Linda Stanley & Kelly Ohlson
After HPOS failed in 1994, Linda Stanley and Kelly Ohlson were part of the passionate core who regrouped, gathered thousands of signatures, and won in 1995—then again in 1999 and 2014. Four campaigns, two decades, one unstoppable partnership.
Linda Stanley
Linda Stanley
It was November 1994. The mood of the election party switched almost instantaneously to one of depression, sadness, and defeat that night as we had just learned that POST 2001 (Parks, Open Space, and Trails) had failed at the ballot box. This was to be the first dedicated funding for preserving open space in Larimer County. Our county was undergoing high levels of growth, and our precious open spaces were rapidly disappearing. But the opposition to the proposal was loud, and the voters said no.
1995, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Early in 1995, we regrouped, with new commitment and dedication. We listened to what voters had to say about the 1994 proposal—mainly focusing on giving some funding back to the communities for their own programs. Changes were made to the ballot language to address these concerns; the name of the proposal was changed; and Help Preserve Open Spaces was born! We also realized that this should be a citizen's initiative so that we could connect with voters and explain the proposal. We would need to gather thousands of signatures of Larimer County voters, a daunting task given that it was a fairly small group of volunteers working on the proposal. But dedicated and passionate we were!
The first day of collecting signatures in Fort Collins happened at Toddy's Grocery Store at Drake and Lemay (now Sprouts). K-Lynn Cameron and I were the first shift. We set up our table, had our information sheets handy, and with clipboards in hand, were ready to greet shoppers as they approached the grocery store. In the parking lot, we saw a tall gentleman emerge from his car wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. What were the chances that our first "customer" was one of our loudest opponents, as demonstrated the year before. I can't remember how we handled this, although I'm sure K-Lynn took it upon herself to explain the changes and work to get him to sign. That didn't happen, but it might have been a good way to start things—making our arguments to one of our strongest opponents (who I believe stayed that way). One of the next people to approach our table was Kelly Ohlson (aka my husband). He quickly left claiming he was embarrassed by our "aggressive" approach to shoppers. Yes, we didn't let shoppers get past us easily, but we were polite and willing to explain the proposal to folks who might be interested in signing. We left our shift that day feeling like maybe, just maybe, we could accomplish this Herculean task.
Some of us were out there every weekend gathering signatures, and if you've ever gathered signatures for an initiative, you know how difficult this can be, especially for a tax proposal. Larimer County residents at that time were conservative, and taxes usually lost at the ballot box. But we persevered and got the signatures!
The campaign was next, with appearances at groups, working on endorsements from organizations and individuals, running ads, and putting up yard signs. Matt Jones, from Boulder Open Space, came to several of our meetings. He got us doing direct mail and lent us the logo used for other open space campaigns—Hootie the Owl! It was easier to get a Hootie the Owl yard sign put up in someone's yard than a plain old yard sign with only words. That November night in 1995 was one of celebration as we learned HPOS had won with over 60% of the votes.
I was lucky enough to serve on the brand new Open Lands Advisory Board (OLAB) for a number of years. We were a group of politically diverse individuals from around the county, all working on the goal of making sure that the will of the voters was fulfilled. This meant serving on committees, helping to craft the policies and guidelines for a brand new program. It also meant going on quite a few field trips to view potential purchases of Larimer County open spaces. This was an exciting time—making the first purchases with the dedicated funding stream—Devil's Backbone, Blue Mountain Bison Ranch, Eagle's Nest, and others. It was made all the more exciting by the mishaps that occurred on the field trips. My memories are sketchy now, but I remember more than once going off a slippery road or having some other mishap occur where we weren't sure we were going to make it home (was that K-Lynn driving on those trips?!).
1999, The Trail-Gazette, Estes Park
I still remember the day I was sitting in the passenger seat next to K-Lynn on a field trip (in 1999) when she told me that we were going to need to do another initiative that year to extend the tax and to allow for bonding. We agreed that it should be another citizen's initiative. I won't go into the details, but once again, we received over 60% of the votes. By 2014, when we went back for another continuation, the winning vote margin was 82% for and 18% against. What a testament to those who have implemented the will of the voters over that time period!
Thanks to dedicated volunteers who worked so hard to make the program possible and the staff and volunteers who worked to make the program a success! It's been a great 30 years!
Linda Stanley is an HPOS volunteer and past Open Lands Board member
June 2002, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Kelly Ohlson
Kelly Olson
After suffering a crushing defeat in 1994 at the ballot box with our first try at a ¼ cent county tax for open space, what I remember is the instant decision to try again the very next year. This time we did a citizen initiative, gathering many thousands of signatures to get on the 1995 ballot. Once again, we had strong, well-funded opposition – yes, that really happened. We won in a landslide, won again in 1999, and by what must be some kind of record, won for a third time in 2014 by 82% to 18%. I still can’t get my head around that margin of victory.
So my biggest memory is not an anecdote – although there are many – just ask Brian Werner – he kept a long list. It is of the small core of committed volunteers who had the resilience, passion, commitment, and drive to make this happen. Four campaigns over 20 years – none of them easy. You/we preserved some of the beautiful and most ecologically important landscapes of Larimer County – hopefully forever.
Happy 30th Anniversary!
Kelly Ohlson is the former Fort Collins mayor and councilmember and participant in 9 natural areas and open space campaigns in Fort Collins and Larimer County
2004, Fort Collins Coloradoan
2004, Fort Collins Coloradoan
2002, Fort Collins Coloradoan