Ta-ta 2020. You brought us fear, chaos, economic hardship, canceled vacations, weddings, funerals and plenty of grief.

You also taught us a few things. We were forced to look at our lives, narrow our focus to what and who was truly important. Many of us spent more time outdoors because it was one of the few places where we could feel safe.

As a result, some of our fragile public spaces are showing the results of misuse. Many open space trails are now wider. New “social” trails have surfaced. And unique resources like El Paso County’s Paint Mines have been damaged.

It would be easy to just blame COVID, fix what can be fixed and move on. Fortunately the El Paso County Parks Department knows how to deal with degradation to natural resources and turn a negative into a positive as they did with Rainbow Falls in Manitou Springs.

In 2017, the county wisely reclassified that recreation area as an historic site, allowing staff to control access and hours of operation. As a result, once graffiti was removed from the natural surfaces, the Falls became lovely again. This year close to 41,000 visitors have enjoyed Rainbow Falls and more than half of them have contributed to the donation tube, to the tune of $22,000! Park staff offer geology and history walks plus occasional volunteer clean-up projects. A renewed public appreciation for its natural beauty has turned a liability into an asset.

The same model could be used at the Paint Mines. Its location makes it a bit more challenging, but we know people are coming from all to explore this natural wonder. County park staff is improving parking facilities, signage and closing rogue trails. If security could be enhanced, damage to the rocks would be reduced. Installing a donation tube at the trailhead would cover some of those costs.

Someday we will all be asked to “explain 2020” to children and grandchildren. One word I plan to use would be “instructive.” We learned about ourselves, the kindness of neighbors, the importance of community. We learned or were reminded of the restorative qualities of nature. We were also reminded of its fragility. We’d better continue to take care of what we have because one day this could happen again.

Davies is executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition.