{"id":3056,"date":"2025-03-01T12:15:28","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=3056"},"modified":"2025-12-04T08:29:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:29:50","slug":"boulder-county-parks-open-space-50th-anniversary-how-did-we-get-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/boulder-county-parks-open-space-50th-anniversary-how-did-we-get-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Boulder County Parks & Open Space 50th Anniversary: How Did We Get Here?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we enjoy our open spaces today, we might forget that they weren\u2019t always protected. While we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Boulder County\u2019s open space program, let\u2019s recognize all the hard work that got us here.<\/p>\n

Recognizing The Past<\/h2>\n

Any comprehensive history of land in Boulder County is incomplete without recognizing the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and other Indigenous communities who lived and continue to live here today. Nearly 50 nations and tribes have ancestral ties to land in Boulder County and the greater Colorado area. Boulder County acknowledges the legacy of colonization, removal, and harm to Indigenous communities that led to the creation of these agencies. Acknowledging this painful history is one step Boulder County is taking toward meaningful healing, as we learn from the past and try repair the harm of our legacy.<\/p>\n

Early Efforts<\/h2>\n

Boulder County residents and leaders were thinking about land conservation as long as 66 years ago. Some of the earliest county efforts were led by civic-minded people who foresaw the trends of increasing population and urban development leading to loss of rural landscapes, scenic views, and wildlife habitat. In the early 1960s, the county\u2019s Regional Planning Commission laid the groundwork with goals for parks, recreation, and open space, and established the institutional framework to accomplish these goals.<\/p>\n

In 1967, City of Boulder voters became the first in the nation to pass a tax to preserve a greenbelt. That same year, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) appointed the first members of the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC).<\/p>\n

The following year, 1968, was a big year for the county: In June, POSAC recommended the establishment of a Parks & Open Space District. In July, the Long Range Planning Commission adopted Basic Goals & Objectives for Parks & Open Space. In September, the BOCC requested the planning commission to draw up a plan for the formation of a County Parks & Recreation District (this concept eventually evolved to become Boulder County Parks & Open Space). In December, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) presented the Regional Open Space Plan for the 12-county Denver Metropolitan Statistical Area, including Boulder County.<\/p>\n

The notion of local funding to protect open space was catching on. In 1972, Jefferson County voters passed a sales tax to protect lands in their county, thanks to the efforts of the Jeffco League of Women Voters and PLAN Jeffco. This gave Jefferson County the distinction of the first county in the nation to pass an open space tax.<\/p>\n

Here in Boulder County, the first open space planner was hired in 1972 to prepare an open space plan and the BOCC adopted an open space policy statement. The open space acquisition fund was established in 1973 with a private donation. Also in 1973, the county leased the 130-acre Bald Mountain holding from the Colorado State Land Board, and the Bald Mountain Scenic Area became the first county open space property to open to the public. After 49 years of leasing, the county purchased the Bald Mountain parcel from the State Land Board in 2022.<\/p>\n

POSAC members worked hard to gather community input on the open space plan through surveys (30,000 were distributed through public schools!) and neighborhood meetings. In 1974, the BOCC adopted POSAC\u2019s proposal to reorganize the open space program.<\/p>\n

\"Six<\/a><\/p>\n

Country Cousin<\/h2>\n

Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS) became a reality on Jan. 1, 1975. With no dedicated funding source compared to the City of Boulder, Boulder County\u2019s program was akin to a poor country cousin, scraping together funding from a variety of sources: federal grants, donations, and the county\u2019s general fund. Some land came to the department through land use regulatory actions such as subdivision dedications for parks. Open space staff learned to be very creative with the use of rolling options to stretch land acquisition dollars and spread out a purchase over a period of years. This process was used for two iconic land purchases in 1977: the county\u2019s first large open space acquisition \u2014 725 acres of Betasso Preserve for $925\/acre \u2014 paid in annual installments from 1977 to 1986; and the first 268 acres of the 2,566-acre Walker Ranch for about $1,000\/acre. The final Walker Ranch purchase was completed in 1984.<\/p>\n

Third Time A Charm?<\/h2>\n

Boulder County\u2019s first and second attempts at an open space sales tax failed in 1978 and 1989. However, as population growth fueled development, people were becoming alarmed by the changing landscape in the county. While the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service manage a majority of the western portion of Boulder County, on the plains, farmland was disappearing, and towns were expanding and growing together. Former Gov. Dick Lamm famously predicted that Colorado\u2019s Front Range from Fort Collins to Pueblo would become one solid urban corridor. In the 1980s and 1990s, it seemed that every local election was dominated by debates about the role of local government in land conservation.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1978, set forth a vision to channel development to urban areas, protect agricultural lands, and prioritize environmental and natural resources in land use decisions.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the work of POSAC and early visionary leaders who worked hard to show the benefits of an open space plan, the third time was indeed \u201cthe charm,\u201d and the county\u2019s open space sales and use tax was approved by voters in 1993: 0.25% for 15 years, 1994 to 2009.<\/p>\n

County voters have approved extending or increasing the sales tax a total of eight times since that first tax in 1993, enabling the county to increase its conserved lands from about 3,500 acres in 1993 to more than 107,000 acres in 2025. The current county open space sales and use tax is 0.475%. And today, most of Boulder County\u2019s communities have their own open space taxes, including Boulder (0.15%), Lafayette (0.5%), Longmont (0.2%), Louisville (0.375%), and Superior (0.3%). Boulder County works collaboratively with all communities in the county to prioritize open space acquisitions and trails.<\/p>\n

County Open Space Today<\/h2>\n

Today, the county\u2019s open space program is so much more than land acquisitions, though that remains an important part of our work. Open space is one of the county\u2019s important tools for keeping cities from bleeding together, maintaining intact and productive farms and ranches, and protecting biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Our staff, partners, and volunteers contribute in countless ways:<\/h3>\n