The Partnership Program involves diverse businesses and organizations in the long-term stewardship of our parks and open space land through annual participation in inspirational volunteer projects.
The program was conceived in 2008 after a visit from Brian O’Neil who was the General Superintendent of Golden Gate National Park in San Francisco. O’Neil gave an inspirational talk about the successful Partnership Program that Golden Gate has developed over a decade to help with the stewardship of public land. This visit motivated Boulder County Parks and Open Space to expand our community partnerships beyond one-day group volunteer projects or individual volunteer opportunities to more long-term, ongoing involvement of businesses and organizations.
Sadly, Brian O’Neil passed away in 2009. Upon his passing, Greg Moore, Executive Director of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy said of O’Neil, “He intrinsically knew that any aspiration, any special place, any worthy program – needs a community of people loyal to the vision and committed to one another and their common purpose.”
We currently have 40 devoted groups committed to recruiting between 10 to 40 members for one or more projects each year to help us care for special places. Our expert volunteer coordinators work closely with members of the stewardship team to schedule projects involving tree planting, seed collecting, weed pulling, trail building and maintenance. The department provides tools, training, and guidance. In return for the stewardship team’s involvement in the program, they are recognized with a sign acknowledging their organization’s participation along with a framed photograph, an invitation to an annual Partnership Event and mention of their participation in the department publications and website.
A Long-Term Commitment
Many current partners have been with us since the inception of the program, and a few groups volunteered on an ongoing basis before the program began. We have 16 partners celebrating their five year anniversary with us. They include: Amgen, Backpacker Magazine, Boulder Area Trails Coalition, Boulder County Horse Association, Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, Boulder Trail Runners, Boy Scouts of Boulder County, Corden Pharma, CU MBA, Eldorado K-8, Geocachers, Global Leadership Academy, New Vista High School, Redstone Cyclery, Smartwool and Stratus Consulting.
Over the last five years, we welcomed the following businesses and organizations to our stewardship family. Alexander Dawson School, Alpha Phi Omega, Boulder Climbing Community, CU – Program for Writing and Rhetoric, CU Upward Bound, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Chemical Corporation, Level 3, Merck Pharmaceutical, Qualcomm, Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures, Vecchios Biccliterria, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and Wildland Restoration Volunteers.
In 2013, we welcome Covidien, Lefthand Outdoor Challenge Program, Leisure Trends Group, Nederland Area Trails Organization, Only Natural Pet Food Store and Ultrarunners. This year we celebrated our partnerships with the community at the annual Partnership Event held at the Longmont Museum in advance of the exhibit opening of “Carve! Selected Works from the Champion Cottonwood.” Representatives from our partner organizations gathered for savory and sweet appetizers provided by Guillaume’s European Catering and were presented with a framed photograph by Michael Lohr. Boulder County Commissioners expressed their sincere thanks to our stewardship partners for their allegiance to our beloved open space and trails.
A Grateful Staff
Boulder County Parks and Open Space staff is extremely grateful for the capable help of partners in the challenging days following the epic flood in September 2013. It will take many months and even years to fully recover from this phenomenon. Having our steadfast partners ready to assist as we begin projects is extraordinarily beneficial to restoration efforts. When Brian O’Neil visited us back in 2007, he spoke about the many unexpected benefits that arise when partnering with local businesses and organizations. This community of partners helping us recover after the flood is another remarkable benefit of having heeded Brian O’Neil’s encouragement to engage the community in partnership.
Preserve working on trails.