{"id":3302,"date":"2025-12-04T08:08:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=3302"},"modified":"2025-12-04T13:49:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T20:49:54","slug":"ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In recognition of the growing wildfire risk in the region, Boulder County has established the <a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercounty.gov\/open-space\/management\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/\">Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program<\/a> to address hazardous fuels along ditch corridors and waterways. These corridors, while critical for irrigation, agriculture, municipal water delivery, and ecological function, can also serve as vectors for wildfire spread because of continuous fuel loads and accumulated biomass.<\/p>\n<p>The program is administered by Boulder County Parks &amp; Open Space, via the Water Resources Group within the Agricultural Resources Division and is supported through perpetual funding from the 2022 ballot measure 1A Wildfire Mitigation Sales Tax Initiative. Its purpose is to reduce wildfire hazards along ditch systems while ensuring compatibility with water resource management, agricultural operations, and habitat conservation.<\/p>\n<p>The program has four main objectives. First, we aim to reduce risk to the community through identification and mitigation of hazardous fuel concentrations, particularly in areas adjacent to residential development, municipalities, and critical infrastructure. Second, our hope is to collaborate with all of our stakeholders. The goal is to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with ditch companies, homeowners associations, municipalities, federal and state resource agencies, and other land management partners. Third, we need to find the best ecological balance that maintains or enhances wildlife habitat and ecosystem function while prioritizing public safety. Our last objective is to create sustainable operations that prevent the reaccumulation of hazardous fuels in ditch corridors.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3304\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3304\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1094\" data-lbwps-height=\"825\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo-300x226.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3304\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo-1024x772.jpg\" alt=\"Parks &amp; Open Space staff member approaches a work site full of partner agency vehicles\" width=\"640\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo-1024x772.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo-768x579.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AG-Photo.jpg 1094w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews from multiple agencies work alongside Boulder County as part of a coordinated wildfire mitigation effort that brings together jurisdictions, landscapes, and communities to reduce wildfire risk and protect vital infrastructure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Because this program is still in its infancy, we are considering a number of strategies to implement our mitigation plans. Thus far we have found the simplest tool to be removal and transportation of all dead, woody biomass to offsite facilities for mulching so it can return the nutrients back to the land. In the long run, however, this may not be the most cost-effective strategy. We have also done some onsite chipping and redistribution of woody material. However, this may be perceived as rearranging of fuels unless we can incorporate the use of mycelium to accelerate decomposition.<\/p>\n<p>We have also incorporated some targeted grazing (e.g., goats) to manage fine fuels and regrowth, but again, these contracts might not be financially feasible for long-term planning. Despite being potentially hot topics, we are also exploring the use of environmentally friendly herbicides to manage woody growth along ditch banks and the use of prescribed fire where feasible, recognizing the limited operational window and environmental considerations. Lastly, as the summer growing season winds down, we are focusing our efforts on elective thinning and clearing of legacy slash piles to reduce continuity of fire-carrying fuels.<\/p>\n<p>During the program\u2019s initial phase, the ditch mitigation staff will prioritize stakeholder engagement and joint planning to ensure coordinated action across jurisdictions and land ownerships. Operational priorities will focus on addressing the most hazardous slash accumulations, especially those near communities or within high-risk corridors. The areas of highest concern are outlined in the county\u2019s recently updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This is based on independent fire modeling and historical weather patterns in the area.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, the program hopes to establish ongoing fuel management cycles to maintain reduced risk conditions, prevent fuel buildup, and enhance wildfire resilience across the county\u2019s ditch network. Adaptive management practices will be employed to incorporate stakeholder input, evolving science, and monitoring results into long-term strategies. This program will only succeed if we can maintain close coordination with our land management partners, local municipalities, ditch companies, and conservation organizations. The Boulder County Parks &amp; Open Space Agricultural Resources Division is committed to balancing wildfire risk reduction with the protection of ecological values and the operational needs of water delivery systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recognition of the growing wildfire risk in the region, Boulder County has established the Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program to address hazardous fuels along ditch corridors and waterways. These corridors, while critical for irrigation, agriculture, municipal water delivery, and ecological function, can also serve as vectors for wildfire spread because of continuous fuel loads and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-3302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-winter-2025"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - 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\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In recognition of the growing wildfire risk in the region, Boulder County has established the Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program to address hazardous fuels along ditch corridors and waterways. These corridors, while critical for irrigation, agriculture, municipal water delivery, and ecological function, can also serve as vectors for wildfire spread because of continuous fuel loads and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/\" \/>\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=\"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6-1024x614.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"614\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Summer Alameel\" \/>\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=\"Summer Alameel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Summer Alameel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/36c7e5f4732f1bc4188d4c72b5a7a596\"},\"headline\":\"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":640,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Winter 2025\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Agriculture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - Images\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1152,\"caption\":\"A staff person cuts down trees near a ditch\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/agriculture\\\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\\\/i\\\/\",\"name\":\"Images\",\"description\":\"Articles from Boulder County Parks &amp; 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\\\/36c7e5f4732f1bc4188d4c72b5a7a596\",\"name\":\"Summer Alameel\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - 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\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - Images","og_description":"In recognition of the growing wildfire risk in the region, Boulder County has established the Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program to address hazardous fuels along ditch corridors and waterways. These corridors, while critical for irrigation, agriculture, municipal water delivery, and ecological function, can also serve as vectors for wildfire spread because of continuous fuel loads and [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/","og_site_name":"Images","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BoulderCountyOpenSpace","article_published_time":"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":614,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6-1024x614.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Summer Alameel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BoulderCountyOS","twitter_site":"@BoulderCountyOS","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Summer Alameel","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/"},"author":{"name":"Summer Alameel","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#\/schema\/person\/36c7e5f4732f1bc4188d4c72b5a7a596"},"headline":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program","datePublished":"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/"},"wordCount":640,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg","keywords":["Winter 2025"],"articleSection":["Agriculture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/","name":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program - Images","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-04T15:08:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T20:49:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg","width":1920,"height":1152,"caption":"A staff person cuts down trees near a ditch"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/agriculture\/ditch-wildfire-mitigation-program\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Boulder County Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/","name":"Images","description":"Articles from Boulder County Parks &amp; 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\/36c7e5f4732f1bc4188d4c72b5a7a596","name":"Summer Alameel"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":703,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/betasso-forestry-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":0},"title":"Betasso Preserve: Projects that Protect","author":"Staff","date":"08\/27\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Update on 1\/15\/2016 The project to thin 90 acres at Betasso Preserve has been postponed. The project was originally scheduled to start in early 2016 and would reduce the density of ponderosa pine by 50 to 70 percent on county land adjacent to the City of Boulder's Water Treatment Plant.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Betasso forestry map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/betasso-forestry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/betasso-forestry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/betasso-forestry.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/betasso-forestry.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/betasso-forestry.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2923,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/research\/grassland-fuels-wildfire\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":1},"title":"Research: Grassland Fuels and Wildfire Risk","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"09\/01\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Boulder County Parks & Open Space 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 2023 study conducted by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Research&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A vast grassland with long, feather-like grasses swaying in the wind under a bright blue sky. In the background, the iconic Flatirons rise against the horizon, providing a striking contrast to the soft movement of the grasses in the foreground. The scene is peaceful and expansive, capturing the beauty of nature.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feathergrass-at-Zaharias-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":356,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/reducing-fire-hazards-at-mud-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":2},"title":"Reducing Fire Hazards at Mud Lake","author":"Staff","date":"02\/28\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2014, the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department is treating approximately 100 acres at Mud Lake Open Space for wildfire fuel reduction. The hazardous fuels reduction treatment plan was approved in the 2004 Mud Lake Management Plan, and the 2010 FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant awarded in 2013. Hazardous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mud Lake treatment area map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mudlaketreamentmap.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1840,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/research\/forest-fire-thinning-wild-bees\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":3},"title":"Research: Forest Fire, Thinning, &#038; Wild Bees","author":"Staff","date":"09\/01\/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 &quot;Research&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bee","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bee-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":741,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/news\/reflections-on-open-space-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":4},"title":"Reflections on 40 Years (Part 3)","author":"Staff","date":"08\/27\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Part three of a four-part series Think of Boulder County Parks and Open Space and what comes to mind? Maybe hiking at Walker Ranch, birding at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, biking at Heil Valley Ranch, fishing along South Boulder Creek, or the stunning views along the Peak to Peak Highway.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"farms on open space","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/grasses.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1354,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/land-management\/fire-zone-defense\/","url_meta":{"origin":3302,"position":5},"title":"Protection from Fire: Zone Defense","author":"Staff","date":"02\/26\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2015, Boulder County Parks & Open Space (BCPOS) was awarded two grants to create defensible space around 99 structures on 15 county open space properties. We received a $306,212 hazard mitigation grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a $345,000 wildfire risk reduction grant from the State\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Land Management&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Land Management","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/land-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Forest fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/forest-fire.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\/3302","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\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3302"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3336,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3302\/revisions\/3336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}