# Morrison/Bear Creek WW Park



## kburris (Nov 12, 2006)

Morrison Town has upcoming board meetings (date TBD) and although they do not know about this yet. We will be discussing the potential for a WW Park. There is good gradient and we have decent flows of ~ 100 to 400 CFS between May 1 - July 1st. This is a call for kayakers to come and speak to the board in support of a project. Please PM me and I will put you on a contact list. Thx!


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## jmack (Jun 3, 2004)

"we have decent flows of ~ 100 to 400 CFS between May 1 - July 1st"

Really?


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## kburris (Nov 12, 2006)

*Flows: Click on water year*

OK this is small front range stream -but it runs. It would be nice to see enhanced habitat, bigger fish, swimming holes for the kids & flood stage kayak play holes when you're done running no-fun falls.
Go to Eddy Flower Bear Creek and click on CFS, and then on Water Year to see average flows.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Not saying a development along the creek would be a bad idea, but the flows don't offer much for kayaking. I think your flow estimates are way overly optimistic. I just took a quick look at 2000-2009 data for the Bear Creek at Morrison gauge.

2000: 0 days over 100 cfs, median flows for May = 47, median flows for June = 26

2001: 0 days over 100 cfs, may median = 71, june media = 35

2002: Uh, barely wet - big drought year, median flows < 15 cfs

2003: Ran over 100 cfs for Apr, May, first week of June. Apr med = 170, May median = 124, June median = 93.9

2004: 0 days over 100 cfs, May median = 60, June median = 46

2005: over 100 cfs: half of april, all of may, 1/4 of june, apr med =- 86, may median = 146, june median = 95

2006: 0 days over 100 cfs: apr median = 19, may median = 21, june median = 10


Well, you get the idea, right? A good half the years the flow never even goes over 100 cfs. The other years the median flow might crest 150 in the best month and only rarely do you see flows over 200 cfs. 

My observation on a WW park is < 100 cfs you're not going to be able to build any worthwhile feature. 100-200 cfs you might be able to get a small hole going good enough to play around in a little. 

If I was the city of Morrison I sure wouldn't be thinking this is going to be a big draw for kayakers, esp. with Golden just down the street which gets much higher flows for a much longer season and much mor reliably (not that Golden is a great park, but it at least is wet). 

I applaud your initiative to try and get some recreational improvements going, but presenting false data isn't going to be good for anyone. "decent flows of ~ 100 to 400 CFS between May 1 - July 1st." is definitely not true.


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

FYI, I understand that Bear Creek has miserable water quality during summer low flow conditions; swimming holes may not be well advised, particularly for the kiddies.

I'm in agreement with JMack that flows are rarely there to justify a WW park. Even if Bear is at 150 cfs in June, you'll find most kayakers on everything else in the state that is running.

However, enhanced fish habitat is a GREAT GREAT GREAT idea.

Morrison Bear Creek average flows:


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## kburris (Nov 12, 2006)

We need to find a way to show support and protect Bear Creek. I agree with your points. Here's some background. Mo-town council was approached by home owners interested in buying up a section of both banks of Bear Creek. Townies and town employees used to use the creek as their personal landfill. I'm involved in making sure that riparian reclamation takes place. Granted - this is no Clear Creek - but it does run and there are Buzzards who could help the cause. If we as a kayaking community don't protect access and enhance habitat then who are we ?


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## feats of strength (Oct 23, 2009)

+1 on fisherman friendly developements


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Having another failure of a kayak park on the front range isn't needed. Call it what it is, stream habitat and fishing improvements.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

I wonder if in the name of enhanced habitat, you could do pool improvement that would be great for fish and Ok for more of a beginner kayaking section. Maybe a feature that would work when it was flowing, as long as it still was ok while it was low.


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## paulk (Apr 24, 2006)

Bear creek is not a kayak run it is a novelty run. How about we focus on a real drainage like the poudre.


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## Chief Niwot (Oct 13, 2003)

We need a WW park in Nederland too! We have better and longer flows down the source then this mank.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

AJ, not sure if it will happen, but Ned does have preliminary feelers out for some river corridor enhancement, including, maybe some kayak features.

While it is easy to write off a Bear creek park, there is more at issue here. I don't know all the details, but there was next to no opposition from the City council to selling off city owned, riparian land to nearby home owners. When it should be kept public and restored/enhanced for better access for boating and fishing.

I think Kburris will post more as info comes to him, but Morrison needs support from lots river users-anglers and boaters to block this privatization of the river.


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## fatbob (Apr 11, 2008)

Wait, the bear ck wwpark season won't conflict with brek's wwpark season, right??


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

The Turkey Crk.Whitewater Park will be ready as soon as we figure out how to bolt car hoods and yield signs to boulders.We are also making a big water feature on Lefthand.Aurora/Arapahoe County can seemingly do whatever they want to Cherry Creek and afford to make numerous little falls .Why not playspots,so what if it runs 3 days a year? I actually love these type little creeks but a park would be impractical with the skimpy flows.Jeez those stats were even more depressing than i thought for Bear.

In all seriousness here's three better prospects

1]Ft.Collins ,already people on it for years .What's up with this?

2]Longmont on the St Vrain below the confluences with Lefthand and Boulder Creek.Would have the combined flows of 5 navigable creeks;So. Boulder,Boulder,SSV,NSV,and Lefthand,minus diversions and municipal use.I don't know if a plan exists or just local boaters kicking ideas around.There are manmade drops a little above I- 25 that could possibly be redesigned,so i've heard.

3]Lower Clear Creek through west suburbia many drops through here,bike path ,parks,access points.Has about same season as rest of creek,plus urban runnoff.Runs high briefly many years.Like on Cherry these municipalities seem to be able to modify drops on the creek for aesthetic reasons at will.


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## CUkayakGirl (Mar 31, 2005)

You ought to call Scott; He is living up in Lyons now. 

I bet he would be interested in looking at the potential river, riparian and aquatic habitat improvements along Bear Creek. 

Lately, I have been working with Scott Shipley and Nick Turner at S2o Design and Engineering. It is very cool that the two split off and teamed up. They have taken their experience as professional kayakers and created a design firm based on real kayaking and engineering experience. They have been building projects with new technology all over the world including the 2012 Olympic Venue in England which is the first adjustable/changeable channel using Rapid Blocks. It is great to work with guys that live kayaking and design projects that function as intended.


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## badswimmer (Jul 13, 2006)

Spend more, get less. Yes for fishing, no way for play. Well it could kinda work for play after running the canyon, maybe.. Sometimes..Who can see it? Really????


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