Posts tagged OSMP
Boulder will burn its open space
Mar 13th
City to conduct prescribed grassland burns this month
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) department and the Boulder Fire Department will be conducting prescribed grassland burns this month. The burns will be conducted only if environmental and weather conditions fall within city burn plan guidelines. Ignitions will not begin before 10 a.m. and will end no later than 2 p.m.
Prescribed burns will be conducted at the following sites:
- OSMP Fell property, a 15-acre site located north of Valmont Road and east of 75th Street,
- OSMP Van Vleet property, a 25-acre site located west of South Boulder Creek and south of South Boulder Road.
- OSMP Gephard property, a 20-acre site located east of South Boulder Creek, north of South Boulder Road, and west of Cherryvale Rd.
Boulder’s ecosystems have evolved with fire over thousands of years. The prescribed burning of these areas will improve habitat for native plants and wildlife.
Additionally, OSMP, in conjunction with the Boulder Fire Department, will be conducting ditch burns throughout the spring on the city’s agricultural properties. OSMP has significant shares of water rights used primarily to support agricultural activity in the Boulder Valley. Ditch burning is important to the productivity of agricultural cropland and the efficiency of water delivery. Periodic burning removes the build up of plant debris in irrigation ditches and also keeps weeds at bay, reducing herbicide use. Burning is a cost effective way to clear irrigation ditches before the spring water run off.
No burning will occur on Red Air Quality days. Trained fire personnel and natural resource advisors will be on site during this activity.
For questions about prescribed burning on OSMP properties, please call 303-441-3440 or visit www.OSMP.org.
The eagles and falcons are coming to Boulder Flatirons, open space
Jan 24th
Open Space and Mountain Parks begins seasonal cliff-nesting raptor closures
The City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department is temporarily closing areas in order to protect nesting and roosting raptors. The following areas and formations will be closed from Feb. 1 through July 31:
Golden eagle feeding a chick
- Lefthand Canyon Palisades, at the intersection of Lefthand Canyon Drive and Olde Stage Road (Buckingham picnic area remains open);
- Mount Sanitas, First Buttress, accessible from the Mount Sanitas trailhead, .5 miles west of Fourth Street and Mapleton Avenue (no closures to the bouldering areas along the ridge; Mount Sanitas trail will remain open);
- Gregory Canyon Amphitheater, including the Amphitheater Express Trail and the 3rd Pinnacle (the Amphitheater Trail to Saddle Rock will remain open);
- Third Flatiron, including the East and West Ironing Boards, Queen Anne’s Head and Jaws, and WC Pinnacle, accessible from Chautauqua trailhead;
- Flagstaff Mountain: the north side of Flagstaff Mountain will be closed (the Boy Scout Trail will remain open);
- Skunk Canyon, including Ridge 2, 3 and 4, the Aechean Pronouncement, the Dreadnaught, the North Ridge and the entirety of Sacred Cliffs, accessible from NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- The Back Porch and The Box, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- Bear Creek Spire, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- Fern Canyon, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road (the designated Fern Canyon hiking trail will remain open);
- Shadow Canyon and the Matron, accessible from the South Mesa Trailhead (the Maiden will remain open and accessible from the east and the designated Shadow Canyon hiking trail will remain open);
- The Sphinx, accessible from the NCAR trailhead at the west end of Table Mesa Road;
- Diamond Head and SoBo Buttress, west of Shadow Canyon, accessible from South Mesa Trailhead (South Boulder Peak Trail will remain open);
- The entire Mickey Mouse wall, accessible from the Goshawk Ridge Trail.
High-quality cliff habitat and rich food resources on OSMP lands, as well as community cooperation to protect nesting sites, sustains the mountain backdrop as a regionally important area for nesting falcons and golden eagles. OSMP volunteers and staff have been monitoring raptor nesting and roosting areas since 1984 and the program is an integral part in protecting the species and adaptively managing the closures.
Trespass violations can result in a summons with penalties up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. OSMP relies heavily on the public to respect the closures, and the cooperation of visitors to these areas is greatly appreciated. Closures may be lifted early if no raptor activity is observed at these sites.
Up-to-date information on raptor closures and closure maps can be found on the Open Space and Mountain Parks’ Web site: www.osmp.org. or call 303-441-3440.
Open Space and Mountain Parks receives Excellence in Working with the Disabled Award
Jul 29th
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) department has received the Excellence in Working with the Disabled Award as a “cultural venue” from the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC). Topher Downham, education and outreach coordinator, accepted the award for OSMP at CCDC’s Annual Disability Awards ceremony on Tuesday July 26.
“OSMP is very honored to receive this award,” said Downham. “Connection with nature and the outdoors is important for everyone, including the disabled.”
OSMP provides access to the outdoors for people with disabilities through numerous accessible trails and trailheads. An online wheelchair-accessible trail guide is available at www.osmp.org. Many free educational hikes are also available to people with disabilities, and most are led by a person with a disability.
CCDC is Colorado’s only statewide organization run by and for people with all types of disabilities. CCDC enforces and implements the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) statewide, provides quality advocacy assistance to thousands, works with allied disability organizations on important issues, and offers expertise on creating polices and legislation benefitting people with disabilities throughout Colorado. The CCDC’s Annual Disability Awards honors those whose work has enriched or benefitted the lives of people with disabilities statewide.
