DOW opens gate at Watson Lake

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

After a summer of stormy protests, all of Watson Lake is again open to vehicular traffic.

A controversial gate, installed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife last May, creaked open in mid-August. The gate had closed off the east side of the lake to vehicles, setting off complaints from both able-bodied and handicapped people.

"I'm thrilled it's open while they figure out what they're doing," said Bellvue resident Judy Jackson, who led the fight against the closure. "People have contacted me, and they're so happy to have vehicle access again."

Jackson and others gathered close to, 1,500 signatures on a petition asking the DOW to keep the gate open during daylight hours. Over the course of the summer, State Rep. Randy Fischer of Fort Collins and the Larimer County Department of Parks and Open Lands also became involved in the issue.

Apparently, it was the voices of the handicapped that came through the loudest. According to DOW district wildlife manager Shane Craig, the gate was opened in response to their concerns.

"There were questions about whether we were unnecessarily restricting access for the handicapped to the east side of the lake," he said.

Alison Dawson, an advocate for people with disabilities, wrote two protest letters to Craig after the gate closure. "When you've made an area accessible and then you take away that access, that's a violation of handicapped people's right to enjoy the area," Dawson said.

The underlying conflict at Watson is one of wildlife vs. general recreation. According to Craig, the DOW must manage wildlife areas for three primary purposes: fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing. "Other activities must be related to those three and not in conflict," he said.

With increased use of Watson Lake in the past several years, "its usage is not so well aligned with DOW goals," Craig added. In particular, the DOW has been concerned about illegal activities and loud parties at the lake.

County wants to help

The opened gate is not the final word from the DOW. Agency officials are now assessing five different options for solving the Watson Lake dilemma.

Possibilities include various types of gates or even a land swap with another agency, such as the Larimer County Department of Parks and Open Lands. A different agency could manage the area with a greater focus on recreation. Parks and Open Lands Director Gary Buffington said he is willing to discuss the idea of a land swap or lease involving Watson Lake.

"We're open to considering any way we can help the situation at Watson or other DOW areas around the county," said Buffington.

Watson Lake has been open to the public for a number of years, he noted, and the county would like to assist in keeping it that way. If the county took over management of Watson Lake, the park "would have to pay for itself" with user fees, Buffington said.

The other four options involve gates. A solar-powered gate, open only during the daytime, could be installed at the current gate location. Or, the gate could be moved to the east side of the dam where a parking area for handicapped people would be built. This option would provide better accommodation for disabled people, Craig noted, since the parking area would be adjacent to a paved path on the east side of the lake. The gate would still shut out vehicles from the east side of the lake, however.

Other approaches include shutting the gate again at its current location or removing it altogether.

Initially, Craig said, his preferred option is to move the gate, keeping the east side of the lake closed to vehicles "to control the destructive use of the park." This plan would be "a nice compromise," in Craig's view, addressing concerns of handicapped accessibility while protecting wildlife.

Dawson agreed that an east-side gate could be a good compromise, although it would still create a hardship for people like herself who have difficulty walking but don't possess a handicapped-parking permit.

Solar gate touted

Jackson said she prefers the idea of a solar gate, which would allow access to the entire park during daytime hours. This type of gate, which would shut automatically at a given time of day, could leave vehicles stranded on the east side of the lake, but Jackson doesn't see that as a long-term problem.

The solar gate at Lions Park in LaPorte "works beautifully," she said, and when vehicles are trapped overnight in the park, the owners "never do that again." A solar gate would also be cheaper than a parking lot, she pointed out.

Jackson suggested two strategies for keeping rowdy party-goers out of the park: enforce possession of the required habitat stamp, which she said the DOW is now doing; and install a payment box so that people can purchase the stamp on site. Currently, stamps must be purchased at outlets for fishing and hunting licenses.

In July, Rep. Fischer got involved in the gate issue after some of his constituents complained about the closure and the lack of public involvement. Fischer offered to carry the protesters' petition to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the DOW.

Assessing the various options for Watson Lake could take one to five months, Craig said. In the meantime, he is encouraging the public to call him or David Clarkson, the DOW's area wildlife manager, with their concerns and opinions. Citizens may call Craig at 970-377-9454 or Clarkson at 970-472-4315.