WHAT WE THINK…

In general, Open Boulder supports the draft MP and applauds the community, OSMP staff, planning consultants, Open Space Board of Trustees and City Council in developing a sound plan for managing our public lands for the future. OSMP has led a commendable process in engaging the community and using those ideas to create focus areas and values to define big, broad management themes for OSMP’s next 10 years. Importantly, the Draft Master Plan describes the Outcomes the community wants, the Strategies we've prioritized, but does not necessarily presume specific Actions (e.g. management or area plans).

WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT…

Open Boulder strongly encourages that the process is honored and that OSMP Staff are entrusted with developing sound, impactful and thoughtful management plans to achieve the goals of our community. To this end, Open Boulder will continue to support OSMP Staff and participate with Action plan development, such as Integrated Site Projects and weigh in on how the public process is utilized. Of concern is that previous public process and decisions are reevaluated, reinterpreted or even reversed! Area Plans will be a key issue needing attention from our community if we want to assure public access to our public lands.

SPECIFIC ISSUES…

Overall this is a solid plan, but it will impact our community and thus we advocate for:

Decision-making based on sound science and best practices
Encouraging recreation! It’s for the health and well-being of our community.
Additional off-leash areas for our dogs and their guardians
Applying the strategy of closing undesignated trails uniformly across the urban-open space interface without regard to socio-economic or political status of the neighborhood.
Allowing additional recreational access to closed public lands under OSMP’s purview and spreading use out among low use areas.
And, remembering our horse heritage of the West and encourage use where appropriate and improve the infrastructure of those trailheads.