Changes planned for Twin Lakes dog park

Glasha is a cheerful 2-year-old airedale terrier or, according to her owner, Elena Kazakova, 60 pounds of boundless energy.

"Glasha is very active and needs a lot of exercise," Kazakova said. She added that finding outlets for all that energy can be a challenge, especially given Colorado's summer heat. "In the open space, even at 8 in the morning, she gets overheated very easily. I prefer any place she can step into a creek or lake."

Enter Gunbarrel's Twin Lakes, and specifically, the western-most "twin." That lake and the trail around it are fenced to create Glasha's favorite off-leash playground. People walk the pleasant trail while dogs like Glasha bounce in an out of the water, chasing sticks, tennis balls, or each other. It's a popular attraction for both dogs and owners in Gunbarrel and Niwot.

"People from Westminster and Broomfield, they're coming with their dogs," said Kazakova. "I see people walking without dogs, too."

Now, though, Kazakova worries Glasha might lose her favorite summer hangout.

Because Twin Lakes' dog park is a well-loved resource, the banks of the western lake have seen substantial erosion. Cottonwood roots are exposed, threatening the trees. The trail's man-made bridge and ditch need shoring up. In response, Boulder County Parks and Open Space plans an extensive erosion-control project.

Mary Olson is a Landscape Architect for Boulder County and said, "We've had thousands and thousands and thousands of dogs going into the water, and it's just not safe anymore. Now the trail is 20-feet wide and we've lost any vegetation between the trail and the water. I think we need to take a step back and realize there's been severe erosion."

Boulder County plans call for new fencing to limit lake access through the cottonwoods. New rip rap will support the lake's embankments. A rock dam on the lake's east side will remain unfenced, and the southeast corner of the lake will be monitored to determine if more fencing is needed.

Dogs will have five stepped entry points at various spots along the shoreline. Four of the five will be about 25-feet wide; the fifth will be smaller.

Olson knows some locals object to the plans. "They're seeing the materials out there and they think we're fencing in the whole lake," she said, "[but] we're not."

A community thread on "Nextdoor Niwot" recently debated the topic and showed there is some confusion about the county's plans. But as the thread continued, understanding became clearer. Some posts supported the project. Most expressed alarm. Some suggested petitions or calls to the county to intervene in the project.

The problems, Kazakova said, include over-crowding at the lake's five entry points, and a bunch of confused dogs.

She asked, "How would you ensure dogs will not go somewhere their owners cannot get to them? If they go in [at the entry point] and go the wrong way, how do you get them out?"

She remembers watching a number of dogs wade in from a beach on the east side, where fencing is in place nearby. "They can't figure out how to get out. And the owners are trying to..." Kazakova laughed, waving her hands to illustrate how anxious owners try to coax their dogs to an exit.

Kazakova admitted she's not an environmental scientist, but she does have a background in engineering and physics. She would like to see the county treat Twin Lakes the way the city shored up Coot Lake, with boulders supporting the banks while maintaining abundant access for dogs.

"It's very important to control erosion," she says, "but it's not just dogs. They drain the lake and then they fill it. It moves. In winter, the soil freezes and then it thaws, so I think that's part of the problem, too."

Olson acknowledges the difficult balance between environmental stewardship and recreation. She knows reducing access to county spaces is controversial. In this case, though, she said Boulder County's plans are firm.

"We've already purchased the material," Olson explained. "We can't change the design at this point. I'm sorry."

Kazakova remains an avid supporter of environmental protection, but wonders why dogs and their owners seem to pay so much of the price.

"As time goes on, it seems like they've been blocking out access to resources," Kazakova explained. "We're taxpayers. Not everyone has a dog, but obviously we've got rights. We shouldn't be discriminated against."

The Twin Lakes improvement project will cost about $100,000, according to Olson. Timing depends on weather, water levels, and holiday scheduling, but work may begin as early as December.