Boulder County, Colo. -The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners approved the Parks & Open Space $1.5 million capital improvement and stewardship budget for 2022 at a public hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 7. These projects range from trails and related facilities; to stream, forest, and wetland improvements; to agriculture and water infrastructure; and to improvements for public outreach and education. Many of these projects are efforts with partner contributions and/or supported with state and federal grants, enabling the county to leverage open space sales tax revenues with an additional $2.8 million for a total project budget of over $4 million, excluding staff time.

A few project highlights:

Northern Leopard Frog Habitat Improvement
Northern Leopard Frog (NLF) is a Species of Special Concern in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and a Tier 1 Colorado State Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Parks & Open Space wildlife staff have detected significant declines in recent years. As part of the Front Range Frog Working Group, Boulder County and City of Boulder will collaborate on restoration of Bush Pond because it has a high chance of success in colonization of NLF from nearby city land. The area has good habitat characteristics if restored. This project achieves the goal of recovering a species of concern of local and statewide importance.

Rock Creek Trail Along 104th Street
Connecting the Coal Creek Trail with Rock Creek Farm via the S. 104th Street corridor is a high priority for Louisville and Lafayette. This 2.1-mile connection will provide access from these two communities to Rock Creek Farm and its trail system through several jointly owned open space properties. Louisville is leading this effort and has secured grant funding to complete Phase I in 2022. The three agency partners are seeking additional grant funding for Phase 2.

Signs Standards & Messaging Manual
A consultant will work with Parks & Open Space to develop standards for signs and sign messaging on parks, trails, and open space lands for more inclusive communications. Standard international symbols and icons will be the preferred way to communicate to have the broadest reach. The terminology and symbols developed in this project will also be applied to all public communications (e.g., temporary and seasonal signs, web pages, social media, brochures, press releases, flyers, newsletters) to promote consistent communications.

Walker Ranch Hay Barn Reroof
Walker Ranch is a landmarked property and one of the most valuable historic farmsteads on county property. A significant portion of the roof shingles have blown off and deterioration continues. This work will ensure that the barn’s roof shingles are secure for decades to come.

A list of projects with full project details, as well as a video of the budget request presentation, can be found at boco.org/POS-Improvements. For questions or more information, please contact Tina Nielsen, Special Projects Manager, at tnielsen@bouldercounty.org or 303-678-6279.