Open Space & Mountain Parks

2025 Budget

2025 Budget:

$41,421,863

147.60 FTE

Department Overview:

The Open Space & Mountain Parks Department (OSMP) preserves and protects the natural environment and land resources that characterize Boulder. The department fosters appreciation and uses that to sustain the natural values of the land for current and future generations.

OSMP budget changes in 2025 include base cost increases to account for living wage adjustments to temporary positions and minimum wage adjustments to seasonal positions. The department is also supporting the addition of two grant-funded, fixed-term positions to coordinate the Mount Sanitas Trail Improvement Project. OSMP's 2025 budget includes realignment of the Volunteerism, Service Learning & Partnerships work group to combine with the Education & Outreach work group.

Summary of 2025 Budget Enhancements and Realignments:

1) Base cost increases to account for living wage adjustments to temporary positions and minimum wage adjustments to seasonal positions.

2) Realignment of the Volunteerism, Service Learning & Partnerships work group to combine with the Education & Outreach work group. This includes elimination of a vacant Volunteerism, Service Learning & Partnerships Senior Manager position (-1.0 FTE). The work group previously reporting to that role will report to the existing Community Outreach Senior Manager.

3) Addition of two fixed-term, grant-funded positions to coordinate the Mount Sanitas Trail Improvement Project.

Department Programs:

Operating Budget (FY2023-2025)

Expenditure by Program

Program Overview

Administration (Environmentally Sustainable)

The Administration program is comprised of the OSMP Director’s Team and the Business Services work group. This program ensures strategic alignment of OSMP’s projects with the department’s mission and priorities, including implementation of the Master Plan and focus on strategic enhancements like equity, climate resilience, and presence on the land. Administration also supports the customer service and finance tasks in the department, including preparation, analysis, and management of the OSMP budget and related financial systems. This program includes the director, deputy directors, and business services staff.

Open Space Central Services

The Central Services program supports the daily internal operations of the department. This division offers real estate, information resources, and planning services, including acquisition of land interests, addressing real estate related matters, and management of easement requests; management of data, geographic information systems, and web content; and department-wide planning and design efforts.

Community Connections

The Community Connections program engages community members around the mission and vision of OSMP. This program coordinates public-facing community efforts in education, outreach, volunteerism, and Ranger services, including volunteer projects and services, as well as the Junior Ranger Program; and visitor engagement, emergency response, and law enforcement.

Resource Stewardship

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.

Visitor Experience & Infrastructure

The Visitor Experience & Infrastructure program supports the OSMP mission and focuses primarily in the realm of responsible recreation, stewardship and enjoyment. Through the work of a variety of teams, staff annually complete the design, construction, and management of OSMP’s physical infrastructure related to visitor experience and infrastructure. The program also includes a subprogram area related to Recreation and Cultural Stewardship which has a major focus on recreation management, historic and cultural resources, and human dimensions. This sub program compliments the infrastructure teams through strategic recreation management, critical data gathering, synthesis and analysis to inform decision-making and management activities and ensures the long-term preservation of historic and cultural resources. The team is responsible for managing OSMP’s trails network, signs and graphics, trailheads, and other access points; office buildings and other structures across the open space system; the department’s equipment and vehicle assets; cultural resources on the system; and research around visitor use and impacts.