There are over 100 miles of natural surface trails within Durango city limits. It’s easy to get caught up in the natural beauty of the wilderness that surrounds and permeates through the city. Too easy, sometimes.
Durango Police Department Sgt. Padraic Ingle said law enforcement often must remind people that just because they appear to be alone in nature on the city’s trails, they are still within the city and the city’s laws still apply.
From illegal camping to off-leash dogs to irresponsible partying involving loud music and littering, Durango Parks and Recreation staff members have a lot to contend with on the sprawling network of trails, which run along the Animas River and branch out into open spaces such as Horse Gulch and Oxbow Park and Preserve.
The city has occasionally hired seasonal park rangers to help communicate the rules. But in June 2023, Durango City Council approved a new full-time parks and open space rangers position.
Today, two full-time parks and open space rangers enforce the city’s laws, Ingle said. They are Tosh Black and Craig Beauchamp. They work in shifts so that one of them is on the clock seven days a week.
They are trained for swiftwater rescues and can operate rafts; they have professional emergency medical technician certifications; and they are trained and certified to operate a rescue boat at Lake Nighthorse.
Ingle is their direct supervisor. He said park rangers have the authority to issue citations, and illegal camping is by far the most frequent reason they issue tickets. But they don’t arrest people – that’s left to sworn police officers.
In May, Police Chief Brice Current said park rangers have taken over responsibility for responding to reports of illegal camping, which has freed up officers’ time to handle other calls for service.
Durango Assistant Parks Director Scott McClain said on Thursday the addition of park rangers was an enormous help to Durango Parks and Recreation staff. Before bringing on the rangers, parks staff members would coordinate with DPD code enforcement officer Steve Barkley to address illegal camping, underage drinking or public intoxication, to list a few.
McClain said Parks and Recreation used to call dedicated community-facing staff members “rangers,” but they had no real ability to enforce the law. They were focused 100% on public education and communication.
“Everything from dogs on leash to issues with e-bikes to underage (drinking), drinking in general in the parks,” he said. “It’s made a huge difference just with two people. And more (rangers) will make an even bigger difference.”
Durango’s sprawling natural lands are a lot of ground to cover for just two people, he said.
The police department is looking to expand its rangers force, Ingle said. It is actively looking to hire one more ranger, although that ranger will replace Beauchamp, who will soon be headed to the police academy to become a full-fledged officer. He’s been a parks and open space ranger for about a year.
“It’s been a pretty great journey over the past year,” he told The Durango Herald in May. “Getting to know individuals in the community.”
Beauchamp said he and Black, his fellow ranger, have built a pretty good rapport with the homeless population, who they interact with regularly while enforcing camping laws. But they’ve also created a positive relationship with outdoor recreators.
“People on the tail, first-time mountain bikers. It’s been a pretty great experience overall,” he said. “It’s really encouraging when I go out onto a trail and I see someone I haven’t seen in a few months ... and they’re happy to see me again.”
Ingle said he would ideally have four to six rangers. But DPD’s outdated police station isn’t set up for more staff members.
DPD Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop said enforcement is a key part of park rangers’ responsibilities, but at the end of the day, what they’re most concerned with is educating the community about how to recreate safely and respectfully.
Beauchamp said he thinks of the job as making sure everyone “plays nice” together when they are out on the river or exploring Durango’s trails.
“We don’t want this overwhelming presence,” Ingle said. “We do the random patrols, we do education, we talked about some strategies (about the river) put-in at Oxbow, about how to have more of a presence there. But the rangers are only two people.”
Ingle said education is the best way of moving forward.
It’s the rangers’ job to help ensure outdoor amenities are respected, he said.
“The majority of our citizens recognize that,” he said. “Living in Durango and being a Durangatang, most of us want to keep our environment as best as possible.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
