From The Colorado Springs Gazette (R. Scott Rappold):
Bowing to public pressure, Utilities officials have sped up their time line for opening the long-closed watershed, a remote and scenic area that contains several reservoirs. Original plans, announced in January, called for trail-building in 2011 at the earliest. While a date has not been set, the area could be opened to public recreation this summer. “It’s not any secret the public has felt like we can move faster on this. Now that we’re at a place where we can move faster, let’s do it,” said Utilities spokeswoman Patrice Quintero Tuesday.
Utilities officials will make a presentation to the city council members, sitting as the Colorado Springs Utilities Board, at a public meeting March 17. A public open house will be held April 27…
A trail along Ute Pass will be extended through Utilities property, an important goal for trail advocates behind the Ring the Peak Trail. In the South Slope watershed, a 5.6-mile trail along the west side of Mason Reservoir will be opened to bicycle use, instead of just foot and horse traffic. The other proposed trail, the Lake Moraine Trail, would connect with an existing trail that runs to the Cog Railway. Another proposed change would allow limited hunting in the area. Despite pleas from Ring the Peak advocates and the Trails and Open Space Coalition, Utilities does not plan a route to connect the two new trails, because the terrain is rugged and there is concern about impacts to a bighorn sheep herd in the area.