Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Volunteer Services provides programs, projects, and events to community members and organizations year-round.
OSMP connects with the community through offering many opportunities for people to give back to the land in meaningful ways. OSMP’s Volunteer Coordinators appreciate your dedication and commitment from the community. Thank you for becoming a volunteer!
To register for a one-day volunteer group project, click the provided tab below. Count Me In Boulder is a citywide volunteer coordination and event management system. The cloud-based database saves staff members, volunteers and patrons time and energy with intuitive features like automated hour tracking, self-reported site visits with impact-related measures, eLearning, activity registration, highly customizable reporting, world class training and support, and more.
Project volunteers participate in one-day or multi-day, on-the-ground service learning projects. Volunteer opportunities are available to corporations, schools, organizations, youth groups and colleges. Developed from work group priorities, OSMP offers: restoration, trail building, agriculture, ditch maintenance, vegetation management, forestry projects, seed collections. We look forward to working with you!
Program volunteers assist the department annually in carrying out its mission and goals by committing to seasonal and long term assignments. Program volunteers are Trail Guides/Park Patrollers, Raptor and Bat Wildlife Monitors, Rare Plant Monitors, Volunteer Naturalists who lead interpretative hikes, Flagstaff Nature Center Hosts, and more. Become a program volunteer today and join an esteemed team of volunteers that are essential to the success of these programs.
See below to view recruitment timelines.
OSMP is currently recruiting for several one-day volunteer projects. Opportunities include: restoration, trail building, agriculture, ditch maintenance, vegetation management, forestry projects, and seed collections.
Visit the Volunteer Cooperative for citywide opportunities.
The Boulder Open Space Conservancy (BOSC) is a non-profit organization that protects, enhances, and preserves Boulder’s natural legacy of open space and mountain parks for all our citizens and visitors, for current and future generations. Visit the BOSC webpage for volunteer opportunities.
Adaptive recreation volunteers will support outreach staff by assisting with adaptive programming for people with disabilities. Programming to include, but not limited to wheelchair hikes and all-terrain handcycle rides for both people with disabilities and people just wanting to have a better understanding of disabilities. There may be some assembling/disassembling of wheelchairs for transport, basic handcycle maintenance, and lifting involved.
Program currently full.
Volunteers have been helping Open Space and Mountain Parks staff care for healthy ecosystems for many years. Agricultural monitoring supports staff knowledge of soil and plant health on agriculture properties. The data collected in this project will inform sustainable decision making regarding grazing, crop rotation and other integrated management practices.
Program currently full.
Bat monitors head out at dusk to ponds and bat roost sites, performing auditory and visual bat population counts May through September. Information gathered aids resource conservation decisions.
Recruiting in spring.
The Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol is a multi-agency program with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), City of Boulder Parks and Recreation, and Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA). Patrollers ride trails, assisting and educating mountain bikers and other park users. The goal is to promote a positive recreational experience on the trails. All volunteers are required to attend a one day training. Volunteers may contact patrol@bouldermountainbike.org with questions.
Program currently full.
Are you interested in helping others learn about how to responsibly hike with their dog? Do you hike with your dog on OSMP trails and feel you can mentor responsible behavior for other trail users? Then the OSMP volunteer Dog Ambassador program might be for you - this is a unique opportunity to get out and volunteer with your furry companion, focused on modeling appropriate dog/guardian behavior, educating visitors about the voice and sight program, and sharing canine related safety and land stewardship considerations.
Program currently full.
Maintain the Ann Armstrong Memorial Native Garden at the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage while learning how to cultivate many kinds of Colorado wildflowers, shrubs and other native plants. Volunteers provide information on native gardening to curious visitors. Minimal gardening experience necessary.
Recruiting in spring.
The Native Seed Collection Volunteer Lead directly supports Native Seed Collection One-Day Volunteer Projects (ODVP). This position provides Volunteer Services and Resource Staff support at Seed Collection Projects. This role is committed to July until November. Select projects occur during weekday mornings.
Program currently full.
Volunteer Naturalists lead inspirational and educational hikes that help connect children to OSMP’s natural and cultural history, conveying the vital message of resource stewardship. Leading programs that focus on environmental education and enrichment, volunteer Naturalists frequently visit local schools for in-class programs, in addition to leading outdoor educational experiences throughout our trail system. With access to many different OSMP educational props, volunteer Naturalists are able to give back to their community by teaching the next generation of Boulder leaders.
Recruiting in Jan. 2024 for a spring training.
Volunteers appointed by City Council research issues, advise on policy, and recommend purchases of properties. This assignment requires application through the City of Boulder.
Please visit the Open Space Board of Trustees page for more information.
Beginning in 1985, Volunteer Raptor Monitors have helped protect important nesting sites along the Front Range by providing weekly observation reports to OSMP staff throughout the breeding season (February through July). Volunteer raptor monitors conduct site visits that frequently last several hours at a time, observing raptor behavior, nest status, and fledgling activity. This information is utilized by OSMP ecologists to make resource management decisions, including seasonal closures. Additionally, Raptor Monitors are trained on how to efficiently report any closure violations they observe, further protecting raptor nest viability. Volunteers commit to a minimum of 4 hours per week during the breeding season, and agree to keep nesting site locations confidential.
Recruiting in Dec. 2023 for a Jan. or Feb. 2024 training.
Invasive weeds can degrade habitat, reduce plant and animal diversity and alter ecosystem balance. Addressing weed management early and often is key to conserving sustainable open lands. Volunteers assist land managers with assigned mechanical eradication efforts as a part of an integrated land management plan. Resource Restoration Stewards make a seasonal commitment in their designated area. Volunteers work independently on a schedule that is convenient to them.
Program currently full.
OSMP Trail Ambassadors enhance and promote positive visitor experiences. They provide visitors with information on recreation, natural and cultural history, safety, regulations and more. Trail Ambassadors assist visitors in need and serve as extra eyes and ears on the OSMP system.
Recruiting late summer 2024 for a fall training.
Visitor Ambassadors greet and assist visitors at Chautauqua Ranger Cottage, Flagstaff Nature Center, Chautauqua Trailhead, and occasionally at other OSMP trailheads and events. (You can choose to work at one location or various.) Some Ambassador work is done alongside staff and other times on your own or with other volunteers. Ambassadors provide information on OSMP natural and cultural resources, trails and directions, safety considerations and hiking tips and observe and report visitor issues and inquiries.
Recruiting in spring.
Event photographer volunteers capture photographic images during volunteer project events to help support future media and messaging.
Program currently full.
To login to your City of Boulder volunteer account, please visit Count Me In Boulder - a citywide volunteer coordination and event management database.
Raptor and Bat Monitors can follow the links below to submit their reports:
Email: VolunteerOSMP@bouldercolorado.gov
