City Open House Will Highlight Upcoming Open Space Projects

The City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department invites community members to an open house on Tuesday, April 25, to learn about various upcoming infrastructure, education and ecological projects. The open house will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the OSMP Hub, 2520 55th Street.

During the open house, OSMP staff will share information and answer questions about upcoming projects, including work to:

• Conduct ongoing trail and trailhead improvement and repair projects occurring on OSMP's 155-mile trail system, such as the construction of the North Sky Trail north of Boulder and a new loop trail on Gunbarrel Hill northeast of Boulder.
• Thin trees on open space, which helps to provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, support more diverse vegetation communities and reduce wildfire risk.
• Use cattle to conduct targeted grazing of tall oatgrass, an invasive grass that spreads rapidly, threatens unique plant communities and can fuel wildfires.
• Improve stream areas – which provide critical habitats for various wildlife and plant species – by conducting ongoing restoration efforts.
• Restore and maintain agricultural areas and improve open space agricultural facilities to support local farmers and ranchers.
• Offer free staff-led hikes and nature-based community programming.
• Provide volunteer opportunities to help OSMP maintain our shared public lands.

In conjunction with the open house, OSMP staff has developed a project web page to help community members learn more about projects and programs being implemented in 2023, including trail work, ecological and agricultural improvements, and community programs. View an interactive webmap to see projects occurring across the city’s open space system.

Today, OSMP maintains 154 miles of trails and 37 trailheads that connect visitors to diverse natural areas, which help support habitat for 61 species of mammals, 700 species of plants and 100 species of birds. Each year, OSMP staff conduct more than 300 projects to help maintain and improve Boulder open space and help our community enjoy and protect shared public lands.

The city encourages community members to plan their visits to Open Space and Mountain Parks by accessing the city’s web trail and trailhead search feature, visiting the city’s interactive trail map or by downloading the Boulder Area Trails app.

Community members can also learn more about ongoing OSMP efforts by attending/watching Open Space of Board of Trustees meetings (OSBT), which are typically held on the second Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. The OSBT provides feedback to department staff on many open space-related issues and makes recommendations to the Boulder City Council and staff on the acquisition and management of city-managed open space.