Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase

The City of Boulder’s Climate Resilient Landscapes Showcase celebrates and supports landscapes that help our community adapt to a changing climate. From homes and campuses to commercial and shared spaces, the showcase highlights how well-designed landscapes can reduce heat, manage water, lower wildfire risk, support biodiversity and strengthen community resilience.

The showcase combines recognition for existing projects with funding and guidance for new ideas. Together, these efforts elevate local best practices, encourage innovation and inspire more climate-resilient landscapes across Boulder.

Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase Finalist Garden Tour

The 2026 Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase

In 2026, a competitive and diverse array of entries was submitted to both the existing projects showcase and the proposed projects competition.

A nine-person jury with direct experience in the design, implementation and care of climate resilient landscapes on the Front Range selected finalists for both existing and proposed projects.

The 2026 Showcase entries highlight the creativity and care with which our community is stewarding our city. We are honored by all the entrants and thankful for all the work done to make our community more climate resilient.

A flowering sidewalk edge with native Colorado plants flowering in yellow, red,

Lauren Harper

Coming soon - The Showcase Finalist Gallery

Check back in to see the Showcase Finalists in this virtual tour. We're hoping you are as inspired by these outstanding examples of climate resilient landscapes as we are.

Meet the jury

Our jury is made up of nine amazing folks with direct experience in the design, implementation, and care of climate resilient landscapes on the Front Range.

Antonnio Benton, City and County of Denver

Antonnio Benton has a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Georgetown University and is a certified LEED Green Associate with a decade of experience as a strategy-minded urban planner and project leader working at the intersection of climate resilience, infrastructure planning, and public sector transformation. He’s led multimillion-dollar portfolios, advised city and state officials, and helped design systems that advance climate resilience, equity, and community wellbeing.

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Elizabeth Judd on a mountain meadow boardwalk with peaks in the distance — **Elizabeth Judd, City and County of Denver (Urban Forestry Planner)**
Elizabeth’s role is unique – she provides overarching support for everything already happening in the Parks & Recreation department. She works with the public as well as other departments to identify how to use resources better, what changes to make and what programs could reach more people. She is built for this job! As a child, Elizabeth spent all her time outside. When she learned that landscape architecture was actually a degree, she was elated, and has been on this path ever since. Elizabeth has worked on all sides of trees – from homes to national parks and now the city. The goal is always the same: We need more trees!

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Candice Owen, Mile High Flood District

Candice is a passionate stormwater professional who works for the Mile High Flood District after 18 years working as a consultant and city engineer in the water resources and environmental engineering field. She is Chair of the Stormwater Quality Committee for the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers. Candice additionally started Cerulean Consulting, LLC in 2023 with a focus on assisting primarily municipal clients with stormwater quality related work. With a strong background in water quality and NPDES compliance, she has consulted to municipalities across the US, performed EPA MS4 audits and developed an MS4 program. Candice’s career has focused on all aspects of NPDES stormwater compliance including Phase I and II MS4, construction, and industrial permits. She has organized and conducted classes and workshops on LID, floodplain regulation and construction practices, and has developed construction and post-construction regulatory criteria. Her passion is water quality and TMDL compliance, especially related to bacteria and bacteria source tracking. She has additionally performed hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for a number of municipal and private entities and is proficient in GIS. Candice has served as project manager for projects related to all of the above areas of practice and is an excellent communicator who enjoys interacting with clients, educating the public and working collaboratively towards project goals. She enjoys brainstorming and thinking outside of the box to generate practical and innovative solutions.

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Manuela Mejia, CU Boulder Ecology

Manuela is a Ph.D. student in the Reach Lab in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at the University of Colorado Boulder. Strong interdisciplinary professional with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Spanish Language & Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder. Master's degree in Biology from Miami University (OH) with an emphasis in community outreach and engagement in STEM/STEAM.

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Jasi Sikora - Greenlight Fund Denver

Jasi Sikora is an advocate for food security, community health and climate resilience. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2025, she completed Denver Urban Garden’s Food Forestry training program. She worked as a Climate Initiatives Associate on the Nature-based Climate Solutions team at the City of Boulder before transitioning into her current role as a Coordinator for Greenlight Fund Denver.

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Kathleen Alexander and a redwood tree — **Kathleen Alexander - City of Boulder Forestry**
Kathleen Alexander may officially be the Boulder City Forester, but unofficially she's the community's Lorax, advocating for trees whenever possible. She's championed Boulder's urban forest for almost 30 years, with a genuine passion for the trees that shape our city. Kathleen holds a B.S. in Forest Biology and an M.S. in Forest Management from Colorado State University. She's a past chair of the Emerging Pests in Colorado (EPIC) committee and helped launch the Colorado EAB Response Team. She partnered with CSU on the first identification of Thousand Cankers disease in black walnut trees and drippy blight disease in red oaks, and her team was the first in the western U.S. to detect emerald ash borer. In 2018, she presented on Boulder’s trees (and pests) at the conference "Preparing Europe for the EAB Invasion" in Vienna, Austria. She was named Arborist of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ISA and received the Award of Achievement from the National Urban and Community Forestry Society, recognizing her work protecting urban forests from pests.

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Kevin Philip Williams in a garden — **Kevin Williams, Denver Botanic Gardens**
Kevin Philip Williams has an MS in Public Horticulture and is a naturalistic garden designer who uses active and passive materials to create dynamic and climate-appropriate gardens. His work as a horticulturist and designer at the Denver Botanic Gardens has led to several celebrated gardens in Denver, including the Denver Art Museum Sensory Garden, the Alien Dream Worlds and Hello Food Forest at Meow Wolf, and the Abstract Expressions installation at the Clifford Still Museum. He has worked and gardened at The High Line in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He has a passion for combining bioregional plant palettes with unconventional sources of inspiration like hardcore punk or graffiti to create dynamic, captivating gardens.

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Olimpia Mejia, Wildfire Partners Outreach

Olimpia Mejia is the Outreach and Education Specialist for Wildfire Partners, a role she has held since April 2024, bringing over a decade of experience in community engagement and environmental education to the team.

Before joining Wildfire Partners, Olimpia spent ten years with the Rocky Mountain Dreamer Class of the I Have A Dream Foundation of Boulder County, mentoring and supporting 56 students from second grade through high school graduation, a role that shaped her lasting commitment to community- centered, long- term impact.

Her passion for environmental education spans two countries. She has worked at the Cal-Wood Education Center in Colorado and served as Program Director at the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) in her home state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

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Paul Lander, CU Boulder

Paul W. Lander, PhD, M.Larch., LEED A.P. has worked in the fields of water, energy, and land conservation for over 40 years. For 16 years, he led the City of Boulder’s Water Conservation Office, directing the city’s award- winning program for a community of over 100,000 people. He is an Adjunct Professor of Geography, and Faculty of the Master’s of the Environment Program, both at CU-Boulder, teaching courses in Water of the Western U.S, Conservation Practice, Landscape Sustainability, and Green Infrastructure. He is active in professional associations, including the American Planning Association’s Water and Planning Steering Committee, the Babbitt Center’s Colorado River Basin Water Efficiency Network, among many others.

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How did the jury select the finalists and winners?

In the existing projects showcase, the jury chose finalists who demonstrated exemplary work across all sizes and methods, from DIY to professional installation.

The winners of proposed project funding were selected based on a set of criteria which included location in high-vulnerability areas of the city, a strong equitable and collaborative approach, innovation, feasibility, and community impact.

Winners will be announced at the award show on September 12^th.

Next up: Experience the showcase in person!

Join us for the self-guided garden tour on Aug. 22 to visit inspiring climate-resilient landscapes across Boulder.

Then celebrate this year's participants at the

Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase Awards on Sept. 12.

A flowering garden of native plants including yucca and white and purple flowers

David Sutherland

Coming Soon - The Showcase!

Check back in to look at all the things our community is doing in the garden, we'll have a gallery of all the entries to the showcase full of creative ideas for your next climate resilient landscape project.

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