{"id":2858,"date":"2024-05-30T11:06:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T17:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=2858"},"modified":"2024-05-30T13:37:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T19:37:41","slug":"the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/","title":{"rendered":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2015, I was an intern at a local environmental organization dedicated to avian conservation and environmental education. A couple of years out of college, I felt comfortable navigating the outdoors, having spent time enjoying the natural wonders of Boulder as a teen and young adult. However, my knowledge of the local ecosystem was limited. Although I had my biology degree, my field days were spent focused on the ecosystems of Arizona, not Colorado.<\/p>\n

My boss at the time, recognizing this gap, offered \u2014 well, maybe more accurately, directed me to take some time away from work for a volunteer naturalist training program with Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS). I was familiar with BCPOS, having explored some of their parks before \u2013 Betasso Preserve, with the open ponderosa forest, was a particular favorite of mine. However, the idea of naturalist training conjured up some rather . . . unconventional imagery. \u201cNaturalist,\u201d I thought, bewildered, \u201cLike, the completely nude kind?\u201d<\/p>\n

No, it was the nature-loving kind. And there I found myself, stepping inside the unassuming seafoam green cottage nestled at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat. From a distance, it melts into the surrounding landscape, barely registering among the birds, insects, and trees. Up close, however, the little structure becomes a mystery box, posing the question: \u201cWhat or who is inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, there was a lot of stuff inside. The shelves overflowed with natural treasures: Taxidermy animals, from a bear cub to a sleek mountain lion, and birds of every feather. Rocks and fossils with stories of the past, and leaves, encased in acrylic, capturing the essence of spring. Skulls and bones offered a glimpse into the intricate forms of animals, while detailed models and informative posters dotted the walls. It was a nature nerd\u2019s dream come true!<\/p>\n

As I sat interviewing for the volunteer naturalist training, I couldn\u2019t resist letting my gaze wander across the room, taking in the fascinating natural artifacts that surrounded me. Imagining myself using these very tools to ignite a passion for the environment in the people I worked with filled me with excitement. When the email arrived confirming my acceptance into the program, I was thrilled!<\/p>\n

For me and many others, volunteering provides a purpose, a sense of accomplishment, and an opportunity to foster community and well-being. Volunteering with BCPOS provides people with all of that, while letting them spend time in the places they love, like the ponderosa forests among the foothills, the cottonwood stands out on the plains, and the snow-packed trails at high altitude.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Volunteer naturalist Betsy Neely showing a dried grass sample to a program participant during the Amazing Grasses of Boulder County program at Lyons Community Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Volunteer Naturalist Program<\/h2>\n

The Volunteer Naturalist program was started in 1975, just as the BCPOS was founded. They both started small, but as the department grew, adding more and more acres of land under its management, so did the need for volunteers. The volunteer naturalists supported the department with different projects, as the scope of work for both the staff and volunteers morphed and changed over time.<\/p>\n

Volunteer naturalists were not only \u201cNaturalists\u201d tasked with helping county residents explore and appreciate the natural environment around them, but they were also volunteer historians, agriculturalists, researchers, authors, biologists, botanists, and so much more. Their hat closet was running out of space. In 1982, volunteer naturalists created Nature Detectives, the children\u2019s insert that can be found in the middle of this very publication and every IMAGES publication since. You can also find Nature Detectives Mystery guides and activities in our parks.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A student is in awe as volunteer naturalists compare the size of newborn Black Bears to the size of small can.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the late 1980s, the number of people from the community proudly rocking the moniker \u201cvolunteer naturalist\u201d began to grow. More than 50 volunteer naturalists were helping with all sorts of projects, from researching the farming history of Rock Creek Farm to completing bird surveys at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat. Around this time, there were conversations about creating separate volunteer groups, each with its own training and scope of work. From this once-little volunteer program sprang out our cultural history volunteers that you\u2019ll see at the Agricultural Heritage Center and Nederland Mining Museum, volunteer ranger corps patrolling the parks and trails, and a host of other volunteer opportunities that support the work of BCPOS. Today, the legacy of the volunteer naturalists lives on. The Volunteer Naturalist Program has over 100 active volunteers working to connect Boulder County residents and visitors to the wealth of natural resources and beauty that Boulder County has to offer. Volunteer naturalists continue to serve the public, schools and community groups, seniors, and underrepresented populations, through engaging presentations and programming.<\/p>\n

In a world that faces constant change and growing challenges around climate and the environment, it\u2019s good to know that the Volunteer Naturalist Program, with roots as extensive as the cottonwood, is still around preparing the next generation of stewards to meet these challenges head-on. Register to attend a volunteer naturalist-run program at boco.org\/discover<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Community members at Rabbit Mountain participate in training to become volunteer naturalists. Training is over 10 weeks in early spring and covers a multitude of topics, including wildlife, plant ecology, forestry and geology of Boulder County to name a few.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to Get Involved<\/h2>\n

The Volunteer Naturalist Program seeks volunteers yearly starting in the fall. The application opens in September and closes at the end of October. Candidates are interviewed and selected in November for the following year\u2019s training. The new cohort of eager volunteers begin its journey toward becoming volunteer naturalists with a 10-week training that runs from early January through mid-March. The training covers a wide range of topics, including interpretation basics and classroom management techniques, wildlife, plant ecology, forestry, and the geology of Boulder County. Once trained, volunteers are encouraged to learn from more experienced volunteers through observation and shadowing by attending programs and presentations as they prepare to set off and deliver their very own programs for the community. To access the application and learn more about the specific duties of a volunteer naturalist, visit boco.org\/naturalist<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2015, I was an intern at a local environmental organization dedicated to avian conservation and environmental education. A couple of years out of college, I felt comfortable navigating the outdoors, having spent time enjoying the natural wonders of Boulder as a teen and young adult. However, my knowledge of the local ecosystem was limited. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-2858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-notes","tag-summer-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2015, I was an intern at a local environmental organization dedicated to avian conservation and environmental education. A couple of years out of college, I felt comfortable navigating the outdoors, having spent time enjoying the natural wonders of Boulder as a teen and young adult. However, my knowledge of the local ecosystem was limited. […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BoulderCountyOS\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BoulderCountyOS\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da2f36fa5d1303978a009abad62743a8\"},\"headline\":\"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1052,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/vn-training.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Summer 2024\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Field Notes\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/vn-training.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/vn-training.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/vn-training.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"VN Training is over 10 weeks in early spring and covers a multitude of topics, including wildlife, plant ecology, forestry and geology of Boulder County to name a few.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/field-notes\\\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/\",\"name\":\"Images\",\"description\":\"Articles from Boulder County Parks & Open Space\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Boulder County Parks & Open Space\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/pos-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/10\\\/pos-logo.png\",\"width\":170,\"height\":80,\"caption\":\"Boulder County Parks & Open Space\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BoulderCountyOS\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/BoCoOpenSpace\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/bouldercountyos\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da2f36fa5d1303978a009abad62743a8\",\"name\":\"Staff\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images","og_description":"In 2015, I was an intern at a local environmental organization dedicated to avian conservation and environmental education. A couple of years out of college, I felt comfortable navigating the outdoors, having spent time enjoying the natural wonders of Boulder as a teen and young adult. However, my knowledge of the local ecosystem was limited. […]","og_url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/","og_site_name":"Images","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace","article_published_time":"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BoulderCountyOS","twitter_site":"@BoulderCountyOS","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Staff","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/"},"author":{"name":"Staff","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#\/schema\/person\/da2f36fa5d1303978a009abad62743a8"},"headline":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists","datePublished":"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/"},"wordCount":1052,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","keywords":["Summer 2024"],"articleSection":["Field Notes"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/","name":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists - Images","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-30T17:06:24+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-30T19:37:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","width":1280,"height":768,"caption":"VN Training is over 10 weeks in early spring and covers a multitude of topics, including wildlife, plant ecology, forestry and geology of Boulder County to name a few."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/the-enduring-power-of-our-volunteer-naturalists\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Enduring Power of Our Volunteer Naturalists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/","name":"Images","description":"Articles from Boulder County Parks & Open Space","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#organization","name":"Boulder County Parks & Open Space","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/pos-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/pos-logo.png","width":170,"height":80,"caption":"Boulder County Parks & Open Space"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace","https:\/\/x.com\/BoulderCountyOS","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/BoCoOpenSpace","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/bouldercountyos"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#\/schema\/person\/da2f36fa5d1303978a009abad62743a8","name":"Staff"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vn-training.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3009,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/2024-conservation-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":0},"title":"2024 Conservation Awards","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"12\/01\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sept. 18, Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS) held the annual Conservation Awards ceremony to celebrate the 2024 winners for their outstanding contributions made to the conservation, preservation, and protection of land-based environmental resources as well as their contributions toward connecting our communities to open space. Here are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Group photo of award winners holding their plaques","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ca-award-winners.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ca-award-winners.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ca-award-winners.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ca-award-winners.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ca-award-winners.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3207,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/history\/rooted-in-service-parks-open-space-volunteers\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":1},"title":"Rooted in Service: Parks & Open Space Volunteers","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"09\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From the very beginning, Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS) has been rooted in service. Volunteers have shaped trails, cared for animals, gathered scientific data, shared stories of the past, and connected thousands of residents to the land we call home. As the department grew, so did the dedication\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A group of about 16 smiling Volunteer Naturalists pose playfully in an open field with mountains in the background. Some have their arms stretched wide, others make silly gestures, and two people form the shape of a heart with their arms above their heads.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-21.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-21.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-21.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-21.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-21.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3272,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/2025-conservation-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":2},"title":"2025 Conservation Awards","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"12\/04\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sept. 23, Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS) held the annual Conservation Awards ceremony to celebrate the 2025 winners for their outstanding contributions made to the conservation, preservation, and protection of land-based environmental resources as well as their contributions toward connecting our communities to open space. Here are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Conservation award winners stand with their awards with Boulder County staff.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1890,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/research\/beaver-restoration\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":3},"title":"Research: Beaver Restoration","author":"Staff","date":"12\/09\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Boulder County Parks & Open Space Department offers grants for research on county open space lands each year. All proposals are reviewed by a team of resource specialists, and awarded research projects are monitored during their activities on open space. The following is a summary of a 2019 study\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boulder County streams map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/map.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/map.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/map.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/map.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/map.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1207,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/land-conservation-awards-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":4},"title":"Land Conservation Awards","author":"Staff","date":"05\/30\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"On April 26, the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department (BCPOS) held the annual Land Conservation Awards ceremony. Here are highlights from the special gathering: Land Conservation Award honors individuals, families, and organizations whose contributions demonstrate notable achievements in preserving Boulder County\u2019s agricultural lands. Ron Stewart\u2019s longstanding and dogged\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Land Conservation Awards","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Land-Conservation-Awards.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":982,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/agricultural-heritage-close-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":2858,"position":5},"title":"Agricultural Heritage is Close to Home","author":"Staff","date":"08\/26\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As we transition into fall after months of abundant sun and good growing conditions, it\u2019s time to think about food and a plentiful harvest. Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) has over 25,000 acres of land dedicated for agriculture purposes, and the many farms and ranches on these lands\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Agriculture"","block_context":{"text":"Agriculture","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/agriculture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunrise over a cabbage field","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sunrise-over-cabbage-2012.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2858"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2887,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions\/2887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}