OSMP 2022 Projects and Master Plan Highlights

Using the best available science, we protect healthy ecosystems and mend those we have impaired.

The Great Plains and Southern Rocky Mountains merge dramatically in Boulder, creating iconic rock formations, unmatched scenic beauty and high biodiversity. This natural heritage is a powerful and enduring reflection of Boulder’s values. Together with the community, the City of Boulder works to protect, sustain and restore plant and wildlife habitats, fragile ecosystems and water resources.

Key Facts

• Two of the major ecosystems OSMP conserves are grasslands and forests. Boulder foothills and forests also support a wide range of wildlife and plant species while our grassland ecosystems help to support rare and globally imperiled grassland communities.
• OSMP lands support 741 native plant species, 303 native bird species, 138 native butterfly species, 61 native mammal species, 21 native reptile and amphibian species and 18 native fish species.

Master Plan Strategies

In the first few years of Master Plan implementation, staff will emphasize the following three high priority ecosystem health and resilience strategies through an integrated set of prioritized programs, projects and planning efforts:

• Preserve and restore essential habitat blocks and corridors
• Update and continue implementing system plans guiding ecosystem management
• Address the global climate crisis here and now

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Two continental-scale ecoregions – the Central Great Plains and the Southern Rocky Mountains – merge within Boulder's open space system. The collision of these two ecoregions has helped create some of the most diverse natural areas in the western United States.

• Canyonside Forest Thinning: This forest health and fire mitigation project will focus on creating larger meadows and removing patches of small to medium diameter trees. Open forest conditions support more diverse vegetation communities, provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfire. This project is being done in collaboration with Four Mile and Boulder Rural Fire Protection Districts and will treat both OSMP and private property. This larger landscape-scale project will enhance a fuel break on the city's western side.
  
• Enchanted Mesa Forest Thinning: Forest restoration and fire mitigation work in the Enchanted Mesa area will create a more open forest structure that is more resistant to extreme wildfires. More than 80 acres of thinning is planned in this area in 2022. These efforts will work to improve wildfire preparedness in and around this National Historic Landmark.
  
• Tall oatgrass prescribed grazing: Local ranchers brought cattle to Shanahan Ridge south of Boulder to help remove tall oatgrass, a highly invasive weed species. Tall oatgrass is a non-native, bunch grass that quickly forms dense spreading stands that prevent native vegetation from receiving essential light, moisture and nutrients.
  
• Invasive Weed Removal and native plant restoration: OSMP vegetation management staff will continue to remove the noxious weed – Mediterranean sage – on over 1,800 acres of open space properties north of Boulder. In 2021, staff removed 21,511 plants from these properties, which will significantly decrease competition for native vegetation to access nutrients, water, and sunlight and increase plant biodiversity.
  
• Stream-area and wetland restoration: OSMP plans to conduct several projects to help restore and maintain important creek and wetland areas. One project plans to create and restore wetland and stream-area habitat on 250 acres of formerly gravel mined property along Boulder Creek in Boulder County. One of the goals of this work is to restore and create new and improve existing habitat for several wildlife species, including the northern leopard frog, northern redbelly dace, plains topminnow and dabbling ducks.
  
• Shanahan Ranch Amphibian habitat restoration: These efforts are taking place in various ponds across the OSMP system to improve habitat conditions for native amphibians, including the Northern Leopard frog. Habitat restoration techniques include the removal of non-native vegetation like monotypic cattail stands and the planting of native vegetation.

Please view our 2022 OSMP project map to learn about other ecological projects, including amphibian habitat restoration, forest thinning, invasive species management and native plantings, and riparian and wetland restoration.

• Forest Thinning. Increased forestry staff capacity to accelerate forest health and fire mitigation efforts. Treated 141 acres of Ponderosa Pine. Invested 11,000 staff hours and 800 hours of help from Junior Rangers and volunteers. Learn more about how OSMP is addressing wildfire risks on open space.
• Vegetation Management. Treated more than 6,600 acres for invasive, non-native species. Pulled 21,000 med sage, 7,700 purple loosestrife and 26,000 hairy willow herb plants. Spent more than 2,000 hours controlling teasel, crack willow and other weeds in riparian and wetland areas.
• Tall oatgrass. For the first time, cattle grazing was introduced in all four management units in the Shanahan Ridge area south of Boulder, using 50 head of cattle to reduce wildfire risks and invasive grass. Learn more about how cattle can reduce wildfire fuels and invasive weed species.
• Raptors. OSMP raptor monitoring and seasonal wildlife closures supported successful raptor breeding, ­with the following successful nests: two Bald Eagle nests, one Golden Eagle nest, four Peregrine Falcon nests and one successful Prairie Falcon nest.
• Native Seeds. Spent over 400 hours collecting seeds of 11 different plant species to help with ecological restoration projects across the open space system.
• New Zealand Mudsnail management. Developed a management plan to prevent the spread of New Zealand and help stream habitat restoration. Help us stop the spread of these invasive aquatic species.

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Cows graze on city open space near the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Livestock grazing helps to remove invasive weed species and reduce vegetation that can fuel fires.

OSMP's Learning Lab

Funded researchers explore the complex interactions of people, wildlife, and the environment on City of Boulder lands

The OSMP Funded Research Program is a small grant program that runs annually. The program's main goal is to work with the science community to address both short- and long-term management needs of the department. In 2022, we selected nine projects for funding, including three projects focused on climate change.

A highlight from 2021’s cohort of funded projects was the survey of ants in Gregory Canyon by Anna Paraskevopoulos, graduate student from CU Boulder. Anna resurveyed historical plots from the 1950s for ant species diversity in Gregory Canyon. She discovered that Gregory Canyon continues to host a diverse community of ants, with 53 different species of ants observed in 2021. Of these 53 species, 28 species are the same species first recorded 60 years ago and 25 species are new observations. Only one non-native species of ant—the pavement ant—was collected during the contemporary study.

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A study focused on ants is one of the hundreds of research projects that have occurred on Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks lands.

• Want to learn more about the Funded Research Program? Journey Into OSMP’s Learning Lab.
• Want to learn more about open space science? Science at OSMP.

Our legacy and future are based on working landscapes that are in harmony with nature.

City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) preserves agricultural uses on open space lands to support agricultural viability and the native plants and animals who rely on agricultural lands as habitat. We deeply value our relationships with ranchers, farmers and the many community members who enjoy and appreciate these lands.

Agricultural Facts

• OSMP leases about 15,000 acres of working lands to dozens of farmers and ranchers, many of whom have cared for these lands for more than 30 years.
• Regenerative agricultural practices and traditional livestock grazing regimes are critical in mitigating area fire risks and maintaining healthy soils and diverse native grasslands on OSMP agricultural properties.
• It has been estimated that the ranchers and farmers who lease OSMP lands do the work of 15 full-time staff members, saving the department more than $1 million each year. Learn more about OSMP’s leasing practices.

Master Plan Strategies

In the first few years of Master Plan implementation, staff will emphasize the following three high priority agricultural strategies through an integrated set of prioritized programs, projects and planning efforts:

• Reduce maintenance backlog for agriculture and water infrastructure.
• Increase soil health and resilience.
• Address conflicts between agriculture and prairie dogs. Learn more about city efforts to conserve and manage prairie dogs.

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The City of Boulder’s charter specifically identifies the preservation of agricultural uses and lands suitable for agricultural production as an open space purpose. Photo by Tomasz Kucharski.

• Increase soil health and resilience: OSMP will spread compost on leased and unleased open space properties to improve soil health and provide a source of carbon, micro and macronutrients for plants and the soil food web.
  
• Rehabilitate irrigated agricultural lands: Staff will rehabilitate the soil and plant resources and fence, access, and irrigation infrastructure of over 150 acres of irrigated agricultural land where prairie dogs were removed in 2021. Burrow leveling, keyline plowing, compost, cattle bale grazing, seeding, noxious and invasive plant management, fence and gate repairs, and re-constructing or fixing flood irrigation systems are all occurring on these six project sites in 2022.
  
• Rehabilitate diverse native plant communities: Staff are identifying the best ways to restore native plant communities in the presence of prairie dogs on approximately 20 acres of formally converted and now degraded agricultural fields. OSMP is trialing different plant species combinations and seeding methods using native plant species naturally found in prairie dog colonies.

• Agricultural land restoration. Removed prairie dogs from 135 acres of irrigated agricultural land. Installed barriers and implemented restoration activities to prevent recolonization, enhance soil health and increase agricultural productivity from all removal areas.
  
• Soil health. Sampled 128 sites for a soil health baseline inventory and completed a summary report. Completed soil health treatments on 241 acres leased for agricultural purposes. Planned, co-hosted and participated in the sixth annual Soil Revolution Conference.
  
• Prescribed burns. Burned 8,900 feet of irrigation ditches to enhance and maintain irrigation water delivery.
  
• Irrigation infrastructure improvements. Spent over $100,000 to improve and maintain irrigation infrastructure.
  
• Farm site improvements. Spent $125,000 on site improvements to five properties to stabilize and upgrade facilities for agricultural lessees. Four of these sites are diversified vegetable or animal farms providing local food sources for the community.

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The City of Boulder conducts prescribed burns to reduce fire danger for the community, improve the health of open space ecosystems and maintain agricultural water infrastructure. Learn more about why the City of Boulder conducts prescribed burning.

• Water Resources Program Update PDF
• Agricultural Stewardship Program Update PDF

We steward public funding to fulfill the City Charter purposes for open space.

As of 2022, three citizen-approved sales tax increments accounted for about 90 percent of OSMP's annual revenues, evidence that Boulder community members continue to recognize the value of open space. Boulder residents have created a remarkable open space legacy for themselves and future generations by approving tax increases.

Key Facts

• Beginning in 2021, the Open Space Fund is made up of the following three sales tax increments:
  • 0.40 percent sales tax which has no sunset
  • 0.33 percent sales tax which was reduced to 0.22 percent on Jan. 1, 2019, to be reduced to .10 percent on Jan. 1, 2035, then exists in perpetuity.
  • 0.15 percent sales tax which expires Dec. 31, 2039.

Master Plan Strategies

In the first few years of Master Plan implementation, staff will emphasize the following two Financial Sustainability strategies:

• Steadily generate funds through sales and use tax collections while strategically leveraging other revenue streams and local dollars to support OSMP’s capacity to deliver open space services.
• Create, optimize, and manage budgets that anticipate major change drivers such as extreme weather events and fluctuations in revenue and spending.

• 2022 Approved Budget PDF
• 2023-2028 Draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) PDF

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Did you know that Boulder was the first city in the nation to adopt an open spaces sales tax?