Resource Stewardship
Environmentally Sustainable
Open Space & Mountain Parks
FY2025 Budget
Program Budget Overview
Description
The Resource Stewardship program enhances Boulder’s natural and agricultural environment by protecting its ecological, agricultural, and water assets. This program contains expertise in ecosystem and natural resource conservation and management, ecological systems, wildfire resilience and climate resilience, including preservation and restoration of ecological, agricultural and water resources; research and monitoring of the variety of natural and agricultural systems across OSMP; and work to enhance wildfire and climate resilience on Open Space and adjacent lands.
Summary of 2025 Budget Enhancements and Realignments:
1) Base cost increases to account for living wage adjustments to temporary positions.
Resource Stewardship Subprograms:
Agricultural & Water Stewardship
Agricultural & Water Stewardship manages agricultural land and leases for the benefit of natural resources and to support local agriculture. This sub-program also manages the department’s extensive water portfolio to benefit natural resources and agriculture, irrigation operations, maintenance, and water rights protection.
Ecological Stewardship
Ecological Stewardship is responsible for understanding, caring for, and promoting the ecological well-being of open space lands within a department-wide context. This group ensures appropriate management, protection and restoration of native grassland, wetland/ riparian and wildlife resources. This includes rare and imperiled habitats and species listed at the local, state and federal level including two species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Science & Climate Resilience
Science & Climate Resilience delivers an integrated approach to science, climate action, and wildfire resilience. Specific services include the delivery of high quality science, transparent science communication, implementation of climate action to increase ecosystem resilience and lower GHG emissions, and enhancements related to wildfire resilient landscapes, wildfire response, and fire-adapted communities.
Vegetation Stewardship
Vegetation Stewardship in OSMP includes forest ecology, restoration plant ecology, and vegetation management. Forest ecology is responsible for restoring and sustaining forest health on OSMP as well as mitigation of wildfire risk to OSMP land and the community. Restoration plant ecology restores degraded lands to maintain native biodiversity and provide improved ecosystem services. Vegetation management provides vegetation and invasive species management for OSMP and addresses the threat noxious and non-native species pose to Boulder’s native ecosystems.
