This week, Boise City Council unanimously voted to adopt the Ridge to Rivers 10-year management plan into the Boise City comprehensive plan. ICL had a seat at the table on the R2R plan advisory committee-along with 25 other hikers, runners, bikers, parents and representatives from land management agencies-to assist in the creation of the R2R document. We are thrilled to see it through to this point.
Our beloved R2R trails receive over one million visits per year on almost 200 miles of trails, and as our population grows so will use of the trails. At ICL, we see firsthand how important our open space, clean water, wildlife, and access to our public lands and trails are to the sustainable health of a community. We also see how vital it is to find a balance between love and overuse.
This management plan received thousands of comments and input from residents through open houses, online surveys and public meetings. All this input will guide how R2R managers ultimately respond to challenges, needs and additional opportunities. As more and more people move to the valley or visitors spend their vacation exploring, this plan will help the Ridge to Rivers partnership stay ahead of conflict-whether that means managing mixed uses, creating trails dedicated to different user groups, identifying ADA accessible trails, or identifying sensitive areas where dogs need to remain on-leash.
We thank the Ridge to Rivers partnership and the city of Boise for putting the pieces in place so that future generations of this valley will also be able to climb the ridgelines and look back to see our wonderful cityscape bloom.
To read the full plan, Around the Next Turn: A 10 year Management Plan for the Ridge to Rivers Trail System, and see survey results visit the Ridge to Rivers website.
Interested in exploring your foothills? Join us for the next Tour of the Reserves on Feb 16 at 4:30 pm.