THE NEED:
The Incline was built in 1907 to aid in the construction of a hydroelectric plant and its water line. When this was completed it was purchased by Dr. Brumbach to use as a tourist attraction and was known as the Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline Railway. The Incline lived up to its potential for many years and was eventually purchased by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway Co. The Incline became a famous tourist attraction with brochures proclaiming; “Scenic splendors unfolded in a trip up the Mt. Manitou Incline are unrivaled anywhere in the world.” Postcards boasted; “It is the longest and highest incline on the globe and Mt. Manitou Park, with its 10 miles of trails, is one of the most beautiful natural parks in all the Rockies.” One famous postcard proudly shows the governors of 22 states arriving at the top of the Incline for a conference.
After a large rockslide in 1990, the Mt. Manitou Incline Springs Incline ceased operations. Since 1990 it has been estimated that the Incline has been used by approximately 10,000-15,000 people per year, as a fitness-training hike and for access to Barr Trail. This use continues without permission of the current owners of the property; nevertheless, it is obvious that the Incline has developed a very strong following. Over the past years, there has been some effort to stabilize, re-vegetate and maintain some of the incline right of way, however, much work needs to be done. In 1997, the Raw Water Division of the Water Department of Colorado Springs Utilities did work to address erosion problems affecting a Colo. Springs water pipe. Although there have been several individuals helping with erosion control, there has been no organized or approved effort to maintain the property. Without an organized conservation effort and a long-term maintenance program, the Incline will continue to deteriorate and become a significant safety and environmental hazard.
THE PURPOSE:
Friends of the Incline Coalition was formed for the purpose of organizing and implementing the conservation, reclamation and re-vegetation of the Incline. It will initiate a dialogue between all interested organizations to ensure continuing stewardship of the property that will allow public use and enjoyment of the Incline in a safe and legal manner.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:
Friends of the Incline is a coalition of organizations, governmental bodies and citizens interested in the conservation, stewardship and availability of the Incline for public use. The Coalition is hoping to operate as a division of the Friends of the Peak, a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization. A steering committee consisting of a broad spectrum of the community leaders is being formed to spearhead this effort.
CURRENT SITUATION:
The Incline right-of-way is currently owned by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway Co. (COG), The City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU), and the United State Government, operated in the Pike National Forest (PNF). The Incline is currently being used on a daily basis by hikers and runners. No formal count has been made thus far; however, informal estimates indicate that 10,000 to 15,000 people use the Incline annually. As many as 100 people per day may use the incline during the spring, summer and fall with fewer people venturing up the steep steps in winter.
Individuals from 6 to 75 have been known to use the Incline on a regular basis. Access to the Incline is from both the original Incline base station (over a split rail fence) as well as from a series of new trails leading from the Barr Trail parking lot. Access to the Incline has not been formally approved by any of the current owners. In fact a large “No Trespassing” sign is posted on the Incline by the Manitou and Pikes
Peak Railway Co. In spite of this posting, the Incline has become a regular training ground for many individuals, athletes and the military. Various studies have indicated that use of national forest and other open space lands is increasing significantly with the increase in area population.
The Ruxton Canyon area including Barr Trail, Incline, Intemann Trial and the Freemont Trial are all subject to increasing use and are in need of continuous maintenance and stewardship. Several groups have developed to provide this stewardship for Barr Trail (Friends of the Peak) and the Intemann Trail (Intemann Trail Committee). To date, there are no coordinated efforts to provide stewardship for the Incline. The Friends of the Incline propose to provide leadership, financial resources and volunteers necessary to provide this stewardship.
One of the major obstacles to the continued use and reclamation of the Incline is the need to address a lack of parking in upper Ruxton Canyon. The COG has implemented a series of steps to make sure runners and hikers do not use the COG parking areas. The main COG parking areas have been fenced-off and both sides of Ruxton Ave. in the vicinity of the Iron Springs Chateau are usually blocked off with ropes restricting parking for COG customers. The COG generally has staff in the parking areas to direct traffic. Over the years, runners and hikers have attempted to park in various areas used by the COG and have resulted in numerous vehicles being towed by the COG, with costs and fees being incurred by the vehicle owner. Although there are 35 parking spaces in the Barr Trail parking lot (owned and maintained by the City of Manitou Springs), those spaces are often filed. On most weekends, runners/hiker cars are parked all the way down Ruxton Ave. and into downtown Manitou Springs. There has been a trolley service offered by the City Of Manitou Springs primarily during the summer running from downtown to the COG parking areas. It is uncertain whether this service will continue due to funding constraints. There currently is no coordinated effort to manage the traffic and parking in Ruxton Canyon. The Friends of the Incline propose to initiate a coordinated vehicle movement and parking management study for upper Ruxton Canyon as part of its conservation and stewardship efforts.
Over the past several years, informal discussions have taken place between representative of the COG and several interested individuals about making the Incline accessible to the public and the need for ongoing maintenance. To date, no agreements have been reached concerning how to proceed or what steps might be taken to deal with the needs of the COG, Incline and Ruxton Canyon. The Friends of the Incline are proposing to implement a dialogue process with all interested organizations for the purpose of developing a long term plan and strategy to deal with the environmental, parking and liability issues on the Incline property.
PROPOSAL:
The Friends of the Peak Coalition are requesting GOCO planning funds to accomplish the following tasks:
FUNDING SOURCES:
The primary initial funding will be from the GOCO planning grant. The Friends of the Incline will raise $5000-$7500 or an amount as necessary to satisfy at least 25% required match for the GOCO grant and more if possible. After the tasks listed above are completed, additional funding will be sought from GOCO, environmentally supportive foundations, individuals, the City of Manitou Springs, the City of Colorado Springs and other appropriate sources.
Prepared by:
Ken Jaray, Coordinator
719-633-6620 (w)
719-685-5905 (h)
ken@kenjaray.com
October 12, 2003