City’s Junior Ranger Program to Mark its 60th Anniversary This Summer

The City of Boulder is proud to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Junior Ranger Program, a unique youth outdoor program that has launched the careers of generations of Boulder-area teenagers while helping the city to sustain and care for Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks.

Beginning Tuesday, June 3, more than 100 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 will don their iconic yellow shirts and white hard hats to kick off the 60th Junior Ranger work season. This summer, Junior Rangers will assist the city by caring for its 162-mile trail system, sustaining natural areas, maintaining ditches that supply water to local agricultural operations, and participating in a field science crew to help generate environmental data about the city’s open space system.

Since its inception in 1965, the city’s Junior Ranger Program has supported local youth and families by providing more than 6,000 Boulder teenagers with their first job experience while helping to maintain the land the city has been preserving for over 127 years. Beyond the paycheck, Junior Rangers have built lifelong friendships, created meaningful outdoor memories, and developed leadership and communication skills that have shaped their futures.

“A key foundational value of the Junior Ranger Program is recognizing, celebrating, and building on the long legacy of community stewardship that makes Boulder, Boulder,” said Lee-Michael Krieger, who manages the youth-service program. “We’re indebted to the city employees who have supported and sustained this important program for decades, and our 60th-anniversary team of Junior Rangers looks forward to making a difference for the community and our shared open space this year.”

The Boulder Junior Ranger program is one of several city initiatives that help youth connect with nature. These include nature discovery programs for children and families, local school and youth programming and the Nature Kids/Jovenes de la Naturaleza Program with Thorne Nature Experience and other community partners.

A Legacy of Conservation and Service
The concept for the Junior Ranger Program began in the early 1960s as the city was facing challenges in maintaining its Mountain Parks system – first established with the purchase of land for the Colorado Chautauqua in 1898. Over time, he community expanded the Mountain Parks system to include the Flatirons and land along the city’s scenic mountain backdrop, including Flagstaff Mountain.

To tackle public land maintenance needs, city staff proposed a unique idea: Why not pay teenagers a small wage to help preserve and improve the land? On June 14, 1965, the city welcomed its first corps of Junior Rangers. During the program’s inaugural 10-week season, 42 teenagers helped build two miles of trails, remove beetle-infested trees and construct footbridges and culverts – laying a stewardship tradition that continues to this day.

Junior Ranger Crews Help Maintain Open Space, Build Skills in Youth
This summer, the city will welcome 110 teenagers who will serve on one of two types of Junior Ranger crews—selected through a competitive application process that began in March:

• Junior Ranger Trail Crews: Teenagers help maintain and improve open space, such as building and repairing trails, removing invasive weeds and supporting the health of sensitive natural areas. In addition to caring for the land, the program gives teens valuable work and life skills, exposes them to careers in natural resources, and helps them build lasting friendships with their crews. Junior Rangers will assist Open Space and Mountain Parks staff from Tuesday, June 3, through Friday, Aug. 8.
  
• Youth Ranger Crew: This crew offers teens a firsthand look at what it’s like to work as a Park Ranger. Participants work alongside OSMP Ranger Naturalists, learn key skills, such as CPR and first aid, and build positive connections with law enforcement professionals. They will serve from Tuesday, July 8, through Friday, Aug. 8.

Dan Burke, director of the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, said the program’s 60-year legacy can be seen throughout open space – including Boulder community members’ favorite trails. He thanked city staff and the broader community for continued support of the Junior Ranger Program. However, he emphasized its enduring success comes from the many teenagers who return each year, as well as the former Junior Rangers who go on to serve as crew leaders or senior program coordinators.

“It’s the teenagers themselves—with the support of the community, the City of Boulder and city staff —who have sustained the legacy of the Junior Ranger Program,” Burke said. “Their dedication and leadership continue to shape this program and the teens serving in its 60th season will set an example for future generations of Boulder community members.”