When the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado (361,000), spent $12.5 million to purchase the 787-acre Red Rock Canyon open space, it invited citizens to participate in planning for the space. The city held five neighborhood meetings, which drew 75–100 people each. At each meeting, city staff discussed the history and geology of the site and asked citizens to determine where to place trails. Participants used string to indicate on a map where the trails should be placed. Their input was used to develop the master plan for the site. In the summer of 2004, 250 volunteers spent two days building more than a mile of trails. Volunteers and city staff have also been cleaning up the site, and the city plans to hold monthly volunteer events in the area starting in May 2005. Ultimately, the site will include 17.5 miles of multiuse trails. Sue Skiffington-Blumberg Director of Public Communications City of Colorado Springs P.O. Box 1575, Mail Code 1543 Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1575 719/385-5906 Fax: 719/385-5245 E-mail: sskiffington-blumberg@springsgov.com Web site: www.springsgov.com/Page.asp?NavID=4081