Your Tour Guides
Joshua Eldridge is an ecologist with more than 20 years of experience, including 18 years as an ecological consultant. Joshua is a systems-level thinker that brings cutting edge ecological expertise to planning and design projects focused on creating functional and resilient ecosystems. He specializes in wildland and urban restoration, with particular emphasis on developing resilient and sustainable plant communities. His extensive ecological experience includes project management on complex, multi-year permitting and restoration projects, open space design, innovative stormwater management strategies, stream restoration, rare or endangered species surveys, mitigation planning, assessment of disturbed riparian and upland systems, plant community design, and program management.
Ian Schillinger-Brokaw is an Urban Ecology Planner on the Denver Parks and Recreation, Planning Design and Construction Team. With over 8 years-experience in the field of natural resource management, Ian focuses on ecological restoration and finding collaborative ways of stewarding public lands so that they better serve the ecological and social needs of the communities interacting with them, human and non. This type of work has included planning, project management, policy development, public outreach and education, restoration design and implementation, natural resource assessment/inventory and grant writing.
High-Level Summary
Joshua and Ian will lead a half-day field trip, involving a bike tour, to three urban restoration projects near downtown Denver, Colorado. These projects were completed by Denver Parks and Recreation, Mile High Flood District, and the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. Joshua and Ian have personally provided ecological and management recommendations for all of these projects. The sites are Globeville Landing Park (Globeville Landing Park, Denver, CO 80216), Platte Farms Open Space (4800 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80216), and Heron Pond Natural Area (53rd Ave, Denver, CO 80216). Each site showcases successful ecological restoration efforts in riparian, wetland, and prairie upland communities.
Globeville Landing Park
Platte Farm Open Space
Heron Pond Open Space
Detailed Tour Description
As a bike tour, the field trip will start at the Convention Center. The group will first travel north to Globeville Landing Park along Cherry Creek Trailhead West and the South Platte River Trail. 30-45 minutes will be spent learning about the upland, riparian, and wetland channel restoration and understanding how urban constraints such as soil and water contamination, an active historic brick sewer line, Superfund clean-up designation, and public engagement have affected the project. Afterwards, the tour will travel along the South Platte Trail and city streets to Heron Pond. At Heron Pond, Joshua will lead a discussion on restoration with site constraints of stormwater, historic contamination, and project partner collaboration. The last stop, Platte Farms Open Space, which will be reached by a bike ride of less than one mile on city streets. Another 30-45 minutes will be spent at this site, with the participants learning about restoration within constraints of soil contamination, property acquisition, and utility challenges. Participants will then return to the Convention Center via city streets (less than one mile), South Platte River Trail, and Cherry Creek Trail.
Tour Considerations
This field trip is an e-bike tour, with the e-bikes provided. If weather prevents bikes from being safely ridden, then alternative transportation will be provided. These sites will be accessed by paved roads and paved regional trails. There are minimal hazards for this field trip, including those associated with outdoor experiences, like sun and wind exposure, and urban experiences, like traffic. All participants need to have the physical ability to ride and navigate a two-wheeled electronic bicycle and should be comfortable riding a bike on urban paved trails and city streets. Participants should bring water. A snack will be provided. Maximum capacity is 18 participants.