Capital and stewardship (CAST) projects are prioritized through a process that starts with the department’s internal strategic plan. Each workgroup identifies projects for the upcoming year based on their strategic priorities. Proposed projects are ranked based on strategic alignment and a variety of additional factors.
Capital projects flow from management plans and master plans adopted by the Board of County Commissioners following a public process. Additional factors are priorities in the department’s 2025 Strategic Focus, purchase agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and requests from communities and the public.
Stewardship projects come from the Stewardship Fund, a new funding opportunity created in 2021 as a result of the department’s internal strategic planning efforts. This funding is designed to help address maintenance backlog and strategic projects that are over and above normal operating budgets.
2025 Projects
The Boulder County Parks & Open Space 2025 budget request included approximately $7.4 million in funds from county open space sales tax revenues for 40 capital and stewardship projects.
Each year, the department strategically plans capital and stewardship projects in addition to ongoing annual work funded through each division’s operating budget. These projects are prioritized based on the department’s 2025 strategic priorities (Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusion, Resilience, Maintenance Backlog, and Safety), management plan commitments, funding, readiness, and other practical considerations.
2026 Projects
On June 26, 2025, the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee voted to recommend approval of the 2026 capital and stewardship projects. The projects will be incorporated into the overall budget requests presented to the Board of County Commissioners later this year.
Annual Open Space and Trail Requests
Each year the county invites the municipalities of Boulder County to submit requests for open space and trail projects. This is an opportunity to continue exploring and expanding partnerships on open space acquisitions and trail projects.