The popular school loop of the River Park Trail near the Paonia K8 was recently closed to the public. Ben Katz, Western Slope Conservation Center Public Lands Program Director, said the closure is to protect wildlife.
“During hard winters and at times when elk and mule deer were having a tough time usually due to snow, we would enact a seasonal closure of that area,” said Katz.
The seasonal closure of the school loop trail is part of an agreement with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. According to Katz, research shows that when big game species are disturbed and stressed during the critical winter months their physical condition can decline and their chances of surviving and raising health herds can also diminish.
Recent snowfalls in the Paonia area prompted closure of the area in-order to give wildlife undisturbed access to their natural habitat.
“We've gotten quite a lot of snow here in the North Fork which is really great but because of that the big game species have moved from having more area to spend in the winter to less, so we made the decision after being in conversation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife,” said Katz.
While the main River Park Trail is open to the public, Katz asked that walkers keep their dogs under control.
“You know off leash pets chasing elk and chasing mule deer around can really stress those animals out at this time when they’re really trying to conserve energy,” Katz said.
When it comes to pets in the city limits, Paonia does require dogs to be on a leash.
As for when the school trail will be open, Katz said, “We will continue to be in contact with Colorado Parks and Wildlife representatives into the future to determine when’s a good time to reopen.”
Information on when the school loop will reopen will be posted on Western Slope Conservation Center social media sites including Facebook.
