Open Space and Mountain Park Rangers are first responders within the City of Boulder. We take pride in protecting the public as well as the land and wildlife.
The City of Boulder employs fully commissioned rangers as well as temporary limited commission rangers. Fully commissioned rangers hold permanent positions as certified Peace Officers with the State of Colorado.
When you need a ranger, we’re ready to help. Rangers maintain medical, wildfire, law enforcement, wildlife, and search and rescue trainings and certifications.
For emergencies, please call 911.
For non-emergencies currently happening on Open Space, contact Non-Emergency Dispatch at 303-441-3333 and tell the dispatcher which park you are in. For other non-emergencies, leave a voicemail with our main office at 303-441-3440 or contact a Ranger for a specific area through our online form.
Park rangers are critical in search and rescue (SAR) operations, often using their knowledge of the terrain and parks to lead rescue efforts. Rangers are regularly first on scene and help to coordinate responding agencies like Rocky Mountain Rescue, ambulances, and local fire departments. All rangers are trained in medical response, with fully commissioned rangers certified as Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) or higher. Currently, there are six Ranger- EMTs on staff. In 2024, rangers responded to over 100 SAR calls for service. These calls range from lost hikers to parties with significant medical trauma requiring air evacuation.
If you find yourself in need, do not hesitate to call for help. Rescue agencies, including OSMP, do not charge for SAR services.
Lindsay Young
Rangers have been among the first responders on every major wildland fire in Boulder County over the last decade. Fully commissioned rangers are required to hold red cards, making them Type II Wildland Firefighters. Most recently, OSMP Rangers were on the fire line of the 2024 Dinosaur Fire.
The 2021 Marshall Fire was a devastating wildfire for our community. It was a ranger who was first on scene to the incident. In the face of the rapidly spreading fire, rangers evacuated hundreds of residents, some unaware their homes were already on fire. Rangers remember driving through walls of smoke and fire, doing whatever they could to get people out. For their efforts, rangers received several distinguished service awards.
Fully commissioned rangers are Peace Officers, giving them the same authority as police officers. This allows rangers to respond to a wide range of community needs, including emergencies and public safety concerns. In 2021, rangers responded to the King Soopers shooting with two rangers inside the building during the incident.
Rangers are dedicated to enforcing rules and regulations that help protect the safety of people, animals, and open space. Rangers work and train with the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. By fostering strong partnerships with local agencies, rangers play a crucial role in supporting community safety. They respond to incidents such as shootings, assaults, mental health crises, and domestic situations. Rangers are also trained to provide support and connect individuals with resources, including those experiencing homelessness, providing compassionate responses to complex community issues.
Rangers offer educational programs year-round. These programs allow rangers to share their knowledge while creating deeper connections with the people they serve. Rangers also contribute educational content to OSMP social media channels. This helps inform the public about open space and the role rangers play in protecting it. All fully commissioned rangers receive training to become Certified Interpretive Guides. This helps rangers become better educators for their community.
Rangers value ongoing learning and also support each other’s growth through internal training. The team includes eight instructors who provide specialized training in areas such as Defensive Tactics, Driving, Firearms, CPR and First Aid.
Nathan Stone
OSMP rangers don't develop ecosystem management plans but play a critical role in enforcing and ensuring their success, such as seasonal raptor closures. Rangers ensure compliance through education and monitoring the closed areas.
Rangers also work closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to manage animals on and near open space including elk, deer, mountain lions, and bears. OSMP rangers have even helped to relocate a rogue moose!
Camping on open space is not allowed due to safety concerns, including the increased risk of wildfires. Rangers work with local agencies to connect people experiencing homelessness with resources and support.
Often, this is done through issuing tickets, which serve as a tool to facilitate access to support and ensure people are aware of the help available. On average, people experiencing homelessness are offered resources 16 times before they choose to engage with the services being offered. This is why rangers prioritize building trust and providing consistent, compassionate support while enforcing regulations.
Here at OSMP our Rangers have adopted a “Community Rangering” model. Community Rangering is practice which allows us to work cooperatively with the public to help facilitate proactive problem-solving techniques. By partnering with the public our goal is to empower a sense of community on and around OSMP and to find practical, efficient, and long lasting solutions to problems that users may encounter on or around their OSMP areas.
To report an issue go to Inquire Boulder.
With our Community Policing model, your community is entirely up to you. Do you enjoy biking at Marshall Mesa and would like to see more programs in that area? Do you walk your dog at Boulder Valley Ranch and want to share concerns about that area? Our community is broad, vast, and dynamic. Our goal is to promote interactive partnerships with OSMP users which allow everyone to take shared ownership and pride in this amazing resource we call OSMP.
Areas are split up as follows:
When contacting OSMP we want to make sure you get the right resource at the right time. Please make sure to read the below information carefully so that we may address your needs quickly and appropriately.
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks is over 45,000 acres of public owned property and a resource we all share and take pride in. Community Rangering is a philosophy which allows each Ranger the ability to take a full service approach to understanding the issues within their community. Each of our Rangers is assigned a specific community within OSMP, increasing their ability to understand and establish a unique approach for the needs of that community. We want to hear what you have to say. Some common requests include:
