Our Work
governance
government transparency
Open Boulder’s governance vision? A city that harnesses the ideas and concerns of people who are often too busy with life to engage politically – working people, students, seniors, families, and others –and is responsive to what the majority of its residents want.
As a data-driven agent of change, Open Boulder will use forums, panel discussions, surveys, Q&A events, and social media to measure citizen concerns and communicate those concerns to decision makers. Open Boulder has committed to an open source, citizen-centric approach that emphasizes government transparency, collaboration and accessibility.
access to open space
osmp master plan
The Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP) Master Plan will shape the City of Boulder’s approach to future stewardship questions, such as:
How to continue conservation of natural, cultural and scenic areas while also providing enjoyable visitor experiences
How to address population growth with increased visitation
How the city will make its natural areas more resilient amid climate change
OSMP will use community feedback as well as input from staff and the Open Space Board of Trustees to develop revised Master Plan strategies. Community input and a statistically valid survey in early 2019 will inform how these draft strategies will be integrated and compared against three funding scenarios and financial sustainability strategies.
indian peaks traverse
The Vision
Indian Peaks Traverse began with a committed group of outdoor enthusiasts in the Boulder area. While Boulder County has a wonderful collection of trail systems, there has long been a desire among passive recreationists to connect some of these great routes and provide for longer-distance adventures. Many of us have enjoyed iconic routes like the Colorado Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Kokopelli Trail, the John Muir Trail, and others, and we’ve dreamed of creating a similar experience in our own backyard. Thus, the vision of the Indian Peaks Traverse—an official route (mostly off-road) connecting the Front Range foothills to the high peaks of Grand County—was born.
Regional Connectivity!
The IPT itself is part of a greater vision. It’s an important piece of regional trail connectivity in the Front Range and has the potential to be a link in a vast trail system connecting communities far and wide. The eastern end of the IPT would connect to the proposed Rocky Mountain Greenway, which will ultimately connect Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Flats, and Rocky Mountain National Park. The IPT will also link to the Colorado Front Range Trail which will eventually connect New Mexico to Wyoming across 15 cities. And, of course, the IPT crosses and connects to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
There are also many existing and proposed regional trails in Boulder County and Grand County that would allow a growing list of communities to access this regional trail network from their homes. Together, these trails could form an amazing loop from Denver to Estes Park, Grand Lake, Winter Park, Boulder and back to Denver. It’s a far-reaching vision for sure, but it’s an exciting one—and the IPT is a critical piece of the puzzle.
Wonderland Lake
integrated site projects
OSMP is currently developing a Integrated Site Project (ISP) for the Wonderland Lake area.
Goals these ISPs intend to achieve are:
How best to implement previously approved OSMP plans.
Improving visitor experiences and sustaining important natural areas.
Addressing other open space values as outlined in the Boulder City Charter.
OSMP will host a community and neighborhood meeting to hear input on the Wonderland Lake Integrated Site Project (ISP) later this winter/early spring.
Please see results from a questionnaire OSMP has conducted for this project in the Wonderland Lake site.
coalition building
The Boulder Public Lands Coalition is a free standing organization, and not affiliated with Open Boulder. Open Boulder is however providing initial resources to create and formalize the coalition as that separate entity.The BPLC seeks to unite the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands and ensure those lands are managed in a way that embraces the human and horse powered experience. Currently an ad hoc coalition, BPLC hopes to include organizations that represent over 20,000 bird watchers, climbers, coaches, dog walkers, gravel & road cyclists, hikers, horseback riders, land managers, local bicycle shops, mountain bicyclists, non-profit advocacy organizations, outdoor equipment and clothing manufacturers or retailers, para-gliders, regional trail advocates, stroller parents, trail builders, trail runners & walkers in the Boulder area.
We believe that a unified outdoor recreation community is the best way to protect the outdoors. By connecting thousands of outdoor enthusiasts, Boulder outdoor coalition works to protect, promote, and enhance human-powered recreation, and ensures the best protections for places that matter to the outdoor recreation community.