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We reached our start time. These meetings are held in

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virtual hybrid format via Zoom webinar in just a moment,

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we'll start the webinar. Please note that it typically takes

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about 30 seconds for Zoom to bring members of the

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public into the session as attendees. Just a friendly reminder

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to all PosTC members, presenters and public speakers, please make

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sure within two inches of the microphone. When speaking. This

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ensures we maintain an accurate public record. Members of the

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committee. Are you ready? We are ready. Wonderful. And let

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me just confirm. And we are recording.

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All right, welcome, everyone, to the Boulder County Parks and

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Open Space Advisory Committee for September 25. 2025. And my

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name is Janet George, and I'll be chairing the meeting.

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And our first order of business is roll call. So

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trace baker. President Carol Byerly present. And I'm present. Janet

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george. Christine johnson here. Vicky Lawrence. Present. Tony Lewis. Present.

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Joan Lutz? Here. Derek Turner? Here. John White. Present. All

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right. We got a full house. Everybody is here. Good

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deal. So the next order of business is approval of

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last month's minutes, which I thought Renata. Did a good

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job on. Thank you. Like usual. So do we have

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any discussion about it or any comment? Seeing none. Let's

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do a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed?

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Abstain. And we have abstention. Thank you. Another abstention. Two

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abstentions. Thank you. All right, moving along. We're going to

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have presentations. We have four presentations tonight. And they're all

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informational, so. We won't be voting on whether to recommend

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anything to the Boulder county commissioners. After each presentation. The

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way the meeting will go is we'll have time for

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Postac. Members to ask questions, and then we'll allow any

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public comment. And then we'll have another chance for POSAc.

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So that's kind of how each presentation will go. So

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our first presentation is the left hand outdoor challenge. Boulder

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county parks and open space teen engagement program. And our

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presenter is Sully. And I'm not going to tackle your

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last name or. Else. Help me out. Is it tuck?

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Tanaki. It's Tanaki. Tanaki. Thank you. What is Suli? Suli.

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Tanaki. All right, Suli. Thank you. I'm looking. Forward to

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hearing this one. And she's a park ranger community engagement

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specialist. Go ahead. Well, good evening, Posak. Thank you so

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much for having me here tonight. I'm super excited to

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jump in and talk about a program that is very

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dear to parks. And open space. I'm a park ranger

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and a community engagement specialist. And with Land stewardship and

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Resource Protection Team, the Lepan Outdoor Challenge program was created

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in 2012. And ever since 2012, it's been a very

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successful program for the youth that we intended. It for?

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So. What is the left? I'm so sorry. Let's see.

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So what is the Lepan? Outdoor challenge program. The Lap

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and Outdoor Challenge program is a free monthly outdoor youth

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program that is led by resource protection Rangers to connect

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Boulder county area teens ages 14 through 18 to a

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variety of outdoor adventures careers and resource management issues. This

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program kicks off every September. And ends in May and

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offers Wednesday meetings and Saturday challenges for all the Boulder

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county teens who have volunteered to be a part of

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this program for the next nine months. Also, the Lepan

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Outdoor Challenge program is led by adult mentors that support

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and guide the left on arter challenge teams as we

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start offering these monthly programs. So the lepon outdoor challenge

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program, like I said, is an outdoor leadership program for

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our high school students. And really. It's not just like

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any outdoor program that is being offered. We really try

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to be intentional with what we're offering our students. So

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myself and my predecessors as. We've been seeing. How our

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students are getting involved in the outdoors. We decided to

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make sure that our program. Has a mission that's going

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to guide us as we keep offering. Exciting new programs

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for our youth. So our mission for our lap and

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our challenge outdoor program is creating personal connections to the

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outdoors for youth to cultivate a sense of belonging, passion,

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and commitment. To nature and conservation in their lives. With

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that. We also wanted to make sure that as we

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are deciding on what programs we're going to be offering

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our students for the upcoming cohorts. We also decided we

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want to make sure that we're being intentional with those

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programs. So within our program, we came up with program

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goals. These program goals are to ensure that our challenging

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outdoor activities inspire resilient communities. And. Experiences apologize that we

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are offering. Are also in environmental education helps broaden perspectives

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and develop connections between. Humans and the land. And also

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challenging themselves through service learning fosters the personal sense of

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pride and autonomy. Developing a sense of belonging. So they

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can really have opportunities for leadership development. Learning new skills

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really helps explore outdoor careers and gives the tools to

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succeed on any career path. So we. Are really intentionally

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setting these goals so we can invest and cultivate the

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next generation of stewards for parks and open space. Another

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really fundamental piece to the left on outdoor challenge program

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that we wanted to make sure that is really guiding

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our students when it comes to outdoor leadership is we

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also wanted to give them opportunities to step. Into hands

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on experiences. And as they're kind of embarking in these

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challenges, we want them to really explore. How does outdoor

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leadership show up? Because it varies. As we all know.

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It really varies when it talks about. Our field. And

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so every single month, we decide, well, how can we

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have our students really recognize certain characteristics that we have

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observed. In our field and we decided to implement. A

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peer recognition program that we refer to As. The Lepan

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Arter challenge Lhoc character tokens. So the character tokens is

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another really important element to our program, where the objective

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is to celebrate peer growth and leadership through recognition. How?

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Well, today with me, I brought some of the tokens

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that we are highlighting this month. For September. And these

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wooden tokens symbolize the values that we want our students

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to look out for in one another, in themselves. When

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it comes to outdoor leadership. And we really end up

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highlighting different characteristics, like this month. We have. Adaptability, focus

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and teamwork. And so we ask our students every single

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month for them to really be on the lookout to

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look at these characteristics and these behaviors that they see

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in one another. And then every single month, we present

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this in a very special. Ceremony before the following month.

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So we can go ahead and award these to the

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peers that were nominated for these tokens. And we currently

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have 14 characteristics, characteristics that we like to rotate every

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single month, depending on what our focus is for that

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specific challenge, and once again, it's to really encourage that

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pure recognition and so they can see the growth in

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leadership. Between one another. And that way we're being intentional

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with students really understanding the importance of this program. So

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going back. To. Well, also having. This token program, so

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our peers are taking opportunities to really recognize one another.

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This is an outdoor leadership program. Like I said, that

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the intention was to really bridge the gap. Between. Our

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students, specifically our high school students who weren't having as

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much opportunities to engage in the outdoors because high school

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gets busy with demands of academic pressures, and so we

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wanted to make sure they got a chance to test.

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What it means and what it looks like to be

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a leader in the outdoors. But as. You start embarking

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on this journey. Our groups end up being very large.

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And so it can be a little intimidating when you

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come into a new space where you're already taking on

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chance on a new challenge to start meeting other teens

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across Boulder county and we implemented. Another really important element

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to the left and our challenge program, which is our

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squad leadership. Squad leadership. Really brings our big program into

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a much more. Smaller, comfortable space where our students are.

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There's about like 68 students, and they get a chance

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every single month to come together. And have really meaningful

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discussions on our topic for the month, reflect and then

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embark on different tasks. And projects. We also ask our

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students, as we are starting to put them into these

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smaller groups, we ask them to really identify what these

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squads really mean to them. And so that way, we

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can start. Fostering pride within the activities that we're offering

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throughout the nine month program. So we ask our teens

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here. We're going to start next month. Where we're going

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to start putting them into these groups. We ask our

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teams for them. To design. A flag, and I have

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one with me that I'm happy to share and kind

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of give you an example. You're seeing that picture on

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the presentation where we have them design. A flag that

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incorporates a name that means to them as they kind

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of start getting to know. One another, and that reflects

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our goals of the program. And then we also have

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them come up with a motto. That way they can

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start building ownership. Of what stands out to them about

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being to the outdoors and how they're connecting to the

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land. And then, like I said, they get very creative.

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Everybody has a say in it when it comes. To

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them building their squad flag. And on top of that,

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we want to give our squads and some of the

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members within those squads. If they also want to continue

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to test what leadership looks like, we offer. Two positions

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that can really test them to do a lot more

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of that exploration. So we have squad leaders and guards

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that really practice. How to organize their group. How to

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have everyone come to making a decision when it comes

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to task and projects, communicate and responsibility. Those characteristics and

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those skills that are very much needed when it comes

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to. Everyday life. And when you're out in the field,

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in the outdoors, Now, this piece here. Is also very

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important to why the left and outdoor challenge. In my

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opinion. Is very successful. Our students definitely bring in energy

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and curiosity. However, I do want to recognize that this

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program would not be possible without. Certain mentors, as you

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guys can see, that really step in and guide our

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students throughout the program. And who are our mentors? Our

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mentors are park rangers like myself. But. There's also my

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team members who will step in month after month, and

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we'll also help guide and teach outdoor skills to our

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students. We also have seasonal staff that will also step

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in and come help with reflections team building activities. This

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is our second year. Having a dedicated seasonal position that

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we now refer to as the seasonal community engagement coordinator,

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and this person really is instrumental to helping all the

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moving parts at our program. Really takes to be able

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to launch in September, come into fruition. And. We also

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have volunteers. That we refer to as our mentors as

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well. Who come out every single month and volunteers six

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to 8 hours, along with our students and we've been

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very grateful to have our El Hawk mentors who are

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also alumni who have been a part of this program

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throughout their high school careers, their, their journey, and then

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coming into it. Afterwards and still wanting to be a

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part of this program to mentor the next generation. So

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the mentorship, the mentors. It's a very important element to

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our program. And like I said, like I said earlier,

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they're really there to guide. Without not taking over and

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not really telling our students what to do. We want

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them to really figure it out on their own so

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they can grow that confidence. We model leadership through helping.

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We really want to inspire that within our students. That

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reflection piece is super important. When we are out in

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the field mentoring our students so we can really take

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time. To be intentional with the work that we're being

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involved in and then wanting to make. Sure that everyone

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has a balanced participation, so our mentors really are instrumental

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to that and lean into being able to support students

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wherever they need to be supported and foster that youth

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ownership along the way. Our mentors also. We assign a

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mentor to each squad, so that way, when we get

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into these much smaller groups, They have even more one

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on one support as we're going throughout the program. And

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we've seen that. That's been super instrumental to our team's

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confidence from the beginning of the program in September as

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we're wrapping up for the following year, like in April

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May. I also want to highlight. That a huge part

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of the Lefan Archer challenge? Is our partners. We really

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fostered relationships with partners within county and also some that

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are just neighboring right outside. Of county, and they've been

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able to really support our mission to connecting and cultivating

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a sense of belonging and the outdoors. We have a

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list of partners here that have been with us year

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after year. Our campaign that we just wrapped up was

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that the Cowwood Education center? And so that's, one that's

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been super instrumental to have. So our students can really.

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Find. A local organization that they can see themselves one

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day being an outrassessional in we also have, like I

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said, some other neighboring community partners like city and county

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of Denver, a Genesee spark specifically. And then the Boulder

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Play foundation. We're super excited to partner with them because

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we also like. To invite our community partners to come

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to our Wednesday meetings and share their experience and do

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00:16:22,314 --> 00:16:25,234
some team building. So once again, creating kind of that

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00:16:25,234 --> 00:16:28,274
connection so students can see how the outra profession really

240
00:16:28,274 --> 00:16:34,918
looks like outside of the traditional. Outdoor fields. We also

241
00:16:34,918 --> 00:16:39,410
have a great partnership with volunteers for Outer Colorado. Through

242
00:16:39,410 --> 00:16:41,170
the Karen program, which is a very similar program to

243
00:16:41,170 --> 00:16:45,410
the left and outer challenge. Thor nature. Kits Wildland Restoration

244
00:16:45,410 --> 00:16:48,770
volunteers their wild program is very similar to ours as

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00:16:48,770 --> 00:16:52,970
well, and something that we did differently last year that

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00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:56,810
I wanted to emphasize is super important to our teams.

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00:16:58,257 --> 00:17:01,568
Is really giving them opportunities. To explore connection to the

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00:17:01,568 --> 00:17:06,248
outdoors through. Different, nontraditional ways. So we decided to offer.

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00:17:08,566 --> 00:17:11,766
A different program with Colorado Therapeutic Writing center, where we

250
00:17:11,766 --> 00:17:16,858
did a horsepower program. And so. We're really trying to

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00:17:16,858 --> 00:17:20,174
tackle. Mental wellness so they can find different challenges when

252
00:17:20,174 --> 00:17:25,941
they're working with equestrian assisted programs. Another really great partner

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00:17:25,941 --> 00:17:29,501
that we have been working with is Rocky Mountain Rescue

254
00:17:29,501 --> 00:17:34,067
group. They are instrumental to our winter skills challenge that

255
00:17:34,067 --> 00:17:36,347
I will talk a little bit about here in a

256
00:17:36,347 --> 00:17:39,267
bit, but we do end up taking our students out

257
00:17:39,267 --> 00:17:42,707
to Caribou Ranch where they get to learn outdoor skills

258
00:17:42,707 --> 00:17:46,787
and have rock and mountain rescue group really dive into

259
00:17:46,787 --> 00:17:49,587
what their work looks like and how to properly prepare

260
00:17:49,587 --> 00:17:54,701
for the outdoors and winter elements. Lincoln hills. And then

261
00:17:54,701 --> 00:17:59,741
we also have REI Women's wilderness, Boulder Mountain Biking alliance,

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00:17:59,741 --> 00:18:03,421
and then the biggest one is youth exploring stewardship coalition,

263
00:18:03,421 --> 00:18:06,941
which is a coalition that has a lot of youth

264
00:18:06,941 --> 00:18:09,461
programs. Where we all come together to resource, share and

265
00:18:09,461 --> 00:18:12,809
offer. Some amazing programs that we weren't able to offer

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00:18:12,809 --> 00:18:18,871
before. So we're community partners, are super instrumental and. We

267
00:18:18,871 --> 00:18:22,660
definitely are very grateful that. They're partnering with us year

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00:18:22,660 --> 00:18:29,332
after year. So this year. Every single year when we

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00:18:29,332 --> 00:18:33,252
are doing our pre program planning, myself and the ranger

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00:18:33,252 --> 00:18:38,475
team in leadership. We decide. We want to offer. A

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00:18:38,475 --> 00:18:43,004
theme within our programs to really guide. To make sure

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00:18:43,004 --> 00:18:44,884
that we're staying on top of our mission and guide

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00:18:44,884 --> 00:18:49,307
us throughout these next couple of months. And we like

274
00:18:49,307 --> 00:18:51,987
to come up with a theme that really helps us

275
00:18:51,987 --> 00:18:55,387
tie everything together and our theme this year is the

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00:18:55,387 --> 00:18:58,907
stories that we create in the outdoors reveal our connection

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00:18:58,907 --> 00:19:02,521
to the land. The community. We both gather around a

278
00:19:02,521 --> 00:19:06,721
campfire, and the resilience we discover in ourselves. When challenged

279
00:19:06,721 --> 00:19:12,252
in wild places. So every single month. When we're developing

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00:19:12,252 --> 00:19:15,012
our programs. We also make sure that we are supporting

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00:19:15,012 --> 00:19:18,132
this theme on top of our mission and our goals.

282
00:19:18,132 --> 00:19:20,332
So what we're offering this year for all of our

283
00:19:20,332 --> 00:19:24,732
students who are joining us is 16 programs that kicked

284
00:19:24,732 --> 00:19:27,252
off in September and would go all the way through

285
00:19:27,252 --> 00:19:30,492
next year in May. Out of those 16 programs, we

286
00:19:30,492 --> 00:19:33,542
have seven. Wednesday meetings that we refer to as base

287
00:19:33,542 --> 00:19:37,022
camps. And then we also have nine Saturday challenges, but

288
00:19:37,022 --> 00:19:39,622
those are pretty much all day programs where our students

289
00:19:39,622 --> 00:19:44,684
are out in the field engaging in different experiences. We

290
00:19:44,684 --> 00:19:50,444
accepted 31 youth, and we have seven adult volunteer mentors

291
00:19:50,444 --> 00:19:54,524
who are joining us this season. And like I presented

292
00:19:54,524 --> 00:19:58,044
earlier on the last slideshow, we have 13 community partners

293
00:19:58,044 --> 00:20:02,055
that we're working with for this upcoming cohort. So what

294
00:20:02,055 --> 00:20:08,751
we're offering our students is. The first camp out that

295
00:20:08,751 --> 00:20:11,271
we just. Sorry, I apologize. The first challenge that we

296
00:20:11,271 --> 00:20:15,191
did was to camp out, and we also incorporated a

297
00:20:15,191 --> 00:20:18,711
stewardship project with Cowwood, and that was just this. Past

298
00:20:18,711 --> 00:20:23,918
weekend. This upcoming month. We're going to go to Genesee

299
00:20:23,918 --> 00:20:27,358
park with city and county of Boulder. Sorry, city. And

300
00:20:27,358 --> 00:20:30,692
county of Denver and. We're going to do a challenge

301
00:20:30,692 --> 00:20:35,855
course. And then in November, we're partnering with WRB and

302
00:20:35,855 --> 00:20:40,840
doing a stewardship project. And then in December, we also

303
00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,440
wanted to offer really important skill to our students that

304
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,508
is very applicable. In the outdoors, but also when they're

305
00:20:46,508 --> 00:20:49,972
starting to figure out. How this scope can be very

306
00:20:49,972 --> 00:20:53,430
relevant to their everyday life. And we wanted to bring

307
00:20:53,430 --> 00:20:55,150
back something we offered a couple of years ago, which

308
00:20:55,150 --> 00:20:59,668
is the first ACPR and ad. Workshop and where they're

309
00:20:59,668 --> 00:21:04,042
going to get their certifications. So just wanted to give

310
00:21:04,042 --> 00:21:06,602
you a glimpse of what this weekends look like at

311
00:21:06,602 --> 00:21:09,522
Cowwood. Like. I said before, it was a camp out.

312
00:21:09,522 --> 00:21:16,172
We called it our trailblazer camp out. Where? Students did

313
00:21:16,172 --> 00:21:20,292
an overnight camp out at the Aspen Glenn campground, and

314
00:21:20,292 --> 00:21:23,772
we also gave back to the land through Trellis stewardship

315
00:21:23,772 --> 00:21:30,655
project, where they ended up. Building. 200ft of trell. And

316
00:21:30,655 --> 00:21:33,695
afterwards, we incorporated other really important elements where they got

317
00:21:33,695 --> 00:21:39,626
a chance to build. Community reflect around a campfire. And

318
00:21:39,626 --> 00:21:43,914
then we ended our Sunday. With morning hike, where they

319
00:21:43,914 --> 00:21:47,154
also got a chance to do more reflection on our

320
00:21:47,154 --> 00:21:49,474
program's values and to get to know one another a

321
00:21:49,474 --> 00:21:55,945
little bit more. So next year, for the 2026 calendar

322
00:21:55,945 --> 00:22:01,175
year we have. A big challenge. That is kind of

323
00:22:01,175 --> 00:22:04,855
a partnership that we've been doing year after year. And

324
00:22:04,855 --> 00:22:08,495
we're doing a career exploration day with the youth Exploring

325
00:22:08,495 --> 00:22:13,572
Stewardship Coalition. Where we invite a lot of our partners

326
00:22:13,572 --> 00:22:17,092
to come and have a career day. But what we're

327
00:22:17,092 --> 00:22:21,972
really excited is to offer some learning sessions. With our

328
00:22:21,972 --> 00:22:25,052
partners for our students to really start navigating what the

329
00:22:25,052 --> 00:22:27,532
outdoor field really looks like so they'll get a chance

330
00:22:27,532 --> 00:22:32,246
to do some workshops. With how to build their resumes,

331
00:22:32,246 --> 00:22:36,449
how to get prepared for interviews, and also just. How

332
00:22:36,449 --> 00:22:38,769
the outdoor field can really be so diverse in terms

333
00:22:38,769 --> 00:22:43,689
of looking nonprofits, government and volunteer groups that are very

334
00:22:43,689 --> 00:22:46,529
involved in the outdoors, so that's going to be hosted.

335
00:22:47,967 --> 00:22:52,136
In. January 2026. And then one of our big challenges

336
00:22:52,136 --> 00:22:55,683
where we host. A lot of students, not just our

337
00:22:55,683 --> 00:22:57,963
students, is going to be that winter skills challenge in

338
00:22:57,963 --> 00:23:01,243
February. Where we go up to Caribou Ranch, have rock

339
00:23:01,243 --> 00:23:04,883
and Mountain Rescue group and some of our youth exploring

340
00:23:04,883 --> 00:23:08,003
stewardship partners come up there to learn some outdoor skills

341
00:23:08,003 --> 00:23:11,973
that are led by rangers as well. So we end

342
00:23:11,973 --> 00:23:14,413
up learning about how to build snow shelters and how

343
00:23:14,413 --> 00:23:18,188
to be prepared for winter. Activities. And then in March,

344
00:23:18,188 --> 00:23:21,748
we're focusing on a wellness day where we want our

345
00:23:21,748 --> 00:23:25,671
students. To experience yoga and forest bathing at the outdoors

346
00:23:25,671 --> 00:23:32,045
and also. Have some opportunities for them to express themselves

347
00:23:32,045 --> 00:23:36,920
through an art day and activities. Then in April 1

348
00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:41,000
of the programs that we piloted, this last cohort is

349
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:46,322
we decided to offer two different. Challenges during the same

350
00:23:46,322 --> 00:23:52,081
month to our students. Who had a gender preference where

351
00:23:52,081 --> 00:23:57,945
our students. Who identified. As a girl and non binary,

352
00:23:57,945 --> 00:24:02,105
had the opportunity to do an indoor rock climbing program

353
00:24:02,105 --> 00:24:06,881
with women's. Wilderness. And our students who identified with their

354
00:24:06,881 --> 00:24:09,961
gender preference as a boy, a non binary, had an

355
00:24:09,961 --> 00:24:14,561
opportunity to do another rock climbing experience with another organization.

356
00:24:15,850 --> 00:24:19,290
And so this year we decided, because of a couple

357
00:24:19,290 --> 00:24:21,730
of changes we had to do to weather last year,

358
00:24:21,730 --> 00:24:24,330
we wanted to still offer rock climbing to our girls

359
00:24:24,330 --> 00:24:27,650
and non binary youth, but instead of offering the equin

360
00:24:27,650 --> 00:24:30,890
assisted program to all of our students. We're offering the

361
00:24:30,890 --> 00:24:36,531
equine assisted program. To our boys and non binary youth

362
00:24:36,531 --> 00:24:40,451
who identify with that specific gender preference. So we're going

363
00:24:40,451 --> 00:24:43,611
to offer that in April. And then as our last

364
00:24:43,611 --> 00:24:47,331
finale challenge, we're going to offer a Mountain biking clinic

365
00:24:47,331 --> 00:24:52,411
with Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and also incorporate stewardship project,

366
00:24:52,411 --> 00:24:56,869
which. Is trial restoration and. That's going to pretty much

367
00:24:56,869 --> 00:24:59,909
bring us to the end of our season of what

368
00:24:59,909 --> 00:25:03,349
we're offering our students when it comes to stewardship, the

369
00:25:03,349 --> 00:25:05,909
skills that we want them to. Build and leadership along

370
00:25:05,909 --> 00:25:10,178
with the other valleys of the program. And.

371
00:25:15,986 --> 00:25:17,386
I want all of you to get a chance to

372
00:25:17,386 --> 00:25:21,266
see the Lepon actor challenge in action. And hopefully the

373
00:25:21,266 --> 00:25:28,652
video works. We are very grateful that. We've had. Poria,

374
00:25:28,652 --> 00:25:33,378
who is. Our media person for parks and Opus space

375
00:25:33,378 --> 00:25:37,938
came out and filmed and did some photography over this.

376
00:25:37,938 --> 00:25:40,258
Last cohort and was able to really capture what the

377
00:25:40,258 --> 00:25:44,376
Lepan Archer challenge really looks like. In action. So I'll

378
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:47,496
go ahead and see if it plays from here. Oh,

379
00:25:47,496 --> 00:25:50,656
no, it did not. So I'm going to escape. We

380
00:25:50,656 --> 00:25:54,425
have a plan B. Please bear with me. There it

381
00:25:54,425 --> 00:25:58,496
goes. All right. Thank you. It.

382
00:26:06,369 --> 00:26:13,233
's not show. It's not showing. Plan c. Help. Here

383
00:26:13,233 --> 00:26:16,413
comes some help. It looks like. Let's see.

384
00:26:23,256 --> 00:26:29,257
No problem. So Easter island is not part of the

385
00:26:29,257 --> 00:26:38,294
left hand challenge. They're going to straighten. Easter island. Back

386
00:26:38,294 --> 00:26:41,505
up. They're just straight. Get them in a circle so

387
00:26:41,505 --> 00:26:49,087
they can commune. Yeah, no worries. You're fine. When I

388
00:26:49,087 --> 00:26:54,029
heard about Easter island. The people who live there. The

389
00:26:54,029 --> 00:26:58,342
population grew too large and. They just stripped it of

390
00:26:58,342 --> 00:27:04,973
resources. I hope that's not. That small. I'm afraid it

391
00:27:04,973 --> 00:27:10,562
might be. I know. But did you? Diamond book. Yeah.

392
00:27:12,403 --> 00:27:17,326
They have this card here. We go. Wait a few

393
00:27:17,326 --> 00:27:19,613
seconds and then. Hit the play button. I'm going to

394
00:27:19,613 --> 00:27:23,216
make sure the audio is going to be working. So

395
00:27:23,216 --> 00:27:33,171
where did you want me? A lot of

396
00:27:33,171 --> 00:27:38,202
people move too much. Okay, you can just click here

397
00:27:38,202 --> 00:27:42,586
in about a couple of seconds. Thank you for your

398
00:27:42,586 --> 00:27:51,050
patience. Technology. This is your challenge. Yeah.

399
00:27:53,659 --> 00:27:57,862
Absolutely. I think you said a couple of seconds. Let

400
00:27:57,862 --> 00:28:06,679
me see. Okay. Should be good. Dude, pulley. Nice.

401
00:28:16,433 --> 00:28:19,073
Welcome to the left on our door challenge, a youth

402
00:28:19,073 --> 00:28:23,953
outdoor leadership experience designed to inspire growth, connection and adventure.

403
00:28:23,953 --> 00:28:26,553
The left on outdoor challenge, also known as LHC or

404
00:28:26,553 --> 00:28:30,033
Elhock, it's a free nine month program for Boulder county

405
00:28:30,033 --> 00:28:33,153
youth ages 14 through 18 who are ready to step

406
00:28:33,153 --> 00:28:36,617
out of their comfort zone, take on new challenges. And

407
00:28:36,617 --> 00:28:39,097
explore who they are along the way. More than a

408
00:28:39,097 --> 00:28:42,297
program, LH OC is an opportunity for you to build

409
00:28:42,297 --> 00:28:46,417
your own story. One that is filled with courage, curiosity

410
00:28:46,417 --> 00:28:49,945
and the power of community. Each month, you'll join a

411
00:28:49,945 --> 00:28:53,425
group of teams from across the county. Volunteer program leaders

412
00:28:53,425 --> 00:29:01,607
called mentors. And outdoor professionals to build a lasting connection,

413
00:29:01,607 --> 00:29:05,047
serve the land and grow your confidence through handson outdoor

414
00:29:05,047 --> 00:29:11,519
experiences. Whether you're restoring trails, learning about wildlife, wilderness skills,

415
00:29:11,519 --> 00:29:15,639
exploring new landscapes, or engaging in conversation about land, culture

416
00:29:15,639 --> 00:29:19,919
and conversation, you'll gain tools that last a lifetime, along

417
00:29:19,919 --> 00:29:24,513
with over 40 volunteer hours. At LHC, we believe the

418
00:29:24,513 --> 00:29:27,033
outdoor should feel like a place where you belong, no

419
00:29:27,033 --> 00:29:31,273
matter your background or experience. Your story matters. We create

420
00:29:31,273 --> 00:29:35,930
a supportive, inclusive community where everyone is seen. Still safe

421
00:29:35,930 --> 00:29:37,890
can be themselves and aspire to lead.

422
00:30:06,401 --> 00:30:10,521
Since 2012, the Lefan Ardro challenge has helped shape passionate

423
00:30:10,521 --> 00:30:14,481
youth leaders who are grounded in nature, driven by service

424
00:30:14,481 --> 00:30:21,713
and committed to making a difference. Applications for the upcoming

425
00:30:21,713 --> 00:30:24,787
program are now open. With the first challenge kicking off

426
00:30:24,787 --> 00:30:28,107
in September. This is your moment. Are you ready to

427
00:30:28,107 --> 00:30:36,441
start your story. That's cute. All right.

428
00:30:41,625 --> 00:30:48,125
Thank you so much. If you have any questions or.

429
00:30:49,944 --> 00:30:53,044
Audio. We got lots of them. Nice job, by the

430
00:30:53,044 --> 00:30:57,724
way. Thank you. Start with you, Vicky. Okay. Nice. Presentation.

431
00:30:57,724 --> 00:31:02,162
Thank you, silly. I have two questions, the first one

432
00:31:02,162 --> 00:31:04,682
of which is, how do you advertise this to students

433
00:31:04,682 --> 00:31:07,002
so that they're aware of it. And the second one

434
00:31:07,002 --> 00:31:09,842
is, how do you choose? The students that you get

435
00:31:09,842 --> 00:31:13,803
applying? That's a great question. So we end up posting.

436
00:31:15,638 --> 00:31:21,198
The program on our discover platform, which is our volunteer

437
00:31:21,198 --> 00:31:23,118
platform that we use for all of our parks and

438
00:31:23,118 --> 00:31:27,632
open space, volunteer opportunities and programs. And so we work

439
00:31:27,632 --> 00:31:31,308
with our marketing team to ensure that. It goes live,

440
00:31:31,308 --> 00:31:34,858
and then we market it on social media. We also

441
00:31:34,858 --> 00:31:38,258
send it out to our community partners and surrounding schools.

442
00:31:38,258 --> 00:31:40,698
So they are aware that it's going to open up,

443
00:31:40,698 --> 00:31:43,978
and we usually do that at the end of June

444
00:31:43,978 --> 00:31:47,585
and leave. It up for about, like, a month. And

445
00:31:47,585 --> 00:31:51,077
then students do have to submit an application. Where we

446
00:31:51,077 --> 00:31:54,583
ask general questions that we need to know about. What

447
00:31:54,583 --> 00:31:57,383
schools are coming from, what grade, and then a couple

448
00:31:57,383 --> 00:31:59,943
of other questions to give us some insight of their

449
00:31:59,943 --> 00:32:04,186
interests within the program. And how much they have on

450
00:32:04,186 --> 00:32:06,106
their plate. So we like to ask, are you involved

451
00:32:06,106 --> 00:32:09,306
in any clubs are you working? So that way, when

452
00:32:09,306 --> 00:32:12,706
we're going through the selection process, we have a better

453
00:32:12,706 --> 00:32:16,506
idea of who. Has capacity to be able to be

454
00:32:16,506 --> 00:32:20,122
a part of this program. So as we're getting the

455
00:32:20,122 --> 00:32:23,667
applications through our discover platform, We also end up setting

456
00:32:23,667 --> 00:32:25,987
up meeting greets with our students for about 15 to

457
00:32:25,987 --> 00:32:28,867
20 minutes. Long where they get to meet us virtually.

458
00:32:30,455 --> 00:32:32,375
And they get to answer questions. We get to ask

459
00:32:32,375 --> 00:32:35,727
them questions, and then at the end, We end up

460
00:32:35,727 --> 00:32:40,075
offering them a place within our program. And essentially that

461
00:32:40,075 --> 00:32:43,355
happens all of the month in July, going into mid

462
00:32:43,355 --> 00:32:48,964
August, when the application closes. And so. We haven't done

463
00:32:48,964 --> 00:32:52,764
a waiting list. Just because sometimes students who are turning

464
00:32:52,764 --> 00:32:56,692
in their applications. They sometimes don't respond to us, so.

465
00:32:58,323 --> 00:33:01,283
We haven't had to create a waitlist for the applications,

466
00:33:01,283 --> 00:33:05,163
but we do get a really good response from applications

467
00:33:05,163 --> 00:33:07,003
and our students to end up joining us for the

468
00:33:07,003 --> 00:33:14,692
season. Trace. Trace Baker, postac Suli. Thank you very much,

469
00:33:14,692 --> 00:33:17,492
both for your presentation and your work on this program.

470
00:33:19,519 --> 00:33:25,974
One question. You mentioned that. Different Rangers participate. Is that?

471
00:33:27,607 --> 00:33:31,127
A consistent subset. Do all rangers participate? How does that

472
00:33:31,127 --> 00:33:36,249
work out? Yeah. So since I am the program coordinator

473
00:33:36,249 --> 00:33:43,256
for the program, Before we launch our first challenge. In

474
00:33:43,256 --> 00:33:46,223
the summer months. At our team briefings, I do end

475
00:33:46,223 --> 00:33:49,698
up presenting to all of our ranger staff. What our

476
00:33:49,698 --> 00:33:52,849
theme is, what the challenges look like. And then with

477
00:33:52,849 --> 00:33:58,410
the leadership support. We prioritize giving this program. Our staff

478
00:33:58,410 --> 00:34:01,466
support. So I have a sign up sheet where I

479
00:34:01,466 --> 00:34:05,066
have certain rangers that will have an interest and sign

480
00:34:05,066 --> 00:34:07,986
up. And then I also end up reaching out to

481
00:34:07,986 --> 00:34:11,946
certain park rangers that I, that have supported that specific

482
00:34:11,946 --> 00:34:14,866
monthly challenge and kind of, kind of ensure that they're

483
00:34:14,866 --> 00:34:18,579
ready for that. Upcoming program. And so with the leadership

484
00:34:18,579 --> 00:34:23,976
support. And since the program has been here since 2012,

485
00:34:25,526 --> 00:34:27,606
I've been super grateful that our team has been very

486
00:34:27,606 --> 00:34:31,646
supportive to prioritizing giving that staff support that our program

487
00:34:31,646 --> 00:34:38,459
really does need. Thank you. Any more questions. Go ahead,

488
00:34:38,459 --> 00:34:45,083
christine. Christine johnson posak I was wondering. What determines. Your

489
00:34:45,083 --> 00:34:50,335
cohort size. In the past. What really determined our cohort

490
00:34:50,335 --> 00:34:57,626
size is our budget. That really impacts. Before, I think.

491
00:34:57,626 --> 00:35:00,786
Yeah. This is the first year that our budget was

492
00:35:00,786 --> 00:35:05,573
put into our parks and. Open space. Division. And so

493
00:35:05,573 --> 00:35:08,813
before we were getting funding through the Parks and Open

494
00:35:08,813 --> 00:35:13,017
Space foundation, and we've also gone through. Chris, which is

495
00:35:13,017 --> 00:35:19,572
a culturally responsive strategic planning committee. And so. Now that

496
00:35:19,572 --> 00:35:23,099
it's a part of our budget. And we are pretty

497
00:35:23,099 --> 00:35:27,399
confident that. We can support with our community partners now.

498
00:35:28,847 --> 00:35:32,087
We're able to plan to be able to have up

499
00:35:32,087 --> 00:35:35,167
to 30. We accepted 31. This year, but up to

500
00:35:35,167 --> 00:35:39,487
30 students. And then we also do provide transportation for

501
00:35:39,487 --> 00:35:43,727
our Saturday programs and so we use our boulder county

502
00:35:43,727 --> 00:35:50,088
vans or twelve passenger vans. And before. Our park ranger

503
00:35:50,088 --> 00:35:54,048
staff and other parks and open space staff will volunteer

504
00:35:54,048 --> 00:35:56,488
to drive these fans and so that was another determining

505
00:35:56,488 --> 00:36:00,648
factor. But just this past year, we ended up having

506
00:36:00,648 --> 00:36:10,500
our volunteer mentors. Get van training. So now. That's been

507
00:36:10,500 --> 00:36:13,540
really helpful to ensuring that that's not another barrier that

508
00:36:13,540 --> 00:36:15,700
we have. To take into consideration. We're thinking about our

509
00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:24,144
core size. Do you do any tracking of outcomes? I

510
00:36:24,144 --> 00:36:27,464
think it's amazing that you've been doing this since 2012.

511
00:36:28,934 --> 00:36:34,101
Do you track? Do you keep in touch with your

512
00:36:34,101 --> 00:36:42,507
alumni? And. Not that you have to. Have. A yardstick.

513
00:36:43,118 --> 00:36:47,487
Look at our amazing alumni, what they're doing, but. I

514
00:36:47,487 --> 00:36:52,797
think about. How important and impactful. This is to the

515
00:36:52,797 --> 00:36:58,628
kids, and I'm wondering. How you're tracking it. So right

516
00:36:58,628 --> 00:37:02,465
now. This is my. I feel like I've been here

517
00:37:02,465 --> 00:37:05,265
longer, but this is, like, officially my third year, going

518
00:37:05,265 --> 00:37:09,163
on to my fourth with the program. And we've done,

519
00:37:09,163 --> 00:37:12,843
like, end of the year program surveys, but we are

520
00:37:12,843 --> 00:37:16,146
having conversations on how? We can really track that to

521
00:37:16,146 --> 00:37:18,986
see the impact that our program is having on our

522
00:37:18,986 --> 00:37:23,427
students beyond high school. And right now I do stay

523
00:37:23,427 --> 00:37:27,189
connected with some students who are off to college. We

524
00:37:27,189 --> 00:37:29,949
do a lot of letters of recommendations when they're applying

525
00:37:29,949 --> 00:37:35,649
to jobs during the summer. Internships. So from my personal

526
00:37:35,649 --> 00:37:40,457
experience as the program coordinator, I have been seeing a

527
00:37:40,457 --> 00:37:45,862
good amount of our students going. Into certain outdoor careers.

528
00:37:47,416 --> 00:37:49,776
And they're trying to kind of explore that. But as

529
00:37:49,776 --> 00:37:53,502
of right now, we don't. Have. An actual system in

530
00:37:53,502 --> 00:37:57,650
place where we can track it after high school. And

531
00:37:57,650 --> 00:38:01,450
I wanted to commend you and parks in open space.

532
00:38:04,591 --> 00:38:09,576
For the commitment to this program. I think that there's

533
00:38:09,576 --> 00:38:14,063
a lot coming at teens. In our world today. And

534
00:38:14,063 --> 00:38:18,223
this seems like exactly what kids need. And as everyone

535
00:38:18,223 --> 00:38:21,583
knows, my kids have been in youth corps, and it's

536
00:38:21,583 --> 00:38:24,383
had an incredible impact on their lives. And I'm really

537
00:38:24,383 --> 00:38:30,854
proud of parks and open space. For thinking about. Every

538
00:38:30,854 --> 00:38:35,302
part of our community. And youth are frequently left out.

539
00:38:35,302 --> 00:38:40,191
So thank you. This is a really informative presentation. Thank

540
00:38:40,191 --> 00:38:42,711
you, Bozack. And then, if it's okay, I did want

541
00:38:42,711 --> 00:38:45,511
to take a minute if we have some time to.

542
00:38:45,511 --> 00:38:48,941
I did invite one of our. Left and outdoor challenge

543
00:38:48,941 --> 00:38:51,301
mentors who has been a part of this program since

544
00:38:51,301 --> 00:38:54,621
high school and this is her 9th year that she's

545
00:38:54,621 --> 00:38:57,421
been coming back, and I wanted her to just. Quickly

546
00:38:57,421 --> 00:39:00,381
share kind of her experience and the impact it had

547
00:39:00,381 --> 00:39:03,541
on her throughout her high school and college curve if

548
00:39:03,541 --> 00:39:08,717
we have time. And her name is Julieta Rosen. Is

549
00:39:08,717 --> 00:39:18,165
that okay if she. Yeah. Thank you. Make sure to

550
00:39:18,165 --> 00:39:21,245
get the mic real close. Thank you for having both

551
00:39:21,245 --> 00:39:25,750
of us in the whole program here today. Yeah. Okay.

552
00:39:25,750 --> 00:39:31,420
There you go. Right here. Yeah. So, like Suley has

553
00:39:31,420 --> 00:39:34,620
said, I've been with this program for nine years, obviously.

554
00:39:34,620 --> 00:39:36,940
I think the time speaks for itself, that I love

555
00:39:36,940 --> 00:39:41,060
this program very, very much. Definitely through high school, Christine.

556
00:39:41,060 --> 00:39:44,460
Like you said, it definitely changed me and came in

557
00:39:44,460 --> 00:39:47,220
knowing no outdoor skills at all. I've gone hiking with

558
00:39:47,220 --> 00:39:53,143
my family, but. The program. Really? Brings very unique experiences

559
00:39:53,143 --> 00:39:57,983
for high schoolers. Really? I can't think of another opportunity

560
00:39:57,983 --> 00:39:59,663
where I would get to learn any of the skills

561
00:39:59,663 --> 00:40:03,781
I learned through the left hand outdoor challenge. So just

562
00:40:03,781 --> 00:40:06,647
in general. It's definitely brought a lot of skills to

563
00:40:06,647 --> 00:40:11,084
my life, but it's also brought an amazing community. It

564
00:40:11,084 --> 00:40:14,226
definitely opened me up as a person. And I can

565
00:40:14,226 --> 00:40:17,694
clearly say that. All of the mentors and all of

566
00:40:17,694 --> 00:40:20,374
the directors really have a passion and care for what

567
00:40:20,374 --> 00:40:23,774
they do. And that reflects on us teens. And I

568
00:40:23,774 --> 00:40:26,294
can say that for the teens we are mentoring right

569
00:40:26,294 --> 00:40:30,631
now, and I was a teen like them. And that

570
00:40:30,631 --> 00:40:32,871
really reflects on us, for us to care for the

571
00:40:32,871 --> 00:40:36,431
environment and for the people around. Us as well, so

572
00:40:36,431 --> 00:40:42,489
it's an amazing program. Thank you. Okay, any other questions?

573
00:40:42,489 --> 00:40:47,808
Postac comments. Okay, Tony. Tony Lewis. Just a shout out

574
00:40:47,808 --> 00:40:53,551
to Poria for the great video. Nice work. Yeah. All

575
00:40:53,551 --> 00:40:56,191
right. Thank you very much. A wonderful presentation. Thank you

576
00:40:56,191 --> 00:40:59,791
for the testimony and keep up the good work. Thank

577
00:40:59,791 --> 00:41:02,431
you. All right, we also have a podcast coming out

578
00:41:02,431 --> 00:41:06,758
here soon. So please be on the lookout. Okay, cool.

579
00:41:08,937 --> 00:41:13,904
All right, next presentation. Is behind the scenes with Boulder

580
00:41:13,904 --> 00:41:17,904
county parks and open space. It and business analysts. Do

581
00:41:17,904 --> 00:41:20,504
you have to have community comments. Oh, thank you for

582
00:41:20,504 --> 00:41:25,262
that. Yeah. Do we have any public comment? Yeah, hang

583
00:41:25,262 --> 00:41:29,058
on. I don't think we have anyone in the room.

584
00:41:29,058 --> 00:41:32,778
Do we have anybody online? We don't. Do we? No.

585
00:41:32,778 --> 00:41:35,578
Okay, you're free to go. Thank you for a reminder.

586
00:41:37,563 --> 00:41:42,923
All right, onto the IT and business analyst work group

587
00:41:42,923 --> 00:41:49,970
presentation. All right, Carl, you're on. Thank you for having

588
00:41:49,970 --> 00:41:56,303
me here tonight. I have a recorded presentation.

589
00:42:03,776 --> 00:42:05,936
You guys ought to get the it stuff right for

590
00:42:05,936 --> 00:42:11,485
sure. Helps coming.

591
00:42:16,082 --> 00:42:16,162
Yay.

592
00:42:28,526 --> 00:42:31,526
You said you do have audio. Yeah, it's recorded. Sure,

593
00:42:31,526 --> 00:42:40,236
I'll make sure that. That's situated as well. Thank you.

594
00:42:52,094 --> 00:42:56,311
Thank you for having me here tonight. And give them

595
00:42:56,311 --> 00:42:59,151
this opportunity to talk about. A little closer to your

596
00:42:59,151 --> 00:43:02,271
mic, please. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to

597
00:43:02,271 --> 00:43:04,871
introduce my team and tell you a little bit about

598
00:43:04,871 --> 00:43:08,798
what we do. And I'll be playing a recorded presentation.

599
00:43:18,017 --> 00:43:20,977
Today, I would like to introduce my team and our

600
00:43:20,977 --> 00:43:25,936
mission. I'll discuss what we do and what we have

601
00:43:25,936 --> 00:43:30,931
recently accomplished. I'll then talk about our current and future

602
00:43:30,931 --> 00:43:34,615
projects. We'll have some time at the end for questions.

603
00:43:36,170 --> 00:43:40,050
As the department business analyst, my role is to understand

604
00:43:40,050 --> 00:43:47,166
the IT needs of the department. And find technology solutions.

605
00:43:48,613 --> 00:43:54,116
Also the supervisor of the technical support team. Our team

606
00:43:54,116 --> 00:43:59,716
includes Fernando Polanco. Fernando has been with BCPOs for over

607
00:43:59,716 --> 00:44:05,653
four years. And leads our department's help desk. Lang Vang

608
00:44:05,653 --> 00:44:08,733
is our newest team member being hired just this year.

609
00:44:10,703 --> 00:44:14,983
He provides help desk support and will support new technology

610
00:44:14,983 --> 00:44:21,653
implementation. Our mission is provide excellent support services for BCPOs

611
00:44:21,653 --> 00:44:28,563
staff. Manage our current IT portfolio and to develop the

612
00:44:28,563 --> 00:44:34,835
best solutions for new technology needs. Our workgroup is responsible

613
00:44:34,835 --> 00:44:40,456
for a wide range of technology. We manage and support

614
00:44:40,456 --> 00:44:45,233
all the computers and office technology. Our group is also

615
00:44:45,233 --> 00:44:50,034
responsible for most of the software. And applications used in

616
00:44:50,034 --> 00:44:56,398
the department. We support the network infrastructure, remote connectivity and

617
00:44:56,398 --> 00:45:05,014
communications. In recent years. Technical support responsibility has shifted from

618
00:45:05,014 --> 00:45:11,630
county it to bcpos it. To support the fast growth

619
00:45:11,630 --> 00:45:16,510
and staff, remote work and new technology, we have added

620
00:45:16,510 --> 00:45:21,079
an additional technician this year. This has allowed us to

621
00:45:21,079 --> 00:45:26,119
increase help desk hours and support staff outside of normal

622
00:45:26,119 --> 00:45:31,159
business hours. Last year, we transitioned to a new IT

623
00:45:31,159 --> 00:45:38,185
ticketing system, Servicenow. We also have new remote desktop tools

624
00:45:38,185 --> 00:45:43,411
to support the various work locations around the county. In

625
00:45:43,411 --> 00:45:50,467
addition to supporting existing technology, We support it. Change and

626
00:45:50,467 --> 00:45:56,245
new solutions. This begins with understanding our department's needs and

627
00:45:56,245 --> 00:46:04,211
priorities. Then engaging in project planning. It procurement and contracting.

628
00:46:05,667 --> 00:46:12,889
And finally. Implementation, user training, and planning for ongoing. Technical

629
00:46:12,889 --> 00:46:17,372
support. I will briefly discuss a few of our recent

630
00:46:17,372 --> 00:46:27,112
projects. The ranger mdc project. Addressed the need for in

631
00:46:27,112 --> 00:46:33,641
vehicle computing and computer aided dispatch. It began with researching

632
00:46:33,641 --> 00:46:39,161
the best technology for mobile Internet connectivity and rugged laptops.

633
00:46:41,005 --> 00:46:47,672
The key improvements. Were upgrading to 5g cellular routers and

634
00:46:47,672 --> 00:46:53,878
switching from tablet style computers to laptop style computers. We

635
00:46:53,878 --> 00:46:57,798
also switched to a leasing model to ensure that older

636
00:46:57,798 --> 00:47:04,007
equipment gets replaced and is securely recycled. Last month, we

637
00:47:04,007 --> 00:47:11,582
completed upgrading the department's computers to windows eleven. This required

638
00:47:11,582 --> 00:47:16,661
testing all of our existing hardware and applications. We develop

639
00:47:16,661 --> 00:47:21,181
training materials and hosted learning sessions to prepare staff for

640
00:47:21,181 --> 00:47:27,784
the change. Our staff manage the upgrade deployment. And responded

641
00:47:27,784 --> 00:47:33,423
to technical problems caused by the upgrade. This was completed

642
00:47:33,423 --> 00:47:38,405
with very minimal computer downtime. One of the great joys

643
00:47:38,405 --> 00:47:40,925
of this work is to give someone a new computer.

644
00:47:44,384 --> 00:47:48,224
We were able to replace 32 aging computers this year.

645
00:47:49,653 --> 00:47:55,036
We replaced. A very old copier printer for our agriculture

646
00:47:55,036 --> 00:48:00,343
and reckon facilities staff. We have upgraded video conferencing and

647
00:48:00,343 --> 00:48:06,018
tv displays in our meeting rooms. We have implemented a

648
00:48:06,018 --> 00:48:14,496
new database application for tracking and replacing ranger equipment. This

649
00:48:14,496 --> 00:48:17,976
was a huge improvement over the Excel spreadsheet that was

650
00:48:17,976 --> 00:48:22,883
previously being used. It will also be used to track

651
00:48:22,883 --> 00:48:29,641
required trainings and certifications. We are receiving demand for technology

652
00:48:29,641 --> 00:48:36,594
innovation across the entire department. This is truly an exciting

653
00:48:36,594 --> 00:48:41,193
time to be working in it. We are developing a

654
00:48:41,193 --> 00:48:47,153
process to manage and prioritize new it requests while implementing

655
00:48:47,153 --> 00:48:54,372
county cybersecurity. And procurement policies. Everyone is asking for AI.

656
00:48:58,700 --> 00:49:03,780
Boulder county implemented a walled garden approach to ensure data

657
00:49:03,780 --> 00:49:10,349
privacy and security. Microsoft Copilot provides the features of an

658
00:49:10,349 --> 00:49:17,521
AI chat bot, an AI assistant. Copilot. Is integrated with

659
00:49:17,521 --> 00:49:23,521
our Microsoft 365 application suite and private cloud file system.

660
00:49:25,205 --> 00:49:29,765
It can improve productivity with automation and provide meeting notes

661
00:49:29,765 --> 00:49:36,514
and summaries. Data driven decision making requires user friendly analysis

662
00:49:36,514 --> 00:49:43,968
tools for nontechnical staff. We are currently researching body worn

663
00:49:43,968 --> 00:49:50,901
camera technology for the BCPOS Rangers. The use of body

664
00:49:50,901 --> 00:49:57,123
worn cameras has become a public expectation for transparency. The

665
00:49:57,123 --> 00:50:03,803
modern technology provides secure cloud evidence storage and AI transcription

666
00:50:03,803 --> 00:50:08,323
and search. Our goal is to complete this project in

667
00:50:08,323 --> 00:50:16,784
2026. UAS and Lidar technology have applications across the department

668
00:50:16,784 --> 00:50:24,326
for understanding the properties and natural resources we manage. Processing

669
00:50:24,326 --> 00:50:29,446
this data requires computing power that the department does not

670
00:50:29,446 --> 00:50:34,676
currently have. We have developed specifications and worked with our

671
00:50:34,676 --> 00:50:41,150
vendor to purchase. A very advanced workstation. This will be

672
00:50:41,150 --> 00:50:46,206
implemented by the end of 2025. One of the biggest

673
00:50:46,206 --> 00:50:50,846
changes in it has been moving the computing from the

674
00:50:50,846 --> 00:50:56,473
office to the field. This has been made possible with

675
00:50:56,473 --> 00:51:02,984
better mobile devices. Offline capable apps. And improved cellular and

676
00:51:02,984 --> 00:51:11,800
satellite networks. Smartphone and tablet technology. Offer mobility for collecting

677
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:16,849
data wherever we are working. Tablet computers allow staff to

678
00:51:16,849 --> 00:51:21,511
meet the public. At community events and to collect stakeholder

679
00:51:21,511 --> 00:51:26,135
input. Our new generation of apps know when they are

680
00:51:26,135 --> 00:51:32,282
offline and hold the data until they are reconnected. This

681
00:51:32,282 --> 00:51:38,332
allows them to be used anywhere. Our rural connectivity continues

682
00:51:38,332 --> 00:51:45,493
to improve. With satellite capable phones and satellite Internet at

683
00:51:45,493 --> 00:51:51,818
hall ranch. We are currently exploring satellite Internet service for

684
00:51:51,818 --> 00:51:56,431
the good hue farmhouse. All right. Thank you. Do you

685
00:51:56,431 --> 00:51:59,031
have anything else you want to say or are you

686
00:51:59,031 --> 00:52:07,937
ready for. Questions. I'm ready for questions. All right. Thanks

687
00:52:07,937 --> 00:52:11,955
for the presentation. Looks like we got. Trace. Trace Baker,

688
00:52:11,955 --> 00:52:15,315
postac. Carl. Thank you. I've got a few questions here.

689
00:52:17,574 --> 00:52:22,014
Does Boulder county still get services from or give services

690
00:52:22,014 --> 00:52:31,001
to. Parks and open space. Gets services from or gives

691
00:52:31,001 --> 00:52:34,161
services to Boulder county in general or you're completely separate

692
00:52:34,161 --> 00:52:39,265
at this point. I'm sorry. It services. Yes, it. Yeah.

693
00:52:39,265 --> 00:52:44,800
So we work very closely with. County it. So it's

694
00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:49,000
a partnership? I'm not sure if that's what. You're asking.

695
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:51,080
Okay, well, yeah. Could you talk a little bit about.

696
00:52:52,457 --> 00:52:55,897
What you partner on versus what's totally separate. Yeah, sure.

697
00:52:57,273 --> 00:53:05,042
So Boulder county, it provides infrastructure. And enterprise applications. For

698
00:53:05,042 --> 00:53:10,351
all the departments in the county. And my team focuses

699
00:53:10,351 --> 00:53:15,446
on. The parks and open space. Specific technologies and helping.

700
00:53:17,263 --> 00:53:22,204
Implement changes. And getting services from Boulder county. It so

701
00:53:22,204 --> 00:53:27,031
we work very closely together. Okay. Thank you. And then.

702
00:53:28,449 --> 00:53:32,336
Does every staff member. In parks and open space. Who

703
00:53:32,336 --> 00:53:36,336
uses a computer? Do they all have laptops or do

704
00:53:36,336 --> 00:53:45,950
some people still have desktops. Yeah. During the pandemic. Obviously,

705
00:53:45,950 --> 00:53:48,590
we shut down and everybody kind of had to work

706
00:53:48,590 --> 00:53:52,093
from home. And so prior to the pandemic, we were

707
00:53:52,093 --> 00:53:57,531
probably 95% desktop computers. And now? We're probably 95% laptop

708
00:53:57,531 --> 00:54:02,507
computers. Okay. Okay. Thank you. No more questions for me,

709
00:54:02,507 --> 00:54:06,467
okay? Go ahead, Vicky. Vicky Lawrence, Posac. This is. Hey,

710
00:54:06,467 --> 00:54:10,067
Carl. Thank you for sharing all this. It's really interesting.

711
00:54:10,067 --> 00:54:11,947
I just have a question that it may seem kind

712
00:54:11,947 --> 00:54:15,307
of ridiculous, but when the rangers have cameras, if they're

713
00:54:15,307 --> 00:54:17,547
going to have cameras are those something that they are

714
00:54:17,547 --> 00:54:19,987
on all the time, or they turn them on when

715
00:54:19,987 --> 00:54:22,533
they start dealing with an incident. How does that work?

716
00:54:22,533 --> 00:54:27,097
I'm just curious about that. Honestly, I haven't gotten that

717
00:54:27,097 --> 00:54:31,536
far into it. Thank you. Fair enough. But this is

718
00:54:31,536 --> 00:54:36,471
something that we're working with the sheriff's office on. To

719
00:54:36,471 --> 00:54:40,431
get this technology, and in terms of the actual guidance.

720
00:54:41,683 --> 00:54:47,220
For? Is it always on or not? I know. That.

721
00:54:48,074 --> 00:54:52,314
The Rangers are having discussions with risk department in Boulder

722
00:54:52,314 --> 00:54:57,194
county about developing guidance and policies for the use of

723
00:54:57,194 --> 00:55:00,394
body worn cameras, so I think we're still working on

724
00:55:00,394 --> 00:55:04,074
that. Is there any concern about privacy issues with the

725
00:55:04,074 --> 00:55:08,532
public. Yeah, again. I know that we're having conversations with

726
00:55:08,532 --> 00:55:14,748
risk. And the county attorney has been involved. With working

727
00:55:14,748 --> 00:55:16,908
with the sheriff's office on that, and I just don't

728
00:55:16,908 --> 00:55:22,105
know the answer. Thank you. Tony lewis bozack. Thanks, carl.

729
00:55:24,343 --> 00:55:26,383
I want to follow up to Trace's question just a

730
00:55:26,383 --> 00:55:30,499
little bit. I'm just. Trying to understand. The county is

731
00:55:30,499 --> 00:55:33,219
providing kind of the infrastructure, some of the bigger enterprise

732
00:55:33,219 --> 00:55:38,576
pieces. And each department is doing their own it. When

733
00:55:38,576 --> 00:55:44,291
this department collects data. Is it shareable across other departments?

734
00:55:44,291 --> 00:55:48,680
Permits and planning? So I guess part of my question

735
00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:52,360
is, or worry, is that if we're siloing, the way

736
00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:54,080
data is collected or the way it can be shared.

737
00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:57,440
And I'm assuming there's some kind of common sharing format,

738
00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:02,258
but could you talk to that a little? Yeah. We

739
00:56:02,258 --> 00:56:05,495
have a lot of different applications. A couple of hundred

740
00:56:05,495 --> 00:56:10,619
different applications that we use. And most of it, I

741
00:56:10,619 --> 00:56:13,339
would say, is internal to our department, and it's not

742
00:56:13,339 --> 00:56:20,306
shared. But. I think that, for example, We use Microsoft

743
00:56:20,306 --> 00:56:24,266
Teams for all of our file storage, and we can

744
00:56:24,266 --> 00:56:27,386
share that much more easily. With other departments that we're

745
00:56:27,386 --> 00:56:31,266
collaborating with now by creating a team and having everybody

746
00:56:31,266 --> 00:56:34,235
on it. So in terms of file sharing, we have

747
00:56:34,235 --> 00:56:36,395
a lot more. It's a lot easier than it used

748
00:56:36,395 --> 00:56:40,434
to be when we had a file server. But a

749
00:56:40,434 --> 00:56:43,594
lot of our apps, we collect data for internal use,

750
00:56:43,594 --> 00:56:46,154
and I'm sure that there's ways that could be shared,

751
00:56:46,154 --> 00:56:50,982
but that's not. A very common situation. Okay. Yeah, I

752
00:56:50,982 --> 00:56:55,782
guess it strikes me that certainly the gis mapping and

753
00:56:55,782 --> 00:56:59,412
some of those things. Are either redundantly being done across

754
00:56:59,412 --> 00:57:05,962
departments or hopefully, are being somewhat shared. Yeah. So Boulder

755
00:57:05,962 --> 00:57:09,362
county has a GIS system that's used across the county.

756
00:57:10,781 --> 00:57:14,541
And so we have shared data, like street maps and

757
00:57:14,541 --> 00:57:18,901
things like that, that everybody uses, and then we have

758
00:57:18,901 --> 00:57:23,854
layers and park specific data. That could be made accessible

759
00:57:23,854 --> 00:57:28,292
to others. Yeah. It may have more internal use, but

760
00:57:28,292 --> 00:57:33,418
could be shared. Yeah. Cool. That's great. Thank you. Hi.

761
00:57:33,418 --> 00:57:38,339
John White, Prozac. What are you doing with Ladar? So

762
00:57:38,339 --> 00:57:46,458
lidar. Is we've been using it. With our uas, drones,

763
00:57:46,458 --> 00:57:52,997
and we've gotten great imaging. Of some of our historical

764
00:57:52,997 --> 00:57:59,244
buildings. And just getting vegetation maps is a lot of

765
00:57:59,244 --> 00:58:03,335
it for forestry. I'm not directly involved with the data

766
00:58:03,335 --> 00:58:10,673
collection. Or just like, providing. The hardware that is needed

767
00:58:10,673 --> 00:58:16,150
for this and supporting. The software purchases. That are needed

768
00:58:16,150 --> 00:58:19,545
to analyze the data, but I know. That our building

769
00:58:19,545 --> 00:58:23,745
Santa Star preservation team is using it, and our forestry

770
00:58:23,745 --> 00:58:25,945
team is going to be using it, and I believe

771
00:58:25,945 --> 00:58:31,135
plant ecology, and it's very good. For. We can fly

772
00:58:31,135 --> 00:58:37,751
over our properties and. Get densities of vegetation. And data

773
00:58:37,751 --> 00:58:40,471
like that so that's not shared with the county Gis.

774
00:58:42,431 --> 00:58:47,132
So, ultimately. The goal is that the data will end

775
00:58:47,132 --> 00:58:51,975
up in our GIS system. But it's also just used

776
00:58:51,975 --> 00:58:57,651
directly by those teams. To plan their projects and organize

777
00:58:57,651 --> 00:59:05,349
their work. Thank you. Anybody else? Okay, Carl, great presentation.

778
00:59:06,994 --> 00:59:08,474
And I appreciate what all you're doing. You're doing a

779
00:59:08,474 --> 00:59:10,034
lot of work and. Getting a lot done. I do

780
00:59:10,034 --> 00:59:15,930
have a couple of questions. On the lidar. Are there

781
00:59:15,930 --> 00:59:19,770
any other portions or agencies in Boulder county that are

782
00:59:19,770 --> 00:59:23,570
using Lidar and then the question following up with that

783
00:59:23,570 --> 00:59:27,610
is, is there interaction? I mean, could you share parks

784
00:59:27,610 --> 00:59:30,810
and open space? Lidar with another group that doesn't have

785
00:59:30,810 --> 00:59:34,970
that capability or vice versa. Yeah, I think that's a

786
00:59:34,970 --> 00:59:38,239
great question. And again, I don't have a great answer

787
00:59:38,239 --> 00:59:42,137
for you. I think that. We're sort of at the

788
00:59:42,137 --> 00:59:46,495
beginning of this process, and it's really exciting and. We're

789
00:59:46,495 --> 00:59:51,370
starting to collect data. But in terms of. How it

790
00:59:51,370 --> 00:59:54,290
can be used in a larger sense. I think we're

791
00:59:54,290 --> 00:59:58,318
not there yet. Okay, kind of the same question. My

792
00:59:58,318 --> 01:00:01,118
last question is a little bit the same with Rangers.

793
01:00:02,721 --> 01:00:06,241
CAD, the tough books that they have and also the

794
01:00:06,241 --> 01:00:11,200
body cams. Are you interacting with the sheriff's department. Is

795
01:00:11,200 --> 01:00:14,115
the same kind of equipment that. Could be compatible either

796
01:00:14,115 --> 01:00:20,561
way. Yeah. So with the MDC and vehicle equipment. We

797
01:00:20,561 --> 01:00:22,921
worked with them very closely, and we use the exact

798
01:00:22,921 --> 01:00:27,605
same equipment, the same vendors, the same. Software. The goal

799
01:00:27,605 --> 01:00:32,266
was to get on the same dispatch system. So, yeah,

800
01:00:32,266 --> 01:00:36,261
we're working hand in hand, and. We're trying to use

801
01:00:36,261 --> 01:00:42,387
the exact same equipment. Equipment? Okay, great. All right. Thank

802
01:00:42,387 --> 01:00:46,887
you. I have a question. Okay, Carol. Carol, byerly Poseack

803
01:00:46,887 --> 01:00:50,633
and I have a question for us. And does it

804
01:00:50,633 --> 01:00:56,797
make sense for us? To get briefed. As this policy

805
01:00:56,797 --> 01:01:02,603
regarding the cameras on the rangers. Is developed. Because that

806
01:01:02,603 --> 01:01:06,267
seems to be a pretty sensitive issue. And I would

807
01:01:06,267 --> 01:01:10,320
be interested to see how. It is being rolled out.

808
01:01:13,010 --> 01:01:16,177
And the advice of the attorney. And that kind of

809
01:01:16,177 --> 01:01:18,177
thing. Is that appropriate for us to ask for an

810
01:01:18,177 --> 01:01:23,758
update on. Yeah, I think that would be appropriate. Let

811
01:01:23,758 --> 01:01:26,078
me ask this question first. I'm sure the Boulder County

812
01:01:26,078 --> 01:01:28,918
Sheriff's Department has been using it for a while because

813
01:01:28,918 --> 01:01:34,503
most law enforcement agencies have. It's Colorado law. Enforcement has

814
01:01:34,503 --> 01:01:39,931
to use body warrant cameras, so. We're probably going to

815
01:01:39,931 --> 01:01:42,331
have a lot of discussions with them about their policies

816
01:01:42,331 --> 01:01:47,263
and what they've learned. And like I said, The county

817
01:01:47,263 --> 01:01:52,467
attorney has been involved in risk. And so. I'm not

818
01:01:52,467 --> 01:01:54,547
an expert on that, but I would be more than

819
01:01:54,547 --> 01:01:57,467
happy to come back. And report on all those details

820
01:01:57,467 --> 01:02:02,376
to you. Yeah. It would make some sense that there'd

821
01:02:02,376 --> 01:02:08,362
be some consistency between. Law enforcement agencies in the same

822
01:02:08,362 --> 01:02:11,082
area, or at least within the same like Boulder county

823
01:02:11,082 --> 01:02:16,036
sheriff's. Department. There may be some difference or not. That

824
01:02:16,036 --> 01:02:21,834
would be because. That's the kind of thing that. This

825
01:02:21,834 --> 01:02:26,203
Carol Byerly Posac. I would be interested. In getting updates.

826
01:02:27,981 --> 01:02:30,101
Okay. Yeah, I would be delighted to come back and

827
01:02:30,101 --> 01:02:33,661
give you an update when we're implementing. Thank you. Yeah.

828
01:02:33,661 --> 01:02:37,194
So consider. Official request from post act that we get

829
01:02:37,194 --> 01:02:41,151
an update on that. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. And

830
01:02:41,151 --> 01:02:44,331
I just wanted to mention that. I rely on just

831
01:02:44,331 --> 01:02:48,615
having such a fantastic team. And just my staff does

832
01:02:48,615 --> 01:02:54,242
incredible work and is extremely devoted to. Providing service to

833
01:02:54,242 --> 01:02:59,200
the department and to keep everybody working. Yeah. Cool. Great

834
01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:03,240
job. Appreciate it. Here, right? Yeah. And Fernando is here.

835
01:03:05,137 --> 01:03:12,033
All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. So we've

836
01:03:12,033 --> 01:03:14,673
had post that questions. Do we have anybody in the

837
01:03:14,673 --> 01:03:18,543
room? I don't. See anybody from the public. All right,

838
01:03:18,543 --> 01:03:25,641
come on up. State your name. And get close to

839
01:03:25,641 --> 01:03:30,481
the mic. Yes. Fernando Polanco, computing specialists for parks and

840
01:03:30,481 --> 01:03:34,310
open space. I just wanted to add on to what

841
01:03:34,310 --> 01:03:37,510
Carl said about the growth of the technology for parks.

842
01:03:39,288 --> 01:03:43,931
Being like. The first technician on his team. That was

843
01:03:43,931 --> 01:03:48,380
separate from the main county. It. Has really been just

844
01:03:48,380 --> 01:03:51,900
amazing to see the growth of it for support for

845
01:03:51,900 --> 01:03:56,085
parts specifically, because. Before I started. I knew that or

846
01:03:56,085 --> 01:04:05,153
heard that. The it support. Was kind of spares for

847
01:04:05,153 --> 01:04:08,673
the part, specifically just because of our location where we're.

848
01:04:08,673 --> 01:04:13,894
At. So there wasn't really any onsite support. And now.

849
01:04:15,614 --> 01:04:18,414
We've got pretty much around the clock support, almost. It's

850
01:04:18,414 --> 01:04:23,877
like. Anybody that has a problem. Knows that once they

851
01:04:23,877 --> 01:04:26,197
put in a request that we're going to respond as

852
01:04:26,197 --> 01:04:30,202
soon as we can and get. Their issue fixed and

853
01:04:30,202 --> 01:04:34,002
get their computers up and running and being able to

854
01:04:34,002 --> 01:04:40,522
help navigate the new technology. And give some advice. That

855
01:04:40,522 --> 01:04:45,716
all the experts use. Is really a special thing to

856
01:04:45,716 --> 01:04:49,700
be a part of, so for me, The day in

857
01:04:49,700 --> 01:04:54,182
and out is just fixing computers, but then. You see

858
01:04:54,182 --> 01:04:59,950
the amazing work being done? All the different programs. All

859
01:04:59,950 --> 01:05:05,573
the research. It's really good to know that my skills

860
01:05:05,573 --> 01:05:10,617
fixing computers can help. People just make our parts better.

861
01:05:12,291 --> 01:05:15,846
And offer more services. And really put our department specifically

862
01:05:15,846 --> 01:05:23,060
on the map, so to speak. And. Just. Let the

863
01:05:23,060 --> 01:05:27,875
subject, subject matter experts do their thing. So it's really

864
01:05:27,875 --> 01:05:30,474
good to be part of that. Okay. Thank you for

865
01:05:30,474 --> 01:05:33,874
your service. All your hard work and dedication. Oh, yeah,

866
01:05:33,874 --> 01:05:38,768
thank you. It's. My pleasure. All right. Do we have

867
01:05:38,768 --> 01:05:41,048
anybody from the public online just to make a quick

868
01:05:41,048 --> 01:05:50,166
check? That sounds like not all right. Thank you. Thank

869
01:05:50,166 --> 01:05:56,278
you. So we'll move on the next presentation. We have

870
01:05:56,278 --> 01:05:59,678
Aaron going to speak about working lands conservation.

871
01:06:22,307 --> 01:06:25,507
Good evening, Posack. Nice to be with you this evening.

872
01:06:36,046 --> 01:06:43,007
Okay. My name is Aaron Meyer, and I'm a senior

873
01:06:43,007 --> 01:06:47,087
agricultural resource specialist with Boulder county parks. And open space.

874
01:06:47,087 --> 01:06:48,847
Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak to

875
01:06:48,847 --> 01:06:53,087
you this evening about our new working Lands conservation initiative.

876
01:06:53,087 --> 01:06:56,047
The goal of the Working Lands Conservation initiative is to

877
01:06:56,047 --> 01:07:01,347
modernize the county's grazing lease program. By incorporating elements of

878
01:07:01,347 --> 01:07:07,707
regenerative agriculture and habitat conservation while synthesizing and prioritizing ecosystem

879
01:07:07,707 --> 01:07:12,602
services. We are working to develop an agricultural leasing program

880
01:07:12,602 --> 01:07:15,562
that will help Boulder County's farmers and ranchers contribute to

881
01:07:15,562 --> 01:07:19,882
food security for the county while meeting cultural, environmental, and

882
01:07:19,882 --> 01:07:23,482
economic sustainability goals. We also want to develop a best

883
01:07:23,482 --> 01:07:27,402
in class agricultural leasing program that improves upon our rich

884
01:07:27,402 --> 01:07:34,382
agric. Agricultural heritage while integrating cutting edge regenerative agriculture technologies

885
01:07:34,382 --> 01:07:38,140
and best available science. As we know what we do

886
01:07:38,140 --> 01:07:41,380
as land managers and the decisions we make are vitally

887
01:07:41,380 --> 01:07:45,180
important. To not only protecting environmental resources such as clean

888
01:07:45,180 --> 01:07:49,220
air, clean water, soil health, and native floral and funnel

889
01:07:49,220 --> 01:07:52,540
diversity, but also important for our community and the people

890
01:07:52,540 --> 01:07:58,541
that depend on healthy, affordable. And environmentally sustainable food. The

891
01:07:58,541 --> 01:08:00,701
quote at the top of the slide sums up the

892
01:08:00,701 --> 01:08:06,569
ethos behind our working lands conservation. Initiative. Quote, regenerative agriculture

893
01:08:06,569 --> 01:08:10,249
provides answers to the soil crisis, the food crisis, the

894
01:08:10,249 --> 01:08:14,809
health crisis, the climate crisis and the crisis of democracy.

895
01:08:14,809 --> 01:08:20,689
End quote. Scholar, philosopher and social activists Vandana Shiva's. Work

896
01:08:20,689 --> 01:08:22,489
is a reminder for us that what we do at

897
01:08:22,489 --> 01:08:27,446
the local level is everything. Importantly, we want to recognize

898
01:08:27,446 --> 01:08:30,446
indigenous ways in wisdom. We acknowledge that we are the

899
01:08:30,446 --> 01:08:35,366
caretakers of ancestral homelands and unseated territory of indigenous peoples

900
01:08:35,366 --> 01:08:38,686
who have traversed, lived in, and stewarded the lands in

901
01:08:38,686 --> 01:08:42,646
the Boulder valley for a millennia. Those indigenous nations include

902
01:08:42,646 --> 01:08:51,162
the aP. Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Cya, Poni, Shishoni, sue

903
01:08:51,162 --> 01:08:53,922
and Utes. We honor and respect the people of these

904
01:08:53,922 --> 01:08:58,242
nations and their ancestors. We also recognize that indigenous knowledge

905
01:08:58,242 --> 01:09:02,282
oral histories and languages handed down through generations have shaped

906
01:09:02,282 --> 01:09:06,130
profound cultural and spiritual connections with Boulder. Area, lands and

907
01:09:06,130 --> 01:09:09,810
ecosystems, connections that are sustained and celebrated to this day.

908
01:09:11,241 --> 01:09:15,481
As aforementioned, this presentation will provide an overview for POsac

909
01:09:15,481 --> 01:09:19,361
of our new working lands conservation. Initiative. This will include

910
01:09:19,361 --> 01:09:22,201
an overview of what it is, a brief primer on

911
01:09:22,201 --> 01:09:26,161
regenerative agriculture and a discussion of why it's important, as

912
01:09:26,161 --> 01:09:28,641
well as a synopsis of how and what the agricultural

913
01:09:28,641 --> 01:09:31,893
division of parks and open space. Is doing to implement

914
01:09:31,893 --> 01:09:35,009
it. So why is now the time to take a

915
01:09:35,009 --> 01:09:39,569
new approach with our agricultural release program? Well, the reality

916
01:09:39,569 --> 01:09:42,009
is that we have some major challenges ahead with respect

917
01:09:42,009 --> 01:09:48,032
to fixing existing land management issues. The Working Lands Conservation

918
01:09:48,032 --> 01:09:51,232
initiative will help us take a holistic approach to setting

919
01:09:51,232 --> 01:09:56,265
future sustainability goals. While tackling. And fixing existing issues with

920
01:09:56,265 --> 01:10:01,343
the program. Some of these issues include overgrazed properties, mitigating

921
01:10:01,343 --> 01:10:06,343
against future wildfires, managing trail use on Ag lands, fixing

922
01:10:06,343 --> 01:10:11,223
stream and bank erosion, fixing and replacing aging infrastructure and

923
01:10:11,223 --> 01:10:15,706
reducing the footprint of invasive species. So what is working?

924
01:10:15,706 --> 01:10:19,226
Lands conservation. What we want to do is reframe the

925
01:10:19,226 --> 01:10:23,066
narrative we want to help Boulder County's farmers sustain communities,

926
01:10:23,066 --> 01:10:28,463
the environment, and ultimately our future. To state it more

927
01:10:28,463 --> 01:10:32,343
succinctly, we want to protect and enhance ecological services while

928
01:10:32,343 --> 01:10:36,565
providing an agricultural land base for local food security. So

929
01:10:36,565 --> 01:10:41,085
what are ecological services? Some examples of these services include

930
01:10:41,085 --> 01:10:45,805
the water cycle, nutrients cycling, soil health. Clean air, clean

931
01:10:45,805 --> 01:10:50,685
water, and wildlife habitat. Ecological services are the essential benefits

932
01:10:50,685 --> 01:10:54,405
that humans derive from nature. These services are critical for

933
01:10:54,405 --> 01:10:57,807
sustaining life on earth. Inf. Influencing our well being and

934
01:10:57,807 --> 01:11:01,127
ensuring the planet's long term health. They aren't just nice

935
01:11:01,127 --> 01:11:05,356
to have elements. There are fundamental processes that underlie environmental

936
01:11:05,356 --> 01:11:10,036
stability, agriculture in even our economies. When we appreciate these

937
01:11:10,036 --> 01:11:13,476
services, we begin to understand how interconnected human survival is

938
01:11:13,476 --> 01:11:17,143
with the natural world around us. We know that agriculture

939
01:11:17,143 --> 01:11:21,023
has a significant environmental footprint. It's associated with approximately one

940
01:11:21,023 --> 01:11:23,623
third of global land use and is a key driver

941
01:11:23,623 --> 01:11:27,743
of land use change globally. Food production is also associated

942
01:11:27,743 --> 01:11:33,981
with 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same

943
01:11:33,981 --> 01:11:36,941
time, global food needs are anticipated to grow as a

944
01:11:36,941 --> 01:11:40,701
consequence of increases both in population and in per capita

945
01:11:40,701 --> 01:11:45,171
demand. In response to these various pressures, many actors are

946
01:11:45,171 --> 01:11:49,411
seeking more sustainable ways of producing food. The farmer sas

947
01:11:49,411 --> 01:11:53,131
input. Windowbury has long argued that many of today's agricultural

948
01:11:53,131 --> 01:11:57,811
practices are detrimental to ecology, community, and the local economies.

949
01:11:57,811 --> 01:12:02,460
Windowberry argues that healthy forms of agriculture require attention. On

950
01:12:02,460 --> 01:12:05,578
the part of both consumers and farmers. Americans assume that

951
01:12:05,578 --> 01:12:08,218
there will always be enough money, clean soil and water

952
01:12:08,218 --> 01:12:12,578
to fulfill our desires. Advocates for regenerative agriculture, augury that

953
01:12:12,578 --> 01:12:14,818
we ought to live. We ought to recognize the limits.

954
01:12:14,818 --> 01:12:17,818
Of our world. And as Mr. Barry writes, live in.

955
01:12:19,254 --> 01:12:22,884
Its terms, not ours. During the early days of livestock

956
01:12:22,884 --> 01:12:25,844
grazing in the west, there is a significant reduction in

957
01:12:25,844 --> 01:12:29,324
grazing resources. Caused by overgrazing and the conversion of native

958
01:12:29,324 --> 01:12:33,284
range land to farmland. Additionally, the railroads brought into the

959
01:12:33,284 --> 01:12:36,324
west. Large numbers of people seeking land provided by the

960
01:12:36,324 --> 01:12:41,712
Homestead act of 1883. The deterioration of Western Ranges. In

961
01:12:41,712 --> 01:12:43,632
the latter half of the 19th century did not go

962
01:12:43,632 --> 01:12:48,552
unnoticed. Numerous reports of overgrazing were made by livestock associations

963
01:12:48,552 --> 01:12:50,912
and reporters in practically all parts of the west in

964
01:12:50,912 --> 01:12:55,472
the late 1880s. Earlier reports documented extreme range depletion in

965
01:12:55,472 --> 01:13:00,192
the southern and central great plains. In 1915, Frederick Clements,

966
01:13:00,192 --> 01:13:03,610
the famous Nebraska. Plan ecologist addressed the problems of range

967
01:13:03,610 --> 01:13:08,415
abuse. He recommended that rest controls season of use, reducing

968
01:13:08,415 --> 01:13:12,095
livestock numbers, controlling noxious plants and receding be used to

969
01:13:12,095 --> 01:13:17,975
stop range deterioration. Between 1910 and 1915, Arthur Sampson conducted

970
01:13:17,975 --> 01:13:21,455
the first grazing system experiments. In Oregon. He reasoned that

971
01:13:21,455 --> 01:13:24,575
deferment of grazing until sea maturity would allow for seedling.

972
01:13:24,575 --> 01:13:29,702
Establish. Establishment and help replenish carbohydrate reserves while regenerative agriculture

973
01:13:29,702 --> 01:13:32,502
is a modern day concept. It really does trace its

974
01:13:32,502 --> 01:13:35,102
roots back to land conservation in the early 19 hundreds.

975
01:13:36,826 --> 01:13:40,106
So what is this ethos behind regenerative agriculture and working

976
01:13:40,106 --> 01:13:44,146
lands conservation? Well, ethos. Can be defined as, quote, the

977
01:13:44,146 --> 01:13:48,546
characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested

978
01:13:48,546 --> 01:13:52,346
in its beliefs and aspirations. End quote. You see this

979
01:13:52,346 --> 01:13:54,586
in real time with the regenerative ad community. Here in

980
01:13:54,586 --> 01:13:59,554
Boulder county all far. Farmers, young and old. From the

981
01:13:59,554 --> 01:14:01,834
left to the right on this graph, we want to

982
01:14:01,834 --> 01:14:05,114
move from a degenerating. Land use system to a system

983
01:14:05,114 --> 01:14:09,074
that's restorative and regenerating to the land. There is no

984
01:14:09,074 --> 01:14:12,794
single definition of regenerative agriculture that I could find as

985
01:14:12,794 --> 01:14:17,114
a philosophy and holistic approach to land management. Regenerative agriculture

986
01:14:17,114 --> 01:14:21,735
asks us. To think about how all aspects of agriculture

987
01:14:21,735 --> 01:14:24,975
are connected through a web, a network of entities who

988
01:14:24,975 --> 01:14:29,655
grow, enhance, exchange, distribute and consume goods and services. Instead

989
01:14:29,655 --> 01:14:33,055
of a linear supply chain, it's about farming and ranching

990
01:14:33,055 --> 01:14:35,815
in a style that nourishes people in the earth with

991
01:14:35,815 --> 01:14:38,935
specific practices, varying from grower to grower and from region

992
01:14:38,935 --> 01:14:42,141
to region. there is no strict rulebook but the holistic

993
01:14:42,141 --> 01:14:46,101
principles behind the dynamic system of regenerative agriculture are meant

994
01:14:46,101 --> 01:14:50,581
to restore soil and ecosystem health address inequality and leave

995
01:14:50,581 --> 01:14:53,261
our land in waters and climate in better shape for

996
01:14:53,261 --> 01:14:57,621
future generations many of the concepts and fundamentals which comprise

997
01:14:57,621 --> 01:15:01,288
our understanding of regenerative agric Agriculture stem from a historical

998
01:15:01,288 --> 01:15:05,288
narrative regarding sustainable farming and ranching that have roots extending

999
01:15:05,288 --> 01:15:09,080
back long before today. It's important to appreciate that this

1000
01:15:09,080 --> 01:15:12,600
is not a new idea. In fact, indigenous communities have

1001
01:15:12,600 --> 01:15:15,880
farmed in nature's image for a millennium. According to the

1002
01:15:15,880 --> 01:15:19,920
natural Resources defense counsel, the regenerative agriculture movement is the

1003
01:15:19,920 --> 01:15:23,920
dawning realization among more people that an indigenous approach to

1004
01:15:23,920 --> 01:15:30,385
agriculture can help restore ecologies fight. Climate change, rebuild relationships,

1005
01:15:30,385 --> 01:15:35,286
spark economic development, and bring joy. Regenerative ag in many

1006
01:15:35,286 --> 01:15:37,886
ways, can trace its roots back to Aldo Leopold's land.

1007
01:15:37,886 --> 01:15:41,606
Ethic, which he wrote about in the 1930s. While some

1008
01:15:41,606 --> 01:15:44,726
may think that regenerative agriculture is just a repackaged version

1009
01:15:44,726 --> 01:15:48,126
of what we used to call sustainable farming, or holistic

1010
01:15:48,126 --> 01:15:52,219
grazing. It involves way more than this. So why should

1011
01:15:52,219 --> 01:15:54,779
we care about working lands conservation right here in Boulder

1012
01:15:54,779 --> 01:15:58,699
county? Well, to start, we're located in the central flyway

1013
01:15:58,699 --> 01:16:02,019
for migratory birds in the west. We only have about

1014
01:16:02,019 --> 01:16:05,179
one half of the grasslands left that were historically here

1015
01:16:05,179 --> 01:16:08,539
and far less in Boulder county. Bird numbers are declining

1016
01:16:08,539 --> 01:16:12,827
at an astonishing rate. As you can see from the

1017
01:16:12,827 --> 01:16:16,632
graphic on this slide. Grassland birds have experienced a greater

1018
01:16:16,632 --> 01:16:20,912
than 50% decline over the last 50 years, representing the

1019
01:16:20,912 --> 01:16:24,512
most significant decline of bird species within any major ecosystem

1020
01:16:24,512 --> 01:16:29,569
in North America. Additionally, several grassland birds are projected to

1021
01:16:29,569 --> 01:16:32,329
lose another half of their population in the next 25

1022
01:16:32,329 --> 01:16:37,003
years. Grassland birds are facing a crisis. So the question

1023
01:16:37,003 --> 01:16:41,363
is, how can we achieve significant, lasting change at scale

1024
01:16:41,363 --> 01:16:44,763
to reverse population decline? What does our role in Boulder

1025
01:16:44,763 --> 01:16:49,178
county have in all of this? Last fall while checking

1026
01:16:49,178 --> 01:16:51,178
cattle in the southern part of the county on the

1027
01:16:51,178 --> 01:16:55,858
Saharius property. A small group of sandhill cranes flew overhead.

1028
01:16:55,858 --> 01:16:59,098
These large, beautiful birds migrate through Colorado and route to

1029
01:16:59,098 --> 01:17:01,338
the Rio Grande valley to the south, where they will

1030
01:17:01,338 --> 01:17:04,578
spend the winter. The agricultural lands that we manage for

1031
01:17:04,578 --> 01:17:10,225
parks and open space. Provide incredibly important refugia for migratory

1032
01:17:10,225 --> 01:17:13,745
birds as they rely on our native grasslands as a

1033
01:17:13,745 --> 01:17:17,305
buffer from intense urbanization and development that occurs further to

1034
01:17:17,305 --> 01:17:21,258
the east along the front range. Being out there that

1035
01:17:21,258 --> 01:17:24,098
afternoon was a stark reminder for me of how important

1036
01:17:24,098 --> 01:17:26,218
it is that we manage our rangelands in a way

1037
01:17:26,218 --> 01:17:31,183
that maintains the health of these grasslands moving forward. With

1038
01:17:31,183 --> 01:17:34,996
that in mind. A key tenant of the Working Lands

1039
01:17:34,996 --> 01:17:38,596
Conservation initiative is developing our grazing lease programs so that

1040
01:17:38,596 --> 01:17:42,396
native habitat, such as that shown on the previous slide,

1041
01:17:42,396 --> 01:17:47,236
is managed in a sustainable way that prioritizes ecosystem services.

1042
01:17:47,236 --> 01:17:49,356
The mission of the grazing program is to manage the

1043
01:17:49,356 --> 01:17:53,076
county's agricultural lands. For livestock raising in a manner that

1044
01:17:53,076 --> 01:17:56,023
aligns with. The vision, mission and goals of Boulder county

1045
01:17:56,023 --> 01:18:00,508
parks and open space. A core focus is sustainability, which

1046
01:18:00,508 --> 01:18:03,995
is one of Boulder County's guiding values. The county defines

1047
01:18:03,995 --> 01:18:08,155
sustainability as, quote, the use, development, and protection of resources

1048
01:18:08,155 --> 01:18:10,995
in a way that enables Boulder county residents to meet

1049
01:18:10,995 --> 01:18:14,275
their needs and maintain a high quality of life without

1050
01:18:14,275 --> 01:18:16,995
compromising the ability of future residents to do the same.

1051
01:18:18,606 --> 01:18:21,286
The three primary goals of the new grazing program are

1052
01:18:21,286 --> 01:18:25,126
to one, protect and enhance the ecological integrity and climate

1053
01:18:25,126 --> 01:18:27,886
resilience of grazing lands managed by parks and open space.

1054
01:18:30,435 --> 01:18:34,275
Two to collaborate across parks divisions and eliminate institutional barriers

1055
01:18:34,275 --> 01:18:36,955
in order to include all staff in setting working lands,

1056
01:18:36,955 --> 01:18:41,922
conservation goals. And three to maintain the agricultural heritage of

1057
01:18:41,922 --> 01:18:45,642
Boulder county while incorporating equity and belonging for all leases.

1058
01:18:47,689 --> 01:18:50,129
Therefore, we want a grazing program that supports the community.

1059
01:18:51,842 --> 01:18:55,042
We want a grazing program that is regenerative. We want

1060
01:18:55,042 --> 01:18:58,562
a grazing program that is economically viable and supports local

1061
01:18:58,562 --> 01:19:01,842
food security. We want a grazing program that is fair

1062
01:19:01,842 --> 01:19:05,282
and equitable and we want a grazing program that supports

1063
01:19:05,282 --> 01:19:10,682
all ecosystem services, including preventing overgrazing, so that wildlife and

1064
01:19:10,682 --> 01:19:14,567
native plant diversity. Can thrive. The following map shows the

1065
01:19:14,567 --> 01:19:17,487
county's open space lands in dark green. Most of our

1066
01:19:17,487 --> 01:19:21,007
agricultural lease properties are located east of the foothills towards

1067
01:19:21,007 --> 01:19:24,647
East county line Road along the boundary with Weld county.

1068
01:19:24,647 --> 01:19:29,887
According to the 2022 USDA Ag census, there are 826

1069
01:19:29,887 --> 01:19:36,937
individual farms loc. Located across 74,000 acres in Boulder county.

1070
01:19:36,937 --> 01:19:40,817
Of that Boulder county parks and open space manages 26,000

1071
01:19:40,817 --> 01:19:45,457
acres, which constitutes approximately one third of all agricultural land

1072
01:19:45,457 --> 01:19:50,943
in Boulder County. We currently have 62 leaseholders with 128

1073
01:19:50,943 --> 01:19:53,983
total leases in our program. About half of the lands

1074
01:19:53,983 --> 01:19:56,703
we manage are farmed, while the other half are grazed

1075
01:19:56,703 --> 01:20:01,063
by domestic livestock. Most are smallish. Properties, some are large

1076
01:20:01,063 --> 01:20:07,223
grassland properties. Types of production varies and includes conventional, certified

1077
01:20:07,223 --> 01:20:11,331
organic. Market farms. And specialty goods and services such as

1078
01:20:11,331 --> 01:20:16,731
wildlife viewing, education and outreach, agricultural heritage tours, and even

1079
01:20:16,731 --> 01:20:21,859
pumpkins. In addition to livestock, principal crops grown are the

1080
01:20:21,859 --> 01:20:25,979
big three corn, wheat and barley. In addition to grass,

1081
01:20:25,979 --> 01:20:31,551
alfalfa, hay, sorghum in vegetables. Of the 26,000 acres in

1082
01:20:31,551 --> 01:20:37,151
our program, we have 28 grazing leaseholders across 12,259 acres

1083
01:20:37,151 --> 01:20:42,999
on 81 separate properties. Specifically with our grazing leases. Each

1084
01:20:42,999 --> 01:20:46,159
lease will have a grazing plan. Moving forward, these will

1085
01:20:46,159 --> 01:20:48,719
be developed for each lease and property in concert with

1086
01:20:48,719 --> 01:20:52,599
our leaseholders. This will be a collaborative process where we

1087
01:20:52,599 --> 01:20:55,199
will work with our ranchers to develop grazing plans with

1088
01:20:55,199 --> 01:21:02,403
sustainability goals in mind. These plans will set. Stocking rates

1089
01:21:02,403 --> 01:21:05,763
at appropriate levels for the lands and will incorporate regenerative

1090
01:21:05,763 --> 01:21:10,843
grazing practices. These plans will help us prioritize habitat protection

1091
01:21:10,843 --> 01:21:14,083
for grassland birds, allow us to use cattle grazing for

1092
01:21:14,083 --> 01:21:20,068
wildfire fuel reduction. In overall vegetation management. With enhanced management

1093
01:21:20,068 --> 01:21:23,228
of grazing resources and using the right combination of the

1094
01:21:23,228 --> 01:21:27,548
five grazing fundamentals science and experience has shown that domesticated

1095
01:21:27,548 --> 01:21:30,988
remnants can be used to produce higher permanent soil cover

1096
01:21:30,988 --> 01:21:34,348
of litter and plants, which are effective in reducing soil

1097
01:21:34,348 --> 01:21:37,668
erosion and increasing that biophysical carbon accumulation.

1098
01:21:42,263 --> 01:22:01,763
Fertilizers

1099
01:22:01,763 --> 01:21:45,547
and biocides. This results in better overall soil health. Additionally,

1100
01:21:46,232 --> 01:21:51,147
incorporating forages and remnants into regeneratively managed cropping systems can

1101
01:21:51,192 --> 01:21:55,187
also elevate soil organic carbon and improves soil ecological function

1102
01:21:55,592 --> 01:21:58,667
and reduce production costs by eliminating the use of annual

1103
01:21:59,072 --> 01:22:03,780
tillage. Inorganic fertili. Ecosystem services that are enhanced using regenerative

1104
01:22:03,780 --> 01:22:09,980
land management includes soil stabilization and formation. Water infiltration carbon

1105
01:22:09,980 --> 01:22:17,420
sequestration, nutrient cycling and availability, biodiversity and wildlife habitat. These

1106
01:22:17,420 --> 01:22:22,088
services cumulatively result in increased ecosystem. And economic stability as

1107
01:22:22,088 --> 01:22:25,048
well as resilience. I think this fits pretty well with

1108
01:22:25,048 --> 01:22:29,448
our understanding. Of regenerative agriculture. Each grazing plan will focus

1109
01:22:29,448 --> 01:22:35,648
on the five grazing fundamentals, timing, frequency intensity, duration and

1110
01:22:35,648 --> 01:22:39,426
rest. An example of this in practice is working with

1111
01:22:39,426 --> 01:22:42,706
our wildlife group to develop grassland bird species list for

1112
01:22:42,706 --> 01:22:45,826
our properties. This allows us to use the five grazing

1113
01:22:45,826 --> 01:22:51,706
fundamentals. Timing, frequency, intensity, duration and rest to protect migratory

1114
01:22:51,706 --> 01:22:57,485
birds that rely on our grazing properties. The following graph

1115
01:22:57,485 --> 01:23:01,205
shows the relationship between prairie vegetation, the lifecycle needs of

1116
01:23:01,205 --> 01:23:06,165
specific prairie bird species and livestock raising intensity. Livestock grazing

1117
01:23:06,165 --> 01:23:09,045
intensity and associated vegetation is shown from left to right.

1118
01:23:13,243 --> 01:23:15,683
Where the left side of the slide represents more grazing

1119
01:23:15,683 --> 01:23:19,323
and the right side represents light or no. Grazing. As

1120
01:23:19,323 --> 01:23:22,283
you know, livestock can mimic the role of bison in

1121
01:23:22,283 --> 01:23:26,603
other native grazers. Restore ecosystem functions and nutrient cycles that

1122
01:23:26,603 --> 01:23:30,643
rebuild soil, conserve water and fuel plant growth. All of

1123
01:23:30,643 --> 01:23:33,514
this helps create a diverse mosaic of habitat across. The

1124
01:23:33,514 --> 01:23:37,474
landscape. The goal is to develop a grazing management system

1125
01:23:37,474 --> 01:23:41,274
that creates a rest rotation mosaic to establish a variety

1126
01:23:41,274 --> 01:23:45,474
of spatial and temporal grassland cover and canopy types to

1127
01:23:45,474 --> 01:23:49,538
support a suite of priority bird species. Certain species, such

1128
01:23:49,538 --> 01:23:53,498
as the mountain plubber, burring al horn lark and Kildare

1129
01:23:53,498 --> 01:23:57,138
prefer heavier grazed areas, whereas species such as the lark

1130
01:23:57,138 --> 01:24:00,778
bunting and western metal arc may prefer taller grass. And

1131
01:24:00,778 --> 01:24:05,274
or areas with mixed canopy layers. We are also working

1132
01:24:05,274 --> 01:24:08,274
with our habitat biologists to develop grazing systems to meet

1133
01:24:08,274 --> 01:24:11,194
the needs of the prebbles meadow jumping mouse, which is

1134
01:24:11,194 --> 01:24:15,114
listed as a candidate species under the endangered species. Act.

1135
01:24:15,114 --> 01:24:17,234
The photo on the right of this slide shows one

1136
01:24:17,234 --> 01:24:19,954
of our properties where we are limiting grazing to help

1137
01:24:19,954 --> 01:24:26,123
protect the mouse during the. Growing season while opening up

1138
01:24:26,123 --> 01:24:29,283
the property for properly time grazing in the fall to

1139
01:24:29,283 --> 01:24:32,843
help promote native riparian plant species diversity along the south

1140
01:24:32,843 --> 01:24:37,579
branch of St. Vain Creek. Monitoring and ecological data collection

1141
01:24:37,579 --> 01:24:41,459
are a vital part of our working lands conservation initiative.

1142
01:24:41,459 --> 01:24:44,099
The photo in the lower left hand corner of the

1143
01:24:44,099 --> 01:24:47,499
slide shows a vegetation cage we had built that allows

1144
01:24:47,499 --> 01:24:50,699
us to measure the amount of forage removed by grazing.

1145
01:24:50,699 --> 01:24:57,060
This helps determine the amount of forage. Utilization and overall

1146
01:24:57,060 --> 01:25:01,322
grazing pressure within a property. Additionally, we are working with

1147
01:25:01,322 --> 01:25:04,562
the wildlife group to collect bird Point count data on

1148
01:25:04,562 --> 01:25:08,002
our grassland properties. In order to develop a priority bird

1149
01:25:08,002 --> 01:25:12,322
species list, which, coupled with better grazing systems, will help

1150
01:25:12,322 --> 01:25:17,682
protect migratory birds. We are also collecting soil health, vegetation

1151
01:25:17,682 --> 01:25:20,792
and other wildlife data to better understand and eval. Evaluate

1152
01:25:20,792 --> 01:25:25,209
the ecosystem services that each of our properties provides. And,

1153
01:25:25,209 --> 01:25:28,969
of course, the Working Lands Conservation Initiative, along with our

1154
01:25:28,969 --> 01:25:32,609
Soil Health grant program, will incorporate the five principles of

1155
01:25:32,609 --> 01:25:40,215
soil health. Soil armor, minimizing soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual

1156
01:25:40,215 --> 01:25:45,135
live plant roots, and livestock integration where appropriate excuse me.

1157
01:25:45,135 --> 01:25:49,455
Yes? Sorry to interrupt. Carol. Byerly Posac. What is soil

1158
01:25:49,455 --> 01:25:55,028
armor? Thank you. Soil armor. Could be rock cover. It

1159
01:25:55,028 --> 01:26:00,498
could be biological crust lichen. And things like that. Anything

1160
01:26:00,498 --> 01:26:03,938
that provides a buffer from hard raindrop impact and that

1161
01:26:03,938 --> 01:26:08,336
kind of. Thing. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. These soil

1162
01:26:08,336 --> 01:26:12,056
health principles work together to create a resilient soil ecosystem

1163
01:26:12,056 --> 01:26:17,041
that supports plant growth. In overall environmental condition. We also

1164
01:26:17,041 --> 01:26:19,081
want to be on the cutting edge of climate solutions.

1165
01:26:23,451 --> 01:26:26,851
An important collateral benefit of working lands conservation is using

1166
01:26:26,851 --> 01:26:31,211
regenerative grazing as a natural climate. Solution. This includes both

1167
01:26:31,211 --> 01:26:36,255
climate adaptation and climate mitigation. Properly managed properties contain healthier

1168
01:26:36,255 --> 01:26:41,434
soils, greater plant diversity and productivity. And residual vegetation that

1169
01:26:41,434 --> 01:26:45,914
prevents excess runoff. Grasslands that retain more water can enhance

1170
01:26:45,914 --> 01:26:49,474
resilience to extreme weather events. It's estimated that up to

1171
01:26:49,474 --> 01:26:52,954
50% of soil organic carbon is emitted. Into the atmosphere

1172
01:26:52,954 --> 01:26:56,834
upon land conversion. Therefore, the lands we protect and steward

1173
01:26:56,834 --> 01:27:00,114
through our program will help. Protect against a changing climate.

1174
01:27:00,818 --> 01:27:03,058
We have a lot going on in the agricultural division

1175
01:27:03,058 --> 01:27:05,898
right now. We are working on our leasing. Program to

1176
01:27:05,898 --> 01:27:10,538
incorporate working lands conservation goals. Revisions to these leases will

1177
01:27:10,538 --> 01:27:14,498
require our leaseholders to follow certain practices, such as limited

1178
01:27:14,498 --> 01:27:21,676
stocking rates, deferred grazing or complete rest. We are also

1179
01:27:21,676 --> 01:27:25,716
working on predator and coyote coexistence strategies to minimize calf

1180
01:27:25,716 --> 01:27:31,756
losses while encouraging producers to use nonlethal predator mitigation techniques

1181
01:27:31,756 --> 01:27:34,156
over the past couple of years. We've had soil health

1182
01:27:34,156 --> 01:27:37,596
funding available. These critical funds are used by our leaseholders

1183
01:27:37,596 --> 01:27:41,825
to put into practice the working lands conservation initiative. Including

1184
01:27:41,825 --> 01:27:46,865
improving soil health and protecting ecosystem services. We are also

1185
01:27:46,865 --> 01:27:50,505
working with OSMP, open space and mountain parks to evaluate

1186
01:27:50,505 --> 01:27:54,985
a ridification on agricultural lands across the county, partnering with

1187
01:27:54,985 --> 01:27:58,825
CSU extension and importantly, getting ready for the soil. Rev

1188
01:27:58,825 --> 01:28:03,105
conference, which will be held on December 11 this year.

1189
01:28:03,105 --> 01:28:06,906
To register for the conference, please go to Soilrev. Dot

1190
01:28:06,906 --> 01:28:09,866
for more information. This is a really awesome conference that

1191
01:28:09,866 --> 01:28:15,999
brings together farmers, ranchers, regenerative practitioners, researchers. And the general

1192
01:28:15,999 --> 01:28:19,759
public with an interest in working lands, conservation and regenerative

1193
01:28:19,759 --> 01:28:23,577
ag right here. In Bowler County. To conclude, I'd like

1194
01:28:23,577 --> 01:28:26,377
to finish with a quote from Dan Flores, who's a

1195
01:28:26,377 --> 01:28:29,217
retired professor at the University of Montana and author of

1196
01:28:29,217 --> 01:28:35,903
several notable books. Quotes there is a line of argument

1197
01:28:35,903 --> 01:28:40,103
in cultural anthropology that goes this way. Great ideas and

1198
01:28:40,103 --> 01:28:44,383
great innovations are relatively rare events in human history. But

1199
01:28:44,383 --> 01:28:47,223
once exposed to the world, the really valuable ones have

1200
01:28:47,223 --> 01:28:50,843
a life of their own and cannot be contained. They

1201
01:28:50,843 --> 01:28:53,803
spread. Diffuse is the term in anthropology, from person to

1202
01:28:53,803 --> 01:28:58,563
person, group to group. Little packages of new information transforming

1203
01:28:58,563 --> 01:29:03,203
reality, end quote. I believe that regenerative agriculture and working

1204
01:29:03,203 --> 01:29:07,980
lands conservation as a concept. Idea, practice or framework is

1205
01:29:07,980 --> 01:29:12,380
spreading diffusely throughout Boulder county and within the US writ

1206
01:29:12,380 --> 01:29:14,620
large and it does seem to have a life of

1207
01:29:14,620 --> 01:29:19,129
its own, as Dan Flores states, Thank you, Posak. That

1208
01:29:19,129 --> 01:29:23,409
concludes my presentation. Thank you. Thank you, Aaron. You covered

1209
01:29:23,409 --> 01:29:27,830
a lot. Of ground there. Yeah. Awesome presentation, and I

1210
01:29:27,830 --> 01:29:31,505
am sure we have some questions. So we'll start here

1211
01:29:31,505 --> 01:29:37,060
with John. John White Poseack. Thank you. I think this

1212
01:29:37,060 --> 01:29:41,949
awesome presentation. I don't know how awesome I think it

1213
01:29:41,949 --> 01:29:43,749
would be if I was a rancher. And had to

1214
01:29:43,749 --> 01:29:47,562
limit my cattle. What kind of feedback do you get

1215
01:29:47,562 --> 01:29:53,781
about that? Yeah, that's a great question, John. I appreciate

1216
01:29:53,781 --> 01:29:58,629
that. So we're working through this process right now. My

1217
01:29:58,629 --> 01:30:02,709
approach to having these conversations with our producers is to

1218
01:30:02,709 --> 01:30:06,882
start collaboratively, step by step. And impress upon them the

1219
01:30:06,882 --> 01:30:09,642
need that our goal here is to keep agriculture on

1220
01:30:09,642 --> 01:30:12,922
the land to make sure that our practices are farming

1221
01:30:12,922 --> 01:30:17,722
and ranching practices are done right through time moving forward.

1222
01:30:17,722 --> 01:30:20,202
So that 510 20 years from now we can keep

1223
01:30:20,202 --> 01:30:25,442
agriculture in place and minimize any potential degradation. That's happening.

1224
01:30:25,442 --> 01:30:28,453
So the goal. Is sustainability in working with them over

1225
01:30:28,453 --> 01:30:31,493
a period of time to make those cattle adjustments to

1226
01:30:31,493 --> 01:30:34,293
reduce stocking rates to look at out of the box

1227
01:30:34,293 --> 01:30:37,093
options, other properties that might be available, those kind of

1228
01:30:37,093 --> 01:30:41,089
things. How cooperative. How much buy in do you get

1229
01:30:41,089 --> 01:30:47,201
from the ranchers? I'm not trying to be argumentative. Well,

1230
01:30:47,201 --> 01:30:50,361
it's a mixed bag. Mostly good. Mostly good? Yeah. I

1231
01:30:50,361 --> 01:30:53,161
think most of our producers want to see improvement in

1232
01:30:53,161 --> 01:30:56,641
the condition of our properties. Most of our producers recognize

1233
01:30:56,641 --> 01:31:00,281
that they want to have properties that they can rely

1234
01:31:00,281 --> 01:31:05,081
on moving forward. So I'm hopeful and optimistic that we'll

1235
01:31:05,081 --> 01:31:07,600
have a suite of producers. That are coal line with

1236
01:31:07,600 --> 01:31:14,220
our sustainability. Vision moving forward. Thanks. Okay, I'm going to

1237
01:31:14,220 --> 01:31:19,509
keep looking this way. Derek. You got it. Derek Turner.

1238
01:31:19,509 --> 01:31:23,349
Pozak. Along those lines. So you mentioned the 28 grazing

1239
01:31:23,349 --> 01:31:27,655
leaseholders? And they have to have a grazing plan. Is

1240
01:31:27,655 --> 01:31:29,575
it kind of a carrot or a stick situation? Is

1241
01:31:29,575 --> 01:31:34,047
there an incentive? That you're offering with this plan, or

1242
01:31:34,047 --> 01:31:36,087
is it kind of a mandate? Here's the plan that.

1243
01:31:37,994 --> 01:31:42,109
We need you to adopt. Yeah, we definitely don't want

1244
01:31:42,109 --> 01:31:44,389
to impose a mandate up front because that's a pretty

1245
01:31:44,389 --> 01:31:46,269
good way to get people to run the other way.

1246
01:31:48,198 --> 01:31:51,198
And having these conversations. It starts with trust building. It

1247
01:31:51,198 --> 01:31:53,358
starts with letting them know that I'm. On their team

1248
01:31:53,358 --> 01:31:55,718
that I'm trying to make this work, but I also

1249
01:31:55,718 --> 01:31:59,638
have to prioritize our conservation goals moving forward by protecting

1250
01:31:59,638 --> 01:32:04,683
those ecological services. That are so vital. That the people

1251
01:32:04,683 --> 01:32:07,243
of older county want to have in place and that

1252
01:32:07,243 --> 01:32:11,660
are regionally important like migratory bird habitat. So it's definitely

1253
01:32:11,660 --> 01:32:18,555
a collaborative process for sure. And the timeline. For signing

1254
01:32:18,555 --> 01:32:21,515
these plans or approving the plans. The next two years

1255
01:32:21,515 --> 01:32:23,875
is going to be a major push, and we're starting

1256
01:32:23,875 --> 01:32:28,134
to have those conversations right now in real time. One

1257
01:32:28,134 --> 01:32:34,498
more question. I'm thrilled to see this. And it looks

1258
01:32:34,498 --> 01:32:37,018
like you're starting with the grazing. Lands. But you also

1259
01:32:37,018 --> 01:32:41,978
mentioned in general, the regenerative, a focus on regenerative agriculture.

1260
01:32:41,978 --> 01:32:45,098
I happen to live pretty close to Olin Farms and

1261
01:32:45,098 --> 01:32:51,751
Mark Gutridge and Kenna. Are very much preaching what they're

1262
01:32:51,751 --> 01:32:54,911
doing there as regenerative, and I'm curious about the focus.

1263
01:32:56,365 --> 01:33:00,241
Of how that focus could be expanded. Or is there

1264
01:33:00,241 --> 01:33:02,241
a plan to look at the other leaseholders that are

1265
01:33:02,241 --> 01:33:07,241
the traditional farms and offer incentives for leases or rewards

1266
01:33:07,241 --> 01:33:10,795
for folks that are really doing that work. Yeah. This

1267
01:33:10,795 --> 01:33:14,195
is obviously not a mutually exclusive program, limited to grazing

1268
01:33:14,195 --> 01:33:17,515
properties, all of our agricultural lands. Have some degree of

1269
01:33:17,515 --> 01:33:24,406
habitat. Center, pivot corners, wetlands, ephemeral drainages all run through

1270
01:33:24,406 --> 01:33:28,214
farming properties. And in fact, we see a lot of

1271
01:33:28,214 --> 01:33:31,734
biodiversity on many of our farming properties. Just because we

1272
01:33:31,734 --> 01:33:34,141
have a lot of edge effect. And they're located to

1273
01:33:34,141 --> 01:33:37,541
other properties that do have that biodiversity. So even though

1274
01:33:37,541 --> 01:33:41,136
my focus is on grazing lands. My hope is to

1275
01:33:41,136 --> 01:33:44,776
incorporate these principles with all of our farming properties through

1276
01:33:44,776 --> 01:33:53,117
time. Great. Thank you. Christine. Christine johnson posak. While I

1277
01:33:53,117 --> 01:33:58,133
find this really interesting. And I'm a little curious about

1278
01:33:58,133 --> 01:34:00,853
the timeline because I would have liked to have heard

1279
01:34:00,853 --> 01:34:05,859
about it. Or about. The development of it. When we

1280
01:34:05,859 --> 01:34:11,774
talked about soil health. At our retreat this winter. You

1281
01:34:11,774 --> 01:34:21,305
mentioned. A lot of indicators. Of ecosystem health,

1282
01:34:21,305 --> 01:34:25,650
of soil health. And to me, that implies a lot

1283
01:34:25,650 --> 01:34:30,456
of data, and I'm wondering. Are you going? Are you

1284
01:34:30,456 --> 01:34:35,266
planning? To collect data. Are you going to be analyzing

1285
01:34:35,266 --> 01:34:38,906
that? Are you working with researchers? Is this on? The

1286
01:34:38,906 --> 01:34:44,233
farmers. Is it in collaboration? Tell us more about that.

1287
01:34:44,233 --> 01:34:48,156
How are you going to measure your success? Yeah. Thank

1288
01:34:48,156 --> 01:34:52,636
you for the question, Christine. Ecological monitoring, obviously provide us

1289
01:34:52,636 --> 01:34:57,522
with benchmark data to make decision points moving forward. We

1290
01:34:57,522 --> 01:35:02,373
have a lot of work to do. And we will

1291
01:35:02,373 --> 01:35:06,423
need time and money to collect data. I would love

1292
01:35:06,423 --> 01:35:09,193
to have a soil health testing program. Across much of

1293
01:35:09,193 --> 01:35:12,873
our agricultural lands so that we have real time data,

1294
01:35:12,873 --> 01:35:16,953
whether it's nutrient data, infiltration data, soil carbon data, that

1295
01:35:16,953 --> 01:35:20,370
kind of thing. So we're beginning to have those conversations

1296
01:35:20,370 --> 01:35:23,010
right now to see what that data collection process looks

1297
01:35:23,010 --> 01:35:26,170
like how much help we can get, not only internally,

1298
01:35:26,170 --> 01:35:32,122
but partnering with. CSU extension, the conservation district, private landowners.

1299
01:35:34,223 --> 01:35:38,113
The Citizen of Soil Health initiative. And folks like that.

1300
01:35:38,113 --> 01:35:40,353
So it's very much going to be kind of an

1301
01:35:40,353 --> 01:35:45,479
all hands. On deck process. To evaluate. What kind of

1302
01:35:45,479 --> 01:35:48,679
data we need to see if we're actually achieving what

1303
01:35:48,679 --> 01:35:52,081
it is that we want to achieve. Go ahead. Hi,

1304
01:35:52,081 --> 01:35:57,562
Therese Glob. I just wanted to interject a few other

1305
01:35:57,562 --> 01:36:00,242
things, too, with the two last questions that you had.

1306
01:36:01,717 --> 01:36:06,117
We are participating with Dr. Lundgren. It's 1000 farms soil.

1307
01:36:07,876 --> 01:36:11,356
Research project. So we have some of our agriculture producers

1308
01:36:11,356 --> 01:36:16,958
that have participated in that for several years. In our

1309
01:36:16,958 --> 01:36:20,590
Krapland policy, and I know that. That was before most,

1310
01:36:20,590 --> 01:36:23,790
if not all of you were on POSAc. We outlined

1311
01:36:23,790 --> 01:36:28,721
a host. Of different monitoring that we would do. And

1312
01:36:28,721 --> 01:36:35,840
I'll be honest. It is very complex. We tried. We

1313
01:36:35,840 --> 01:36:40,394
have some long term soil monitoring. Certainly for our crop

1314
01:36:40,394 --> 01:36:43,914
lands. We have been monitoring grasslands for over 20 years,

1315
01:36:43,914 --> 01:36:48,273
like the vegetation on our grasslands. So we know the

1316
01:36:48,273 --> 01:36:54,185
complexities and how much time it takes and. We also

1317
01:36:54,185 --> 01:36:57,545
try to balance that with understanding that we're practitioners. We

1318
01:36:57,545 --> 01:37:01,072
are not researchers. So what I would like to just

1319
01:37:01,072 --> 01:37:03,912
emphasize is, as much as we love to have great

1320
01:37:03,912 --> 01:37:07,152
goals, of monitoring, monitoring, monitoring. I think a lot of

1321
01:37:07,152 --> 01:37:12,408
the information that Aaron presented. Is monitored by other people

1322
01:37:12,408 --> 01:37:15,514
and. It is understood that this is the best way

1323
01:37:15,514 --> 01:37:18,314
to move forward, so I would just encourage us all

1324
01:37:18,314 --> 01:37:20,554
to think about. Let's get more of these practices on

1325
01:37:20,554 --> 01:37:23,434
the ground rather than focusing all of our time on

1326
01:37:23,434 --> 01:37:30,549
monitoring, monitoring, monitoring. And. The question just before that about

1327
01:37:30,549 --> 01:37:33,149
how are we going to be working with our conventional

1328
01:37:33,149 --> 01:37:36,949
farmers so that's our soil health program that we launched

1329
01:37:36,949 --> 01:37:42,570
four years ago. Where? We are supplementing. We are providing

1330
01:37:42,570 --> 01:37:46,090
grants to farmers who are implementing any of those five

1331
01:37:46,090 --> 01:37:51,837
soil health projects. Practices. So we have been trying this

1332
01:37:51,837 --> 01:37:55,237
soft approach for a while, and now, I think with.

1333
01:37:57,153 --> 01:38:02,396
Aaron. As relatively new specialist, and Aaron's just extensive knowledge

1334
01:38:02,396 --> 01:38:07,663
and. Great strategies going forward. We look forward to seeing

1335
01:38:07,663 --> 01:38:11,783
a whole lot more adaptation from our farmers adoption from

1336
01:38:11,783 --> 01:38:20,192
our farmers. And adaptation. I have one last question. Given

1337
01:38:20,192 --> 01:38:25,741
that. A lot of these goals overlap. With climate goals.

1338
01:38:27,787 --> 01:38:31,758
Is there collaboration going on with Oscar? Yes, there is.

1339
01:38:31,758 --> 01:38:35,718
So we recently wrapped up a joint project with OSMP

1340
01:38:35,718 --> 01:38:39,040
Oscar in a consulting firm. Doing, and I think I

1341
01:38:39,040 --> 01:38:42,721
mentioned this in a slide. We did a kind of

1342
01:38:42,721 --> 01:38:48,793
a high level eridification desertification study. Looking at not only

1343
01:38:48,793 --> 01:38:54,447
parks and open space properties, but also OSMP properties. So,

1344
01:38:54,447 --> 01:38:59,247
looking at Lidar data, looking at satellite imagery, looking at.

1345
01:39:00,894 --> 01:39:05,912
Moisture. Data, things like that, and coming up with a

1346
01:39:05,912 --> 01:39:11,116
ridification score. And Oscar provided some very valuable insight and

1347
01:39:11,116 --> 01:39:19,540
input into that process. Thank you. Teresa. Yes, Aaron. Trace

1348
01:39:19,540 --> 01:39:23,500
Baker Poseack. Thank you. And I know it's getting late,

1349
01:39:23,500 --> 01:39:30,962
so I'll ask you. To. Respond briefly. In the handout

1350
01:39:30,962 --> 01:39:35,707
you gave us, you talked about. The grazing plan changes

1351
01:39:35,707 --> 01:39:41,793
are being implemented. Quote, in conjunction with necessary changes. To

1352
01:39:41,793 --> 01:39:47,003
the county's grazing lease program. Could you tell very briefly

1353
01:39:47,003 --> 01:39:50,923
what those changes were and how they drove changes to

1354
01:39:50,923 --> 01:39:55,632
the grazing plan? Sure. So each agricultural lease will now

1355
01:39:55,632 --> 01:39:59,472
have a section that has a grazing plan inserted into

1356
01:39:59,472 --> 01:40:02,952
it. And within that section, it's not going to be

1357
01:40:02,952 --> 01:40:05,512
a dissertation, it's going to be a very brief set

1358
01:40:05,512 --> 01:40:08,512
of criteria that has the five, four or five grazing

1359
01:40:08,512 --> 01:40:13,522
fundamentals. So timing, season, restoration, et cetera, and. It's going

1360
01:40:13,522 --> 01:40:16,195
to be very simple. It's not going to be overly

1361
01:40:16,195 --> 01:40:18,875
wordy, et cetera, something that the producer and both the

1362
01:40:18,875 --> 01:40:24,204
county can understand moving forward. Okay. Thank you. Joan. Joan

1363
01:40:24,204 --> 01:40:27,924
loots posac and I just love all of this, and

1364
01:40:27,924 --> 01:40:34,112
I'm so glad that. We're addressing invasive species and stream

1365
01:40:34,112 --> 01:40:37,552
bank erosion, for example. And so I'm wondering, if a

1366
01:40:37,552 --> 01:40:42,832
grant might go to fencing cattle away from certain streams.

1367
01:40:44,026 --> 01:40:47,762
So that they're only entering at one point. Yeah, we

1368
01:40:47,762 --> 01:40:52,571
are looking at all of our riparian areas. And hopefully

1369
01:40:52,571 --> 01:40:57,165
the goal is to develop better grazing management strategies. Within

1370
01:40:57,165 --> 01:41:00,565
our riparian corridors. With that, we obviously have to have

1371
01:41:00,565 --> 01:41:02,965
the right fencing at the right. Place to be able

1372
01:41:02,965 --> 01:41:05,525
to do that. And so part of my goal is

1373
01:41:05,525 --> 01:41:09,488
to literally go out and walk the properties. In conjunction

1374
01:41:09,488 --> 01:41:12,808
with our plan, ecology and our wildlife staff and identify

1375
01:41:12,808 --> 01:41:14,968
where that fencing needs to go. And then figure out

1376
01:41:14,968 --> 01:41:17,928
how to get that funded, either through grants or through

1377
01:41:17,928 --> 01:41:21,488
cast funding request or through internal money that we might

1378
01:41:21,488 --> 01:41:28,431
have available. And then for farming. Is anyone considering the

1379
01:41:28,431 --> 01:41:32,591
use of these perennial grains like Kernza from the land

1380
01:41:32,591 --> 01:41:36,951
Institute? Although it's not native, but many of these crops

1381
01:41:36,951 --> 01:41:42,777
aren't made of to minimize soil disturbance. My expertise is

1382
01:41:42,777 --> 01:41:48,943
not in. Yeah, actually. Sure. Hi. Cassandra Shanar. I'm with

1383
01:41:48,943 --> 01:41:52,748
the ag division at parks and open space. Exciting that

1384
01:41:52,748 --> 01:41:56,988
you say that. We just hired an agricultural resource specialist,

1385
01:41:56,988 --> 01:42:01,968
and her PhD work was with Kernza. So. Once she

1386
01:42:01,968 --> 01:42:04,248
comes back from maternity leave, I'm sure we can take

1387
01:42:04,248 --> 01:42:08,502
a look at that. Okay, great. It'd be really nice

1388
01:42:08,502 --> 01:42:10,382
if it was a native plant, but in talking with

1389
01:42:10,382 --> 01:42:15,609
the people, at the lane institute, apparently. What they've tried

1390
01:42:15,609 --> 01:42:21,841
so far. Has. Been overly consumed by, in fact, The

1391
01:42:21,841 --> 01:42:25,241
need of plants, which makes sense because the native insects

1392
01:42:25,241 --> 01:42:27,281
are here, and if you had them, all in one

1393
01:42:27,281 --> 01:42:32,250
monocrop. So, yeah, we will be looking at all kinds

1394
01:42:32,250 --> 01:42:38,164
of things. Thank you. Vicky. Vicky Lawrence Posak. Aaron, thanks.

1395
01:42:38,164 --> 01:42:42,993
Gosh, what a lot of information. I'm sort of assuming

1396
01:42:42,993 --> 01:42:48,391
that this question is a no brainer. Will these lease

1397
01:42:48,391 --> 01:42:55,479
contracts with the grazers? Have. An addendum or something around

1398
01:42:55,479 --> 01:42:58,479
the amount of moisture that we get in any particular

1399
01:42:58,479 --> 01:43:01,639
year. That would impact. So instead of just having a

1400
01:43:01,639 --> 01:43:04,799
blanket thing for that property that says you have so

1401
01:43:04,799 --> 01:43:06,919
many cattle will it be? Wow. But if we're below

1402
01:43:06,919 --> 01:43:10,418
this amount of precipitation, Those cattle are going to have

1403
01:43:10,418 --> 01:43:14,138
to be cut back. Yeah, absolutely. Any land management plan

1404
01:43:14,138 --> 01:43:17,338
pertaining to these kind of things. Obviously, it's seasonally dependent

1405
01:43:17,338 --> 01:43:22,291
and. They're going to be evergreen grazing plans. So any

1406
01:43:22,291 --> 01:43:25,691
rancher who really knows this stuff in and out will

1407
01:43:25,691 --> 01:43:29,691
sit down with precipitation data. We'll look at their property.

1408
01:43:29,691 --> 01:43:32,891
We'll? Have, hopefully have vegetation data in real time to

1409
01:43:32,891 --> 01:43:38,209
recalibrate. Either readjust those stocking rate numbers and or destock

1410
01:43:38,209 --> 01:43:42,121
if conditions weren't. And so that's very much going to

1411
01:43:42,121 --> 01:43:46,184
be a part of this program. Thank you. Aaron tony

1412
01:43:46,184 --> 01:43:53,926
lewis. Thanks for the great presentation. I'm fairly stunned, actually.

1413
01:43:55,139 --> 01:43:57,819
At the magnitude of what you're doing, and I'm super

1414
01:43:57,819 --> 01:44:02,907
excited about it. And I'm a little worried because I

1415
01:44:02,907 --> 01:44:05,707
don't think you guys have enough resources. To actually pull

1416
01:44:05,707 --> 01:44:09,064
all this off. Not that it's a lack of good

1417
01:44:09,064 --> 01:44:13,633
intent or hard work or anything else, but. I'm concerned

1418
01:44:13,633 --> 01:44:17,473
that POS hasn't put enough money into agriculture to give

1419
01:44:17,473 --> 01:44:19,993
you. The resources and the capacity that you need to

1420
01:44:19,993 --> 01:44:22,273
actually do this, because when I hear that you're going

1421
01:44:22,273 --> 01:44:25,593
to walk every property, you're going to get all those

1422
01:44:25,593 --> 01:44:29,593
fences mapped, you're going to create specific plans for each

1423
01:44:29,593 --> 01:44:35,265
property. It's a lot of work. Right? I agree. For

1424
01:44:35,265 --> 01:44:39,503
sure. I just want to say. From my position or

1425
01:44:39,503 --> 01:44:43,343
perspective. I want to advocate for you guys to get

1426
01:44:43,343 --> 01:44:46,623
more resources in your budget, because I don't think we

1427
01:44:46,623 --> 01:44:50,498
can actually do this. And do it with fidelity unless

1428
01:44:50,498 --> 01:44:59,070
we put more resources towards that. I'm curious about. A

1429
01:44:59,070 --> 01:45:02,802
specific property because. I walked it and I was disturbed

1430
01:45:02,802 --> 01:45:05,602
about it. We talked about it in July and that's.

1431
01:45:05,602 --> 01:45:10,788
The Cushman property. That property is fairly devastated. It's had

1432
01:45:10,788 --> 01:45:15,051
a year off or a season off. Mike Foster wrote

1433
01:45:15,051 --> 01:45:16,771
us a note that said it was going to be

1434
01:45:16,771 --> 01:45:22,614
released back to the Cushman's. Or back to Dwayne. To

1435
01:45:22,614 --> 01:45:29,504
lease again, starting 1126. With a specific grazing plan. And

1436
01:45:29,504 --> 01:45:31,864
conditions on that permit. So I want to check in

1437
01:45:31,864 --> 01:45:33,784
with you all, and if you don't? Have the answer.

1438
01:45:33,784 --> 01:45:39,106
Now, that's totally fine, but I'm worried. That what we

1439
01:45:39,106 --> 01:45:41,346
heard from Mike. And I have the email here I'm

1440
01:45:41,346 --> 01:45:42,746
happy to send. It to you is not going to

1441
01:45:42,746 --> 01:45:50,889
be actually followed. Cassandra. Sure. Property is over off 75th

1442
01:45:50,889 --> 01:45:56,388
and Highway 66. Yeah, it's north of Longmont. Kind of.

1443
01:45:57,544 --> 01:46:03,129
Southeast of Rabbit Mountain. So. Yeah. Cassandra. Sharian parks open

1444
01:46:03,129 --> 01:46:10,703
space. No, that's not accurate. That. Our intentions are. To

1445
01:46:10,703 --> 01:46:14,544
work with the property for a while. And probably then

1446
01:46:14,544 --> 01:46:20,494
an open bid process. There's not an automatic any. Lease

1447
01:46:20,494 --> 01:46:24,353
that we have intentions of leasing it to. So whenever

1448
01:46:24,353 --> 01:46:27,633
we decide it's ready, or rather, whenever Aaron decides it's

1449
01:46:27,633 --> 01:46:32,557
ready, then it would be. Either an open bid process

1450
01:46:32,557 --> 01:46:34,837
or we're looking at keeping some of our lands back

1451
01:46:34,837 --> 01:46:39,637
to use for emergency grazing in case of flood, fire,

1452
01:46:39,637 --> 01:46:44,571
things like that, especially. Some properties. We might want to

1453
01:46:44,571 --> 01:46:47,983
only have grazed once every few years. Or portions of

1454
01:46:47,983 --> 01:46:51,267
them that are more delicate. So this year, that property.

1455
01:46:53,483 --> 01:46:55,523
We tried to get a contractor out there to do

1456
01:46:55,523 --> 01:46:58,443
prairie dog control, because that's a. Big part of the

1457
01:46:58,443 --> 01:47:01,825
property there. Our team has been trapping there, and then

1458
01:47:01,825 --> 01:47:04,545
we'll do control, and then next year we have funding

1459
01:47:04,545 --> 01:47:10,888
in place. Or requested to. Do re vegetation. Great. And

1460
01:47:10,888 --> 01:47:13,875
then we'll see how long that takes. Another property in

1461
01:47:13,875 --> 01:47:18,655
kind of the same area. We reseeded, what, two years

1462
01:47:18,655 --> 01:47:22,415
ago, I think. Debarry. We receded two years. Ago and.

1463
01:47:23,931 --> 01:47:27,985
We're still like, no, it's just going to sit. That's

1464
01:47:27,985 --> 01:47:30,785
great to hear, Cassandra. Thank you. I want to make

1465
01:47:30,785 --> 01:47:36,800
sure that. Just given. This memo that Mike sent to

1466
01:47:36,800 --> 01:47:43,708
Posac outlining. This alternative reality or plan. I want to

1467
01:47:43,708 --> 01:47:47,988
make sure that Dwayne Cushman and his family are very

1468
01:47:47,988 --> 01:47:51,691
aware. Of what you just said, and I just want

1469
01:47:51,691 --> 01:47:55,897
to make sure that. There's no confusion out there. No.

1470
01:47:55,897 --> 01:47:58,417
Erin and I met with them last week. Okay, cool.

1471
01:47:58,417 --> 01:48:02,041
That's great. Just out of curiosity, Aaron, how long have

1472
01:48:02,041 --> 01:48:05,121
you been with the AG division? Just over two years.

1473
01:48:05,121 --> 01:48:09,562
Okay. You have a great talent for knowing all this

1474
01:48:09,562 --> 01:48:14,283
stuff. Very quick answers. Thank you. Well, I guess the

1475
01:48:14,283 --> 01:48:17,123
last question I have, and maybe for both of you,

1476
01:48:17,123 --> 01:48:25,922
I'm not. Sure. There's been talk about how to use

1477
01:48:25,922 --> 01:48:30,002
grazing to help restore some of our other lands. Both

1478
01:48:30,002 --> 01:48:35,005
range land and farmland. And it strikes me that oftentimes

1479
01:48:35,005 --> 01:48:41,643
we only think about. Grazers and. Livestock as something that

1480
01:48:41,643 --> 01:48:44,403
they get to graze the land. They need to pay

1481
01:48:44,403 --> 01:48:49,647
pos. And I'm really curious if we've considered pain grazers

1482
01:48:49,647 --> 01:48:53,207
to restore the land. I know we do. Certainly goats

1483
01:48:53,207 --> 01:48:56,527
with weeds. But I think there's opportunities for us to

1484
01:48:56,527 --> 01:49:01,862
actually. Hire cattle. To help restore some of the land

1485
01:49:01,862 --> 01:49:05,222
and do some regenerative ag. Have you guys had any

1486
01:49:05,222 --> 01:49:09,134
thoughts about that? We have. Yeah. I mean, payments for

1487
01:49:09,134 --> 01:49:12,814
ecosystem services is a model that's used pretty widely. These

1488
01:49:12,814 --> 01:49:17,447
days. We've had discussions about what that looks like with

1489
01:49:17,447 --> 01:49:21,591
our program. It's got pros and cons. But I think

1490
01:49:21,591 --> 01:49:25,311
there are many opportunities within our program where traditional grazing

1491
01:49:25,311 --> 01:49:29,271
is maybe not appropriate either. Because of spatial limitations or.

1492
01:49:30,920 --> 01:49:33,040
Just because of the vegetation or the condition of the

1493
01:49:33,040 --> 01:49:37,476
property. And I've had conversations with those contract razors in

1494
01:49:37,476 --> 01:49:40,316
the county and a few new ones as well about

1495
01:49:40,316 --> 01:49:42,356
what kind of options and ideas that they might have

1496
01:49:42,356 --> 01:49:45,592
or bring to the table. To look in the payments

1497
01:49:45,592 --> 01:49:49,192
for ecosystem services, which would include that kind of thing.

1498
01:49:49,192 --> 01:49:52,272
Great. That'd. Be awesome. It'd be great to explore. Thank

1499
01:49:52,272 --> 01:49:55,072
you, guys. I really appreciate the direction. You're headed and

1500
01:49:55,072 --> 01:49:59,282
the plan to have. Thank you. You're welcome. Anyone else?

1501
01:50:00,950 --> 01:50:04,745
No. And I'll reiterate that, too. I like to see

1502
01:50:04,745 --> 01:50:07,185
this as going I've seen a lot of grazing properties.

1503
01:50:07,185 --> 01:50:10,145
I live next to them, and I think you guys

1504
01:50:10,145 --> 01:50:13,521
are. Headed in a good direction. The only question I

1505
01:50:13,521 --> 01:50:17,762
have is about the leases. And I did listen to

1506
01:50:17,762 --> 01:50:21,522
some testimony at the Boulder county commission meeting. I don't

1507
01:50:21,522 --> 01:50:24,762
know. A month or two ago. But about the leases.

1508
01:50:24,762 --> 01:50:29,584
How long are they? And it seems to me. With

1509
01:50:29,584 --> 01:50:32,064
grazing. I'm not going to talk so much about the

1510
01:50:32,064 --> 01:50:37,755
other kind of egg, but. With grazing. You would want

1511
01:50:37,755 --> 01:50:42,090
to have a balance between having. A lease that's flexible

1512
01:50:42,090 --> 01:50:45,690
enough to obtain what you need for goals, but also.

1513
01:50:47,525 --> 01:50:52,859
Gives the tenant some incentives. Length of time to make

1514
01:50:52,859 --> 01:50:55,339
investments in the land and not just try to take

1515
01:50:55,339 --> 01:50:58,179
whatever they can. Get because they know it's only going

1516
01:50:58,179 --> 01:51:00,059
to be a short term lease. Can you speak? It

1517
01:51:00,059 --> 01:51:03,299
all to that. What kind of incentives can you give

1518
01:51:03,299 --> 01:51:07,579
to tenants to have them really get invested in the

1519
01:51:07,579 --> 01:51:11,903
properties that they're using. Yeah. Thank you for that comment,

1520
01:51:11,903 --> 01:51:16,218
Janet. So the most important thing with grazing is knowing

1521
01:51:16,218 --> 01:51:20,858
the land and knowing the seasonality. Knowing what? Grows, what

1522
01:51:20,858 --> 01:51:25,425
comes up, what invasive species. Might be a problem if

1523
01:51:25,425 --> 01:51:29,567
you're an agriculture or producer. What kind of wildlife you

1524
01:51:29,567 --> 01:51:33,472
might have in a property. And so, naturally, short term

1525
01:51:33,472 --> 01:51:39,914
leases, aka one year leases. Kind of prohibit. Our producers

1526
01:51:39,914 --> 01:51:42,754
from really getting to know the property over time, so

1527
01:51:42,754 --> 01:51:46,834
I'm very much of an advocate, with exceptions for longer

1528
01:51:46,834 --> 01:51:56,588
leases. That. Foster an agrarian mindset, a stewardship mentality. And

1529
01:51:56,588 --> 01:52:00,564
really allow our tenants. To be a part of our

1530
01:52:00,564 --> 01:52:04,044
sustainability goals and kind of co share the same vision

1531
01:52:04,044 --> 01:52:07,804
that we have as parks and open space staff with

1532
01:52:07,804 --> 01:52:11,968
these properties. How the length of the leases fit in

1533
01:52:11,968 --> 01:52:14,168
with that? I can't answer that because I'm not a

1534
01:52:14,168 --> 01:52:17,768
lease specialist, but I will say that when I go

1535
01:52:17,768 --> 01:52:21,408
out and speak to new people in particular. What I'm

1536
01:52:21,408 --> 01:52:24,811
asking questions of them about. Are. How well do you

1537
01:52:24,811 --> 01:52:26,851
know the land? If you were to become a part

1538
01:52:26,851 --> 01:52:29,251
of our program? What kind of investments you would make.

1539
01:52:30,771 --> 01:52:34,346
As a private business into making that land. As good

1540
01:52:34,346 --> 01:52:38,078
as it can be. Okay. Well said. Thank you, Cassandra.

1541
01:52:38,078 --> 01:52:40,358
Did you want to add to it? I thought maybe

1542
01:52:40,358 --> 01:52:42,878
you look. Like you're about. You don't have to. No,

1543
01:52:42,878 --> 01:52:46,727
it's okay, I think. Aaron did a great job. They

1544
01:52:46,727 --> 01:52:50,268
know our grazers very well. But like everything in agriculture,

1545
01:52:50,268 --> 01:52:54,806
it's about trade offs. And so the longer lease terms

1546
01:52:54,806 --> 01:52:59,878
are great for many reasons, and then also. Shorter lease

1547
01:52:59,878 --> 01:53:04,504
terms have benefits in the sense of. We want to

1548
01:53:04,504 --> 01:53:07,664
see. We, being the county as a whole, wants to

1549
01:53:07,664 --> 01:53:13,911
see. Availability and access to land. Trying to have those

1550
01:53:13,911 --> 01:53:20,029
imbalance can be a really difficult thing. Thank you. It

1551
01:53:20,029 --> 01:53:23,029
looks like Tony's got. Sorry, did Tony Lewis Post? Just

1552
01:53:23,029 --> 01:53:27,182
one last request. Can we. Get your slides. And Renata,

1553
01:53:27,182 --> 01:53:29,702
is it possible to get slides from each of the

1554
01:53:29,702 --> 01:53:34,318
presentations sent to us? Something we can do. That'd be

1555
01:53:34,318 --> 01:53:40,865
great. Thanks. In fact, following on that, you've covered enough

1556
01:53:40,865 --> 01:53:42,745
ground. Is any of this written up? This is a

1557
01:53:42,745 --> 01:53:47,411
big initiative, so. Is any of this in documented writing?

1558
01:53:47,411 --> 01:53:50,759
Because I'd love to see it. Yeah. Last year I

1559
01:53:50,759 --> 01:53:52,919
was sort of working on kind of a draft grazing

1560
01:53:52,919 --> 01:53:55,999
program document that captures some of these concepts that needs

1561
01:53:55,999 --> 01:53:58,726
to be updated. I haven't worked on it in a

1562
01:53:58,726 --> 01:54:02,126
while. Just because I've been focused on this presentation and

1563
01:54:02,126 --> 01:54:04,947
everything else that we have right now. But yeah, the

1564
01:54:04,947 --> 01:54:08,661
goal is to have an actual document. So future folks

1565
01:54:08,661 --> 01:54:10,981
and or people who are just interested in what it

1566
01:54:10,981 --> 01:54:14,621
is that this kind of presentation contains can actually look

1567
01:54:14,621 --> 01:54:17,821
it up. Okay, that'd be great. Yeah, I'll look. Forward

1568
01:54:17,821 --> 01:54:21,620
to seeing it when you get it in shape. All

1569
01:54:21,620 --> 01:54:25,250
right. Anything else? All right. Thanks very much. Very informative.

1570
01:54:26,736 --> 01:54:30,651
Oh, right. Hang on. How about the public? I don't

1571
01:54:30,651 --> 01:54:34,537
see anyone here, but if you want to speak. And

1572
01:54:34,537 --> 01:54:39,450
do we have anyone online? No one online, so thank

1573
01:54:39,450 --> 01:54:43,584
you very much. All right, thank you. All right, our

1574
01:54:43,584 --> 01:54:48,864
fourth presentation is from the Boulder county wildfire partners and

1575
01:54:48,864 --> 01:54:51,544
parks and open space. And it will be Jim WEBster

1576
01:54:51,544 --> 01:54:53,624
that's going to give it. And Jim, you're with the

1577
01:54:53,624 --> 01:55:00,158
wildfire partners, right? All right.

1578
01:55:07,459 --> 01:55:09,579
Thanks for the invitation. It's a real pleasure to be

1579
01:55:09,579 --> 01:55:13,619
here. Jim Webster with the community. Planning and permitting department.

1580
01:55:13,619 --> 01:55:16,859
And I'm here to talk about wildfire partners and that's.

1581
01:55:16,859 --> 01:55:20,819
Boulder County's wildfire mitigation program. I'm going to hit a

1582
01:55:20,819 --> 01:55:23,619
few highlights. If you want to learn more, our website

1583
01:55:23,619 --> 01:55:30,196
is wildfirepartners.org. So this is a picture of the 2010

1584
01:55:30,196 --> 01:55:35,827
four Mile Canyon fire. So I've been with the county

1585
01:55:35,827 --> 01:55:39,066
for 15 plus years. And the Community Planning and permitting

1586
01:55:39,066 --> 01:55:43,306
department, I might say CPP is our acronym. We've recognized

1587
01:55:43,306 --> 01:55:45,506
that we've entered into a new era of climate driven

1588
01:55:45,506 --> 01:55:48,586
wildfires, and we need to adapt. So it's just not

1589
01:55:48,586 --> 01:55:52,306
land managers that climate change is a big influence for.

1590
01:55:52,306 --> 01:55:56,506
But for homeowners and residents in the built environment. So

1591
01:55:56,506 --> 01:55:58,586
we can't look at the past to predict the future.

1592
01:55:58,586 --> 01:56:00,946
The next 10, 20, 30. Years, we're going to see

1593
01:56:00,946 --> 01:56:04,546
dramatic changes in the size, number of wildfires. So the

1594
01:56:04,546 --> 01:56:08,453
idea is we need to prepare and mitigate. Talk about

1595
01:56:08,453 --> 01:56:11,733
a public opinion survey here. Back in 2022, after the

1596
01:56:11,733 --> 01:56:15,173
Marshall fire, we asked the county asked residents what's the

1597
01:56:15,173 --> 01:56:18,533
most important issue facing Boulder county today? And you'll notice

1598
01:56:18,533 --> 01:56:22,373
number two up there is more wildfire mitigation, which I

1599
01:56:22,373 --> 01:56:28,730
think is pretty significant. In terms of if. You look

1600
01:56:28,730 --> 01:56:31,130
at other environmental issues or open space issues up there?

1601
01:56:31,130 --> 01:56:34,610
We do have environmental issues, general. 3%. But I think

1602
01:56:34,610 --> 01:56:38,010
the message here is our community understands, right? They didn't

1603
01:56:38,010 --> 01:56:40,410
ask. For more fire trucks. They asked for more mitigation,

1604
01:56:40,410 --> 01:56:44,737
so that's an important distinction. You also notice? It is

1605
01:56:44,737 --> 01:56:47,377
time dependent there. In 2018 and 19, no one said

1606
01:56:47,377 --> 01:56:51,827
wildfire mitigation, so. After four mile fire event or after

1607
01:56:51,827 --> 01:56:53,827
we've had some fires, people pay attention and we have

1608
01:56:53,827 --> 01:56:56,947
an opportunity to act. And so, based on this public

1609
01:56:56,947 --> 01:57:01,067
opinion survey, in the survey, we also asked about ballot

1610
01:57:01,067 --> 01:57:04,587
measures. Commissioners do this regularly, and the survey said this

1611
01:57:04,587 --> 01:57:07,147
is the number one issue. We'd support. 75% said they

1612
01:57:07,147 --> 01:57:09,787
would support a sales tax for wafar mitigation. So that

1613
01:57:09,787 --> 01:57:12,257
jumped. Over the housing number one issue there and the

1614
01:57:12,257 --> 01:57:15,417
single most important issues. The housing question now was a

1615
01:57:15,417 --> 01:57:21,195
smaller 55%. So. With that polling, the Kipsners decided to

1616
01:57:21,195 --> 01:57:24,672
put on the ballot a wildfire mitigation. Tax. And it

1617
01:57:24,672 --> 01:57:28,272
passed with 72%. They sort of looked at that 75%

1618
01:57:28,272 --> 01:57:29,712
number in the poll. And say, yeah, this has got

1619
01:57:29,712 --> 01:57:33,552
strong support. They also asked in perpetuity or in ten

1620
01:57:33,552 --> 01:57:37,080
years the polling founded that. Asked for in perpetuity because

1621
01:57:37,080 --> 01:57:39,240
it really doesn't change the support that much, so. That

1622
01:57:39,240 --> 01:57:41,760
was important finding. And so the taxes in place for

1623
01:57:41,760 --> 01:57:45,560
Boulder county since that ballot measure passed and we have

1624
01:57:45,560 --> 01:57:49,280
that funding in perpetuity, and that raises about, depending on

1625
01:57:49,280 --> 01:57:51,880
the sales tech revenue between eight and $9 million a

1626
01:57:51,880 --> 01:57:55,612
year. And I'm here to talk about wildfire partners, but

1627
01:57:55,612 --> 01:57:57,932
just wanted to mention that of course, parks Open Space

1628
01:57:57,932 --> 01:58:00,812
is a number of wildfire mitigation initiatives, and we collaborate

1629
01:58:00,812 --> 01:58:03,292
together. And we support what parks and open space is

1630
01:58:03,292 --> 01:58:07,973
doing. We just heard about some you're familiar with. The

1631
01:58:07,973 --> 01:58:10,213
force management and the Community Forest Resort Yards, I will

1632
01:58:10,213 --> 01:58:14,256
highlight one initiative you might not be familiar with. Back

1633
01:58:14,256 --> 01:58:17,936
post flood, a FEMA grant was obtained and parks and

1634
01:58:17,936 --> 01:58:23,319
over space worked with us and they mitigated. Infrastructure. So

1635
01:58:23,319 --> 01:58:27,719
there's a pitcher. Highle Valley Ranch Kevin Grady caretaker House

1636
01:58:27,719 --> 01:58:30,959
was mitigated with these principles I'm going to talk about

1637
01:58:30,959 --> 01:58:34,820
in terms of hardening the structure. Creating defensible space. In

1638
01:58:34,820 --> 01:58:38,279
this. Success story where that mitigation helps survive the home.

1639
01:58:38,279 --> 01:58:41,079
So the idea is we live with fire, we mitigate.

1640
01:58:41,079 --> 01:58:43,519
And it was a great example of parks open space

1641
01:58:43,519 --> 01:58:45,079
being a model for the community that, hey, we're going

1642
01:58:45,079 --> 01:58:49,119
to mitigate our infrastructure and preach and practice and be

1643
01:58:49,119 --> 01:58:51,919
the model. So that was really an important initiative that

1644
01:58:51,919 --> 01:58:56,147
parks and open space. Undertook, and we collaborated together on

1645
01:58:56,147 --> 01:58:59,507
that. So we are working together with parks and open

1646
01:58:59,507 --> 01:59:01,027
space, but really? We're on the other side of the

1647
01:59:01,027 --> 01:59:04,827
fence. We're working in the built. Environment with communities, and

1648
01:59:04,827 --> 01:59:07,547
we'll talk about a couple of the initiatives here. Excuse

1649
01:59:07,547 --> 01:59:11,834
me. Excuse me. Carol Byerly Posac. Can I just interrupt?

1650
01:59:11,834 --> 01:59:14,714
Can we go back to that slide, because. I would

1651
01:59:14,714 --> 01:59:21,586
love to hear what specific. Mitigation measures. Did that. Right.

1652
01:59:22,879 --> 01:59:25,119
And so it's complicated. We look at every vulnerability and

1653
01:59:25,119 --> 01:59:28,199
every pathway, so we have 50. Questions in our apps.

1654
01:59:28,199 --> 01:59:32,209
We look at everything and then make sure. Whether it's

1655
01:59:32,209 --> 01:59:35,489
the roof, the windows, the siding, if there's any vulnerabilities.

1656
01:59:35,489 --> 01:59:38,009
We're going to mitigate for that. So there is, we

1657
01:59:38,009 --> 01:59:39,929
could go back and look at all the actions that

1658
01:59:39,929 --> 01:59:43,369
Kevin and parks took on that property, and then it's

1659
01:59:43,369 --> 01:59:45,849
important to maintain that over time. So once you do

1660
01:59:45,849 --> 01:59:50,169
that initial mitigation, there's ongoing maintenance of pine needles and

1661
01:59:50,169 --> 01:59:54,455
grasses and things. Like that. So there's a great story

1662
01:59:54,455 --> 01:59:57,495
in terms of the evacuation, also the Oaks, the people

1663
01:59:57,495 --> 01:59:59,895
on high valor ask we mitigated with wildfire. Partners and

1664
01:59:59,895 --> 02:00:02,895
their homes survived in large part to that mitigation as

1665
02:00:02,895 --> 02:00:06,055
well. So there's great information and story and details, and

1666
02:00:06,055 --> 02:00:08,975
we've got some case studies written up about some different

1667
02:00:08,975 --> 02:00:13,153
things that we can provide additional information. But. There's quite

1668
02:00:13,153 --> 02:00:15,473
a bit of action to take to look at those

1669
02:00:15,473 --> 02:00:20,986
pathways and vulnerabilities. So why community planning and permitting got

1670
02:00:20,986 --> 02:00:23,666
involved and why we're leading the wildfire mitigation efforts. Just

1671
02:00:23,666 --> 02:00:27,146
a little history. We got involved in 1989 to prohibit.

1672
02:00:30,876 --> 02:00:33,716
New shake shingle roofs was sort of the entry, and

1673
02:00:33,716 --> 02:00:35,676
that's really where the regulation and the building code and

1674
02:00:35,676 --> 02:00:38,276
land use code are housed in our department, and so

1675
02:00:38,276 --> 02:00:41,156
that's really the start of the mitigation experts historically, in

1676
02:00:41,156 --> 02:00:45,756
1993, all new homes constructed, an unincorporated Boulder county had

1677
02:00:45,756 --> 02:00:49,116
to meet those ignition resistant construction requirements in the defensible

1678
02:00:49,116 --> 02:00:52,882
space, and so we've been doing. This since 1993, and

1679
02:00:52,882 --> 02:00:55,162
we've been adding things over the years, the most recent

1680
02:00:55,162 --> 02:00:58,042
with the short term rentals requiring mitigation. So when we

1681
02:00:58,042 --> 02:01:01,322
have an ability with our land use and building codes.

1682
02:01:01,322 --> 02:01:05,476
We implement some of the regulations that way. And so

1683
02:01:05,476 --> 02:01:07,476
we've done a good job on the new homes in

1684
02:01:07,476 --> 02:01:11,645
terms of. With the science and the improved technology. The

1685
02:01:11,645 --> 02:01:14,325
new homes that are being built have very low ignition.

1686
02:01:14,325 --> 02:01:17,645
Potential. They're very hard to ignite. Think of a campfire

1687
02:01:17,645 --> 02:01:20,685
with wet wood and no kindling. Those are really hard

1688
02:01:20,685 --> 02:01:23,245
to ignite. So we look at those principles and we've

1689
02:01:23,245 --> 02:01:26,205
had success. Just in those two recent fires, we had

1690
02:01:26,205 --> 02:01:29,325
19 homes, all of them survived. That had gone through.

1691
02:01:30,069 --> 02:01:33,974
That regulatory process. Sort of. Same with the four mile

1692
02:01:33,974 --> 02:01:39,473
fire. Here's some examples. Good success with new homes, but

1693
02:01:39,473 --> 02:01:43,633
after 17 years of doing those regulations, we only had

1694
02:01:43,633 --> 02:01:46,633
10%. Of the homes in the fire that were new

1695
02:01:46,633 --> 02:01:51,339
homes. And so we can't just have regulations on new

1696
02:01:51,339 --> 02:01:53,739
homes to address this problem. We have those tools, and

1697
02:01:53,739 --> 02:01:55,779
that's what we're doing in our department. But we need

1698
02:01:55,779 --> 02:01:59,099
to address the existing homes as well. And so that's

1699
02:01:59,099 --> 02:02:03,059
where wildfire partners come in. Wildfire Partners is the regulatory

1700
02:02:03,059 --> 02:02:06,019
and the voluntary program. It's combined, but we can't. Just

1701
02:02:06,019 --> 02:02:10,825
do the regulations and so. We created wildfire Partners in

1702
02:02:10,825 --> 02:02:15,488
2014. It was really. The first parcel level certification program

1703
02:02:15,488 --> 02:02:17,888
in the country. So it was a different philosophy in

1704
02:02:17,888 --> 02:02:20,808
terms of how we approach this. Not just education, but

1705
02:02:20,808 --> 02:02:25,311
to work with the private sector in the past. Insurance

1706
02:02:25,311 --> 02:02:28,471
companies doing one thing, public sector doing another, not talking

1707
02:02:28,471 --> 02:02:32,191
uncertainty for homeowners. We created a partnership to work together,

1708
02:02:32,191 --> 02:02:34,631
and insurance is one element. So we've helped hundreds of

1709
02:02:34,631 --> 02:02:39,674
homeowners obtain and retain insurance. By recognizing that mitigation to

1710
02:02:39,674 --> 02:02:43,674
a standard. So we've really trying to focus on action

1711
02:02:43,674 --> 02:02:47,834
and reducing that risk through that home. Hardening and defensible

1712
02:02:47,834 --> 02:02:54,099
space. And this is a picture of. A recent Stone

1713
02:02:54,099 --> 02:02:59,499
Canyon fire homeowner recently had performed mitigation required by the

1714
02:02:59,499 --> 02:03:02,459
insurance company did a lot of work. The fire came

1715
02:03:02,459 --> 02:03:05,419
at homeowners convinced, and we have the science, and we

1716
02:03:05,419 --> 02:03:07,739
looked at all the details that that mitigation really made

1717
02:03:07,739 --> 02:03:10,379
the difference in that home surviving. So it's based on

1718
02:03:10,379 --> 02:03:13,219
the science of how homes ignite. We're. Really looking at

1719
02:03:13,219 --> 02:03:17,152
those detail. Details and then implementing sort of a comprehensive

1720
02:03:17,152 --> 02:03:19,872
program. And some of you might be familiar with energy.

1721
02:03:19,872 --> 02:03:23,152
Smart with the energy audits. There's some parallels with this

1722
02:03:23,152 --> 02:03:27,192
program, so we're giving homeowners that individual customized assessment and

1723
02:03:27,192 --> 02:03:31,632
report, and then we're following that up. With inspections and

1724
02:03:31,632 --> 02:03:34,032
this recognition with the yard sign and then the recert.

1725
02:03:33,644 --> 02:03:37,754
Recertifications, then people provide that certificate to the insurance company

1726
02:03:37,754 --> 02:03:41,594
and that helps them obtain insurance. So we're looking at

1727
02:03:41,594 --> 02:03:45,514
mitigating those individual homes. And the idea is this. National

1728
02:03:45,514 --> 02:03:48,114
goal of live with fire. We can't eliminate fire that

1729
02:03:48,114 --> 02:03:49,914
doesn't work. And so how do we live with fire?

1730
02:03:51,231 --> 02:03:55,266
Is we adapt and. We build communities and we retrofit

1731
02:03:55,266 --> 02:04:00,094
and hardened home so they can survive a wildfire. There's

1732
02:04:00,094 --> 02:04:01,814
a lot of numbers here. I'm not going to go

1733
02:04:01,814 --> 02:04:04,454
through them all. But these are some of the metrics

1734
02:04:04,454 --> 02:04:07,934
after eleven years of the program. And it's hard work.

1735
02:04:07,934 --> 02:04:09,534
We don't tell people. This is simple, right? If it

1736
02:04:09,534 --> 02:04:11,814
was simple, it would. Have been already done before and

1737
02:04:11,814 --> 02:04:13,534
were some of the leaders in the country. It's hard

1738
02:04:13,534 --> 02:04:16,054
work. And so you'll notice here, I'll just start at

1739
02:04:16,054 --> 02:04:21,426
06:00 here. The cost that people. This is 1000 people

1740
02:04:21,426 --> 02:04:25,691
reporting. Between the time of their assessment and the final

1741
02:04:25,691 --> 02:04:30,981
inspection, we've got a 9000 over. $9,000 of cost. As

1742
02:04:30,981 --> 02:04:33,621
average and 103 hours of work. So it's a lot

1743
02:04:33,621 --> 02:04:37,061
of effort to obtain the certificate at 1.2 years is

1744
02:04:37,061 --> 02:04:39,541
the average amount of time people go at their own

1745
02:04:39,541 --> 02:04:41,501
pace. Some will get it done in a few months

1746
02:04:41,501 --> 02:04:44,541
and some will take longer. But the idea is to

1747
02:04:44,541 --> 02:04:48,301
make progress and to reach that certification standard. A couple

1748
02:04:48,301 --> 02:04:52,221
of their numbers up there, the. Average is eleven measures

1749
02:04:52,221 --> 02:04:54,061
that they're required to do. Some have to do more,

1750
02:04:54,061 --> 02:04:56,821
some less. So you sort of asked what had been

1751
02:04:56,821 --> 02:04:59,941
done at Hill, and so they had to complete several

1752
02:04:59,941 --> 02:05:03,261
items based on their customized list. It's different from everyone,

1753
02:05:03,261 --> 02:05:05,821
and that's one of the differences with partners is that.

1754
02:05:07,979 --> 02:05:09,779
It's not a cookie cutter. Everybody here's a piece of

1755
02:05:09,779 --> 02:05:13,459
paper. Go out and. Spend $9,000. It's helping people do

1756
02:05:13,459 --> 02:05:15,299
exactly what they need to do. On their property based

1757
02:05:15,299 --> 02:05:20,163
on their biggest vulnerabilities. And so. Last year, we had

1758
02:05:20,163 --> 02:05:25,070
over 3900 assessments, and so. We've started and really working

1759
02:05:25,070 --> 02:05:32,418
in western Boulder County. Where this is focused. And just

1760
02:05:32,418 --> 02:05:35,178
that Home assessment and certification program is the first program

1761
02:05:35,178 --> 02:05:38,138
we started with, but now we've added a number of

1762
02:05:38,138 --> 02:05:41,098
different programs with the mitigation tax, so you may have

1763
02:05:41,098 --> 02:05:43,538
seen the buses? Anybody seen a bus ad out there

1764
02:05:43,538 --> 02:05:47,258
with wildfire partners advertising our rebate? Program or things like

1765
02:05:47,258 --> 02:05:50,411
that, so. We do have a grant program for fuels

1766
02:05:50,411 --> 02:05:56,171
mitigation, forestry projects and grassland mowing, grazing. Projects. We have

1767
02:05:56,171 --> 02:06:00,451
rebates. Get your $500.06. Calls to action that we're working

1768
02:06:00,451 --> 02:06:05,108
on. That's junkie of Juniper. And screener vents and that

1769
02:06:05,108 --> 02:06:08,428
1st 5ft we have things about that home base that

1770
02:06:08,428 --> 02:06:11,548
really first six inches declutter. So we're getting people to

1771
02:06:11,548 --> 02:06:14,930
take action. We've got precommittee shipping for anybody in the

1772
02:06:14,930 --> 02:06:18,969
county. To maintain their defensible space and get rid of

1773
02:06:18,969 --> 02:06:22,888
those that slash. We have a community mitigation program. We

1774
02:06:22,888 --> 02:06:25,008
have youth services, so we have our own. We don't

1775
02:06:25,008 --> 02:06:27,328
work with your youth corps. We work with sort of

1776
02:06:27,328 --> 02:06:31,001
the mile high youth quarantine? Sync because. They have chainsaw

1777
02:06:31,001 --> 02:06:33,361
crews and they're doing mitigation with us to offer free.

1778
02:06:33,361 --> 02:06:38,794
Services to vulnerable communities. And so. Just that gives you

1779
02:06:38,794 --> 02:06:41,723
a little bit of a taste. We have our two

1780
02:06:41,723 --> 02:06:45,483
departments working together. You're on the open space side. We're

1781
02:06:45,483 --> 02:06:48,043
really on the built environment side, but we need to

1782
02:06:48,043 --> 02:06:51,683
communicate and coordinate and collaborate together so that's what we're

1783
02:06:51,683 --> 02:06:55,043
doing more and more with some of your programs and

1784
02:06:55,043 --> 02:06:57,683
providing some support through the MIT tax to help fund

1785
02:06:57,683 --> 02:07:00,443
some physicians and some programs. So we wanted to let

1786
02:07:00,443 --> 02:07:03,605
you know? A little bit about another department, community planning

1787
02:07:03,605 --> 02:07:09,311
and permitting. And happy to take some questions. And it's

1788
02:07:09,311 --> 02:07:12,071
been a great partnership working together with open space over

1789
02:07:12,071 --> 02:07:14,551
the years, and we look forward to a lot more

1790
02:07:14,551 --> 02:07:17,551
collaboration in the future because we really are very high

1791
02:07:17,551 --> 02:07:20,991
risk community. As we know about and we expect more

1792
02:07:20,991 --> 02:07:23,711
fires. It's not if, it's when. And so we need

1793
02:07:23,711 --> 02:07:27,791
to prepare. I think one of the other philosophies is

1794
02:07:27,791 --> 02:07:30,381
there's. A lot of finger. Pointing. Or they can be

1795
02:07:30,381 --> 02:07:33,181
sometimes. And people pointing at open space. Okay, open space

1796
02:07:33,181 --> 02:07:36,383
is the problem. And our really message, and this is

1797
02:07:36,383 --> 02:07:38,263
started with a forest service, not parks and open space.

1798
02:07:38,263 --> 02:07:40,023
It's like, in the past every month. So it's the

1799
02:07:40,023 --> 02:07:43,688
forest service problem, but. It's also residents and homeowners problem,

1800
02:07:43,688 --> 02:07:46,648
too. We need to get residents engaged that's really what

1801
02:07:46,648 --> 02:07:49,208
partners is doing, is working with homeowners to say, hey,

1802
02:07:49,208 --> 02:07:51,968
we start with the home in mitigation, and you're responsible.

1803
02:07:53,629 --> 02:07:55,629
It's not that fire district's responsibility to come and save

1804
02:07:55,629 --> 02:07:57,709
your home. You as a resident in a high risk

1805
02:07:57,709 --> 02:08:01,909
area, take responsibility and prepare and adapt, and that means

1806
02:08:01,909 --> 02:08:04,709
maybe taking some action to remove those trees that are

1807
02:08:04,709 --> 02:08:06,869
coming out of your deck or to clean out some

1808
02:08:06,869 --> 02:08:09,749
of those gutters. And so that's what wildfire partners is

1809
02:08:09,749 --> 02:08:15,463
doing. Thanks, Jim. Thanks for doing that and all the

1810
02:08:15,463 --> 02:08:17,623
work you do. And I will say on a personal

1811
02:08:17,623 --> 02:08:20,583
note, I got the card from wildlife partners about the

1812
02:08:20,583 --> 02:08:23,623
$500 rebate, which I'm not. Going to do, but I

1813
02:08:23,623 --> 02:08:26,703
did junk her junipers close to the house. We have

1814
02:08:26,703 --> 02:08:30,911
two. Thanks. For the motivation and the information. Posack. Any

1815
02:08:30,911 --> 02:08:34,991
questions? Okay, let's start with. I'm with trace. Trace Baker.

1816
02:08:34,991 --> 02:08:40,273
Hosak. Thank you very much, Jim. Very informative. And in

1817
02:08:40,273 --> 02:08:45,877
the examples you gave in your slides. Were all more

1818
02:08:45,877 --> 02:08:51,393
rural homes. I live in urban Boulder City, but I'm

1819
02:08:51,393 --> 02:08:57,139
only two blocks off city open space. So would your

1820
02:08:57,139 --> 02:09:00,939
program apply to my home or other people's urban homes,

1821
02:09:00,939 --> 02:09:06,236
too? Great question. And historically, we started our wildfire regulations.

1822
02:09:07,799 --> 02:09:10,907
In the western portion of the county and. There are

1823
02:09:10,907 --> 02:09:15,679
in general larger lots. We have some historic town sites,

1824
02:09:15,679 --> 02:09:20,839
but the science of wildfire mitigation tells us that in

1825
02:09:20,839 --> 02:09:23,239
terms of reducing that risk. So we're trying not to

1826
02:09:23,239 --> 02:09:26,559
let flames contact the house. Or the radiant heat or

1827
02:09:26,559 --> 02:09:31,559
those embers. Having 100ft is the standard defensible space. Aspect.

1828
02:09:32,968 --> 02:09:36,688
And so having a larger lot gives you control over

1829
02:09:36,688 --> 02:09:39,368
your wildfire risk. And if you have other fuels on

1830
02:09:39,368 --> 02:09:42,088
your lot. If they're trees, you have the ability to

1831
02:09:42,088 --> 02:09:45,608
thin those trees. And so in the urban environment, where

1832
02:09:45,608 --> 02:09:49,829
we have structure, separation, distance that are very small. The

1833
02:09:49,829 --> 02:09:53,029
fuel is the neighboring home. And so, while farm mitigation

1834
02:09:53,029 --> 02:09:56,269
is not equal, not everybody has the ability to reduce

1835
02:09:56,269 --> 02:10:00,029
their wildfire risk the same. So we have different strategies

1836
02:10:00,029 --> 02:10:04,445
in different places. And so, just because some urban homes

1837
02:10:04,445 --> 02:10:08,045
with very small structure separation distance have a limited defensible

1838
02:10:08,045 --> 02:10:13,120
space. Really, the strategy is a little different there. We

1839
02:10:13,120 --> 02:10:15,400
want the embers that can travel over a mile. We

1840
02:10:15,400 --> 02:10:19,440
don't want that initial. Ignition to result from embers. So

1841
02:10:19,440 --> 02:10:23,600
homes in higher density areas, we first look at. Okay,

1842
02:10:23,600 --> 02:10:26,080
we don't want that ember ignition. You don't want to

1843
02:10:26,080 --> 02:10:28,480
be the first home. In the neighborhood to ignite. But

1844
02:10:28,480 --> 02:10:31,600
it is true. Once a home ignites and there's. A

1845
02:10:31,600 --> 02:10:34,677
very close neighbor. The mitigation is going to have very

1846
02:10:34,677 --> 02:10:38,277
limited impact based on the flame length and the heat.

1847
02:10:38,277 --> 02:10:42,037
So we understand there's different strategies for different communities. Our

1848
02:10:42,037 --> 02:10:45,889
program. Is started in unincorporated Boulder county, and now we've

1849
02:10:45,889 --> 02:10:49,009
expanded. So right now the city has a program that's

1850
02:10:49,009 --> 02:10:52,737
a little different. Our rebates are available to the city

1851
02:10:52,737 --> 02:10:55,337
of Boulder, and our shipping is available, but most of

1852
02:10:55,337 --> 02:10:59,497
our programs are in unincorporated county, and the real strategy

1853
02:10:59,497 --> 02:11:03,177
is to get the folks that are west of you

1854
02:11:03,177 --> 02:11:06,177
mitigated. We have lots of fires. We have lots of

1855
02:11:06,177 --> 02:11:09,377
examples of sunshine. Igniting and expecting it to come to

1856
02:11:09,377 --> 02:11:12,994
Boulder. But the mitigation. That we did in sunshine helps

1857
02:11:12,994 --> 02:11:15,314
have some protection for Boulder in the case. If we

1858
02:11:15,314 --> 02:11:17,474
could have mitigated a little better in that Marshall fire

1859
02:11:17,474 --> 02:11:19,874
area, we would have taken some pressure off. Lewisville and

1860
02:11:19,874 --> 02:11:23,194
superior. So we want to mitigate in that western edge.

1861
02:11:23,194 --> 02:11:26,900
And so. Good question. But very complicated. It's not easy.

1862
02:11:26,900 --> 02:11:31,569
Thank you. And I'm totally in favor of junking tunipers

1863
02:11:31,569 --> 02:11:38,672
around buildings and so on. I think this is what's

1864
02:11:38,672 --> 02:11:42,478
happening. I hope that there are plenty of places on

1865
02:11:42,478 --> 02:11:45,638
open space where we can allow the junipers. To grow

1866
02:11:45,638 --> 02:11:49,638
because certain species, like towns and salsiers, are very dependent

1867
02:11:49,638 --> 02:11:53,358
on them. So that's all. It's within 30ft. We really

1868
02:11:53,358 --> 02:11:55,878
focus close to the home, so it's a good question.

1869
02:11:57,541 --> 02:12:05,775
Oh, go ahead. Viculore's posac. Living in Superior, having been

1870
02:12:05,775 --> 02:12:08,735
a third of a mile from the Marshall fire. Unfortunately,

1871
02:12:08,735 --> 02:12:11,695
my house still stands. But my house is a tinder

1872
02:12:11,695 --> 02:12:18,912
box in many ways. Where did my question go? I

1873
02:12:18,912 --> 02:12:26,658
hate being old. Marshall fire so. Never mind. I forgot.

1874
02:12:26,658 --> 02:12:29,058
If I remember, I'll come back. We'll come back. Great.

1875
02:12:29,058 --> 02:12:35,275
Sorry. Tony Lewis pose. Jim, thank you for coming, and

1876
02:12:35,275 --> 02:12:37,595
it's a great program I had you guys come out

1877
02:12:37,595 --> 02:12:44,326
to our house. East of 36. And. Had great advice

1878
02:12:44,326 --> 02:12:47,806
on hardscaping, so thanks. I'm curious if you could talk

1879
02:12:47,806 --> 02:12:51,886
a little bit more about the private public partnership piece,

1880
02:12:51,886 --> 02:12:54,886
because I wasn't quite clear how that worked or who

1881
02:12:54,886 --> 02:12:59,071
the private part was. Right. So as the name implies,

1882
02:12:59,071 --> 02:13:02,831
where wildfire partners. So we started with over 40 organizations

1883
02:13:02,831 --> 02:13:04,831
and so it wasn't just the county. We led the

1884
02:13:04,831 --> 02:13:09,111
program so private sector could include insurance. Companies, realtors. I

1885
02:13:09,111 --> 02:13:14,850
mean, McGuckins Ace hardware. We have a realtor program. Individual

1886
02:13:14,850 --> 02:13:18,170
rows so that we train and sponsor and the one

1887
02:13:18,170 --> 02:13:21,730
most people focuses on our insurance and they're a really

1888
02:13:21,730 --> 02:13:24,210
key partner. So they're part of. We worked with their

1889
02:13:24,210 --> 02:13:27,610
scientist. In the beginning, and they're people to make sure

1890
02:13:27,610 --> 02:13:31,690
that the work and the certificate gets honored. And so

1891
02:13:31,690 --> 02:13:35,931
in the real focus here was on. Insurability, not affordability,

1892
02:13:35,931 --> 02:13:38,051
because we didn't come up and say without them knowing.

1893
02:13:38,051 --> 02:13:40,091
Us, give us a discount. And that was, I mean,

1894
02:13:40,091 --> 02:13:42,531
fire chiefs were going to insurance companies trust. Me everything's

1895
02:13:42,531 --> 02:13:45,251
safe. Give us a discount. But the idea was to

1896
02:13:45,251 --> 02:13:47,531
work with the insurance. Company so it would be recognized

1897
02:13:47,531 --> 02:13:51,886
in the homeowners efforts. Would be have some benefit. So

1898
02:13:51,886 --> 02:13:54,806
we sat down with insurers and their researchers and developed

1899
02:13:54,806 --> 02:13:59,606
the program and had the credibility with their standards. Our

1900
02:13:59,606 --> 02:14:02,926
mitigation specialist at the beginning were PhDs and former fire

1901
02:14:02,926 --> 02:14:04,886
chiefs and former district foresters. We had to build the

1902
02:14:04,886 --> 02:14:07,446
credibility that this was not just a piece of paper,

1903
02:14:07,446 --> 02:14:09,526
but it was actual risk reduction. I mean, you saw

1904
02:14:09,526 --> 02:14:13,365
the numbers of. Hours and time. And so we worked

1905
02:14:13,365 --> 02:14:15,645
with them. But the idea is there should be some

1906
02:14:15,645 --> 02:14:19,645
recognition. For that work. And so getting insurance companies to

1907
02:14:19,645 --> 02:14:21,925
do that was part of that partnership, and it continues

1908
02:14:21,925 --> 02:14:24,845
today, there's legislation that was passed. State law was signed

1909
02:14:24,845 --> 02:14:28,325
this year in Lewisville. About? We're working towards discounts. That's

1910
02:14:28,325 --> 02:14:33,077
a long term vision where. The pricing of insurance becomes

1911
02:14:33,077 --> 02:14:38,476
more reflective of the homeowner mitigation actions. Great thing.

1912
02:14:44,626 --> 02:14:48,706
Vicky Lawrence Posack. Sorry. Oh, jeez. So my question maybe

1913
02:14:48,706 --> 02:14:52,226
is more of a comment, being in Lewisville, having been

1914
02:14:52,226 --> 02:14:54,866
not directly, thank God, impacted by the Marshall fire, but

1915
02:14:54,866 --> 02:15:02,480
very closely. I was somewhat frustrated, and I think I

1916
02:15:02,480 --> 02:15:04,600
understand that. Maybe you can clarify this to me that

1917
02:15:04,600 --> 02:15:07,480
the city tried to put in pretty stringent requirements on

1918
02:15:07,480 --> 02:15:10,400
the new homes that they would be fire mitigated, and

1919
02:15:10,400 --> 02:15:12,280
people fought back against that. And I think a lot

1920
02:15:12,280 --> 02:15:15,966
of. The city, let people go by, get by with

1921
02:15:15,966 --> 02:15:18,126
other things. And I had initially thought, this is great.

1922
02:15:18,126 --> 02:15:22,958
I'm going to have a fire boundary. Fireproof border west

1923
02:15:22,958 --> 02:15:25,158
of my house with these new homes that have to

1924
02:15:25,158 --> 02:15:30,299
all be hardened and now they're not. And is there

1925
02:15:30,299 --> 02:15:33,059
a push to try and get that happening in an

1926
02:15:33,059 --> 02:15:35,219
urban environment when you have a fire. It just seems

1927
02:15:35,219 --> 02:15:39,427
ridiculous that they could build back. With wood siding and

1928
02:15:39,427 --> 02:15:42,467
some of those kind of things. We had three jurisdictions

1929
02:15:42,467 --> 02:15:46,987
in the Marshall fire. Lewisville superior and unincorporate Boulder county.

1930
02:15:46,987 --> 02:15:50,667
And people comment that some of the toughest times to

1931
02:15:50,667 --> 02:15:53,307
pass new regulation. This is right after a crisis, when

1932
02:15:53,307 --> 02:15:58,825
people are hurting and financial hardships and underinsurance. So since

1933
02:15:58,825 --> 02:16:01,345
then, Lewisville has taken some action to pass some code

1934
02:16:01,345 --> 02:16:03,745
requirements, and there's a new state minimum code that was

1935
02:16:03,745 --> 02:16:06,385
just adopted and will have to be adopted. So part

1936
02:16:06,385 --> 02:16:09,865
of it is timing, but essentially it's a political decision.

1937
02:16:11,561 --> 02:16:13,801
Amongst town councils and boards. How do we want to

1938
02:16:13,801 --> 02:16:17,481
recognize and for the county Orland corporated county. We immediately

1939
02:16:17,481 --> 02:16:21,281
expanded our regulations countywide, and we had the hearing and

1940
02:16:21,281 --> 02:16:24,561
we didn't. Have one public comment in opposition or in

1941
02:16:24,561 --> 02:16:28,853
support. Sometimes building codes don't get the attention of some

1942
02:16:28,853 --> 02:16:31,973
of the issues you deal with, but Lewisville has taken

1943
02:16:31,973 --> 02:16:35,573
action recently to look at the code and adopt some

1944
02:16:35,573 --> 02:16:37,973
things. But at the time right after the fire. It

1945
02:16:37,973 --> 02:16:40,573
was a difficult decision for the community, and they had

1946
02:16:40,573 --> 02:16:47,687
to make those calls. Okay. Thank you. Anybody else? All

1947
02:16:47,687 --> 02:16:51,791
right, trace, ask my question. All right. Well, thank. Well,

1948
02:16:51,791 --> 02:16:55,471
hang on just a minute. Let's check with the public.

1949
02:16:55,471 --> 02:17:00,940
So. We got anybody? Inside. I don't see anyone. Do

1950
02:17:00,940 --> 02:17:06,536
we have anybody online? No. So. Thank you, Jim. Great

1951
02:17:06,536 --> 02:17:10,770
presentation. All right, so we'll move on. I doubt we

1952
02:17:10,770 --> 02:17:13,810
have anything for public comment, period, for items down on

1953
02:17:13,810 --> 02:17:20,310
the agenda. Do we have anyone? Here's your chance. Online?

1954
02:17:20,310 --> 02:17:27,295
Anyone? No? Okay. So next item is postec members comment

1955
02:17:27,295 --> 02:17:34,035
period for items not on the agenda. Carol. Carol Byerly

1956
02:17:34,035 --> 02:17:37,235
POSac I've been saying this to anybody who's listened. To

1957
02:17:37,235 --> 02:17:41,385
me, but I'm going to say it here. And Boulder

1958
02:17:41,385 --> 02:17:46,978
county open space is my good news place. And I

1959
02:17:46,978 --> 02:17:52,734
went to the land conservation awards this week. And they

1960
02:17:52,734 --> 02:17:57,851
were wonderful, all of this wonderful activity. In so many

1961
02:17:57,851 --> 02:18:03,306
different ways that. Are being fostered by our community. And

1962
02:18:03,306 --> 02:18:09,227
then this evening, these four. Excellent presentations. So I am

1963
02:18:09,227 --> 02:18:12,627
gratified to be a witness to this and to be

1964
02:18:12,627 --> 02:18:15,067
part of it. And also to be a Boulder county

1965
02:18:15,067 --> 02:18:19,838
taxpayer. So there's a lot of bad news in the

1966
02:18:19,838 --> 02:18:23,935
world, but this is my good news. Place. And I

1967
02:18:23,935 --> 02:18:27,753
just want to say that publicly. Instead of individually to

1968
02:18:27,753 --> 02:18:31,696
anyone who comes up to me. So thank you. Thank

1969
02:18:31,696 --> 02:18:36,656
you. Great comments, carol. Yes, go ahead, christina christine Johnson

1970
02:18:36,656 --> 02:18:39,216
Posack then I'm going to go on the record and

1971
02:18:39,216 --> 02:18:44,717
just say that I thought that. The presentations that we

1972
02:18:44,717 --> 02:18:49,521
had last month from Therese about the budget. And from

1973
02:18:49,521 --> 02:18:54,443
Janice about real estate. Were like, knock your socks off.

1974
02:18:54,443 --> 02:18:58,043
Good. And that we're lucky to have staff, that we

1975
02:18:58,043 --> 02:19:02,634
have, so thank you. Very good. Anybody else down this

1976
02:19:02,634 --> 02:19:06,074
way? Tony. I know Tony's got something. You know, I.

1977
02:19:06,074 --> 02:19:10,871
Always have something. Tony Lewis Posak I have a couple

1978
02:19:10,871 --> 02:19:14,737
of things. First great presentations tonight. It was really great

1979
02:19:14,737 --> 02:19:18,177
to see the amazing work going on and the dedicated

1980
02:19:18,177 --> 02:19:21,457
staff that are doing that work. So thank you all

1981
02:19:21,457 --> 02:19:25,827
not to forget the video. And. It's all a part

1982
02:19:25,827 --> 02:19:29,174
of it. And to that end, I know Teresa has

1983
02:19:29,174 --> 02:19:34,014
announced her retirement, and I just wanted to call out.

1984
02:19:34,014 --> 02:19:38,114
Thank you from all of us. For your dedication and

1985
02:19:38,114 --> 02:19:40,914
your hard work, and I'm sure there will be plenty

1986
02:19:40,914 --> 02:19:45,834
of time. And celebrations to honor you with. But I

1987
02:19:45,834 --> 02:19:50,420
also wanted to acknowledge it now. That we appreciate all

1988
02:19:50,420 --> 02:19:53,300
the hard work you've put into pos and your leadership,

1989
02:19:53,300 --> 02:20:02,873
so. Thank you. I also want to return to

1990
02:20:02,873 --> 02:20:08,792
the topic of agriculture. Because it's one of my favorites.

1991
02:20:10,725 --> 02:20:13,685
And to acknowledge that Mike Foster is gone as the

1992
02:20:13,685 --> 02:20:19,588
lead of agriculture. I don't know, but I've heard it

1993
02:20:19,588 --> 02:20:23,628
rumored that perhaps that position would be. Filled prior to

1994
02:20:23,628 --> 02:20:28,642
a new director coming on. And perhaps during your closing

1995
02:20:28,642 --> 02:20:31,962
comments or your director's report trees you could maybe talk

1996
02:20:31,962 --> 02:20:34,642
about. That a little bit. It has a little concern

1997
02:20:34,642 --> 02:20:38,402
for me that a new director would have the opportunity

1998
02:20:38,402 --> 02:20:42,442
to hire their new leadership in that area seems logical.

1999
02:20:42,442 --> 02:20:46,690
But I also understand. It's difficult to operate without somebody

2000
02:20:46,690 --> 02:20:50,650
in that position for several to many months too, so.

2001
02:20:50,650 --> 02:20:55,355
Just curious what your thoughts are. And then lastly. I

2002
02:20:55,355 --> 02:20:59,035
don't know. Have you missed last month's meeting? If there

2003
02:20:59,035 --> 02:21:02,670
was any talk. About. The transition for the new executive

2004
02:21:02,670 --> 02:21:06,208
director. Or the new director of parks and open space.

2005
02:21:07,765 --> 02:21:12,751
And that process. And I'm curious what role. Post act

2006
02:21:12,751 --> 02:21:19,508
plays within the process of interviewing. Candidates. In the past.

2007
02:21:19,508 --> 02:21:22,548
I'm not sure if Posec did. I know there were

2008
02:21:22,548 --> 02:21:25,588
plenty of community sessions where it was open to all

2009
02:21:25,588 --> 02:21:29,588
citizens. But it feels to me like this is a

2010
02:21:29,588 --> 02:21:36,540
group that was vetted by commissioners. Represents different areas. Of

2011
02:21:36,540 --> 02:21:40,528
the Boulder County. And might play a good role in

2012
02:21:40,528 --> 02:21:44,648
hosting some of those conversations and Q and A's with

2013
02:21:44,648 --> 02:21:49,116
potential candidates. And again, maybe you could speak to that

2014
02:21:49,116 --> 02:21:58,870
junior director's report. Thanks. Anyone else? Okay, so I want

2015
02:21:58,870 --> 02:22:01,670
to give a shout out to. We had a great

2016
02:22:01,670 --> 02:22:03,750
tour and some of you went on that some of

2017
02:22:03,750 --> 02:22:07,230
the postac members up to the Prescott wetland and then

2018
02:22:07,230 --> 02:22:11,030
over. To the work that's been done near caribou, and

2019
02:22:11,030 --> 02:22:12,990
it's awesome to see that kind of work, even in

2020
02:22:12,990 --> 02:22:20,327
places where access is a little. Tough like Prescott. For

2021
02:22:20,327 --> 02:22:22,887
big equipment to get in there. So thanks for all

2022
02:22:22,887 --> 02:22:25,847
the work, and thanks for putting together a tour that

2023
02:22:25,847 --> 02:22:29,087
was a little bit off the grid and took a

2024
02:22:29,087 --> 02:22:32,598
little extra help. So it was a great tour. I

2025
02:22:32,598 --> 02:22:38,048
really enjoyed it. Yeah. So with that. How about. I

2026
02:22:38,048 --> 02:22:39,808
was going to say something about Terese, but I don't

2027
02:22:39,808 --> 02:22:43,442
think I. Can top. Tony's. And so, Teresa, you're up.

2028
02:22:44,956 --> 02:22:51,282
For directors comments. Therese Gloankie, parks and open space thank

2029
02:22:51,282 --> 02:22:54,122
you for those very nice words and thoughts. I do

2030
02:22:54,122 --> 02:22:59,691
appreciate that. And it's certainly. Yes, there will be more

2031
02:22:59,691 --> 02:23:02,451
time for me to say my thanks, but. A night

2032
02:23:02,451 --> 02:23:06,430
like tonight? Certainly. Exemplifies why. I have loved my job

2033
02:23:06,430 --> 02:23:08,870
for 26 years, and I want to thank all the

2034
02:23:08,870 --> 02:23:12,670
staff here that gave these fabulous presentations. I'm very proud

2035
02:23:12,670 --> 02:23:16,120
of all of you. And it really is. It just

2036
02:23:16,120 --> 02:23:18,240
shows the breadth of what we do with parks and

2037
02:23:18,240 --> 02:23:21,200
open space. And how we are using the taxpayers money

2038
02:23:21,200 --> 02:23:25,886
to really make changes, really important changes. In how we

2039
02:23:25,886 --> 02:23:28,806
manage our open space and how we outreach to our

2040
02:23:28,806 --> 02:23:35,460
community, the youth. And all. And. I just must have

2041
02:23:35,460 --> 02:23:38,660
let my computer sit here too long because I just

2042
02:23:38,660 --> 02:23:43,434
got logged out with my director's updates. Where's our it

2043
02:23:43,434 --> 02:23:46,398
guys? No, what I'm going to need. Hang on a

2044
02:23:46,398 --> 02:23:46,438
second.

2045
02:23:58,990 --> 02:24:00,430
And we do have security here, so I have to

2046
02:24:00,430 --> 02:24:05,351
run into my phone. Thank you. And for those who

2047
02:24:05,351 --> 02:24:12,355
don't know. We do collaborate with wildfire partners over the

2048
02:24:12,355 --> 02:24:18,727
dinner table. Jim Webster is my husband. And Stefan. His

2049
02:24:18,727 --> 02:24:21,367
wife also works for wildfire partners, so we have two

2050
02:24:21,367 --> 02:24:24,247
of us in park. Service space with Walfar partner partners.

2051
02:24:25,869 --> 02:24:30,469
I really do appreciate all of the presentations. Aaron's presentation

2052
02:24:30,469 --> 02:24:33,389
got me thinking, so as I'm heading out the door.

2053
02:24:33,389 --> 02:24:36,229
I'm going to put some ideas in your heads and.

2054
02:24:36,229 --> 02:24:39,269
In staff's heads when he showed the pictures of the

2055
02:24:39,269 --> 02:24:46,884
CNT cranes. And then Joan when. You were talking about

2056
02:24:46,884 --> 02:24:49,987
the insects. I think some things that we should start

2057
02:24:49,987 --> 02:24:52,747
thinking about. Park service space is farming for Sandhill. Cranes

2058
02:24:52,747 --> 02:24:56,267
and farming for insects. Both of those need help, and

2059
02:24:56,267 --> 02:24:58,987
we could do it if anyone could. Park snippets base

2060
02:24:58,987 --> 02:25:03,109
could. So now on to the real update. And I'm

2061
02:25:03,109 --> 02:25:05,069
not joking on that, by the way. I think that

2062
02:25:05,069 --> 02:25:09,080
that is something that we can do. Okay, so Prairie

2063
02:25:09,080 --> 02:25:12,320
run is moving forward. The kind of commissioners just approved

2064
02:25:12,320 --> 02:25:16,376
the contract. It's called Goodland Construction, and they're going to

2065
02:25:16,376 --> 02:25:19,496
start building the southwest parking. Lot and 1 mile of

2066
02:25:19,496 --> 02:25:22,616
trail in the next couple of weeks. So that big,

2067
02:25:22,616 --> 02:25:29,090
brand new property is going to start. Under construction. Prince

2068
02:25:29,090 --> 02:25:33,530
Lake. You may remember it's the big agricultural storage near

2069
02:25:33,530 --> 02:25:36,490
Erie that has been underway. Now for about a month.

2070
02:25:36,490 --> 02:25:39,570
If you are out driving around there, this is the

2071
02:25:39,570 --> 02:25:44,337
$4 million. 3 million of which FEMA is paying. That

2072
02:25:44,337 --> 02:25:47,097
is underway. It looks great. I think it is going

2073
02:25:47,097 --> 02:25:49,937
to be wonderful wildlife habitat for sure. When I was

2074
02:25:49,937 --> 02:25:53,972
out there, there were all kinds of wetland birds. And

2075
02:25:53,972 --> 02:25:57,972
it's really going to enhance the safety of the community

2076
02:25:57,972 --> 02:26:03,252
that lives right downstream from there. The monarch Trail. It's

2077
02:26:03,252 --> 02:26:06,492
part of the Lobo Trail monarchs, north of 52 and.

2078
02:26:06,492 --> 02:26:09,572
Just east of the diagonal. That's going to get resurfacing,

2079
02:26:09,572 --> 02:26:12,332
so there's. Going to be a big portion of the.

2080
02:26:14,035 --> 02:26:16,869
Low boat trail that would be closed for several. Weeks,

2081
02:26:16,869 --> 02:26:20,829
perhaps months, even for resurfacing on the regional trail. So

2082
02:26:20,829 --> 02:26:26,054
if you hear anything. About that. It's our project, and

2083
02:26:26,054 --> 02:26:28,893
we'll have reroutes so that. If you were a low

2084
02:26:28,893 --> 02:26:31,813
boat trail commuter, you'll be able to get around there,

2085
02:26:31,813 --> 02:26:36,179
but we're looking forward to that trail being resurfaced. So

2086
02:26:36,179 --> 02:26:39,579
many things on these updates intersect with what we heard

2087
02:26:39,579 --> 02:26:44,259
tonight. Buildings and historic preservation is using a new shake

2088
02:26:44,259 --> 02:26:48,659
shingle like roof so that we can meet our historic

2089
02:26:48,659 --> 02:26:54,255
preservation goals of having it look historic, and yet. These

2090
02:26:54,255 --> 02:27:01,565
new fabricated shakes. Or shingles. Are wildfire resistant, so it's

2091
02:27:01,565 --> 02:27:04,685
expensive. We're going to try it out, but. The lifespan

2092
02:27:04,685 --> 02:27:06,925
of those are supposed to be, like five times what

2093
02:27:06,925 --> 02:27:10,405
a normal shake. Shingle roof. Would be. So we are

2094
02:27:10,405 --> 02:27:14,698
doing our part for welfare partners. Yes. For those of

2095
02:27:14,698 --> 02:27:17,658
you who have not heard, Mike Foster, who was our

2096
02:27:17,658 --> 02:27:22,298
ag division manager for over four years. He resigned this

2097
02:27:22,298 --> 02:27:26,795
past month or this month? September. And so we've had

2098
02:27:26,795 --> 02:27:29,675
that question a couple of times, like, should we wait

2099
02:27:29,675 --> 02:27:33,795
and refill that position after a new director gets there.

2100
02:27:33,795 --> 02:27:37,555
What I would say is. With our reorganization, we now

2101
02:27:37,555 --> 02:27:41,159
have a deputy. The deputy level. Stefan is now in

2102
02:27:41,159 --> 02:27:47,636
charge of resource management. And agriculture. So it's no longer

2103
02:27:47,636 --> 02:27:53,321
the director's direct report. And without knowing how long it's

2104
02:27:53,321 --> 02:27:57,241
going to take to recruit and hire and have a

2105
02:27:57,241 --> 02:28:00,521
new director on board and not knowing whether it's someone

2106
02:28:00,521 --> 02:28:04,532
in house or someone from across the country. I think

2107
02:28:04,532 --> 02:28:07,492
that we need to move forward with an agricultural division

2108
02:28:07,492 --> 02:28:09,932
manager, and I think that with our agricultural staff. The

2109
02:28:09,932 --> 02:28:13,532
experience like we saw tonight, the expertise we have, I

2110
02:28:13,532 --> 02:28:18,824
think that they will. Be. Fine. They'll be in a

2111
02:28:18,824 --> 02:28:21,490
good place to have. A new division manager to take

2112
02:28:21,490 --> 02:28:27,035
the agricultural program in the right direction. Back to what

2113
02:28:27,035 --> 02:28:31,155
is happening with the director's replacement that is really in

2114
02:28:31,155 --> 02:28:35,315
the hands of my direct supervisor. Who is Jenna Peterson?

2115
02:28:35,315 --> 02:28:42,254
She's the county administrator. She works in collaboration with. The

2116
02:28:42,254 --> 02:28:49,405
county commissioners on a process. It will not likely it

2117
02:28:49,405 --> 02:28:52,645
will kick off soon, I would say, but I don't

2118
02:28:52,645 --> 02:28:55,285
have any more details on. Is it a consultant that's

2119
02:28:55,285 --> 02:28:58,012
going to be doing it? Is our HR department that's

2120
02:28:58,012 --> 02:29:00,932
going to be running the process of hiring, but I

2121
02:29:00,932 --> 02:29:04,092
do like the suggestion of how can we engage posac

2122
02:29:04,092 --> 02:29:07,755
in that hiring process? And perhaps it is something that

2123
02:29:07,755 --> 02:29:11,076
we could think about. That the finalists have to come

2124
02:29:11,076 --> 02:29:15,395
and give a presentation to you. So I will recommend

2125
02:29:15,395 --> 02:29:18,715
that to Jana. And I will also look to Stefan

2126
02:29:18,715 --> 02:29:21,675
and Jarrett, who are sitting here listening in case it

2127
02:29:21,675 --> 02:29:24,355
happens after I'm gone, that perhaps they could also put

2128
02:29:24,355 --> 02:29:26,675
it on the list of something that could be a

2129
02:29:26,675 --> 02:29:29,835
useful step in the hiring process, because I do agree,

2130
02:29:29,835 --> 02:29:32,835
I think that with your expertise and you representing the

2131
02:29:32,835 --> 02:29:36,457
public could bring. A very valuable perspective to. A new

2132
02:29:36,457 --> 02:29:43,718
director. CSU extension just launched a landscape leaders program again,

2133
02:29:43,718 --> 02:29:51,224
something new. And innovative. They trained eleven leaders that come

2134
02:29:51,224 --> 02:29:55,064
from hoas. So it's basically a train. The trainer and

2135
02:29:55,064 --> 02:30:00,264
it's in sustainable landscapes. So that includes water wise landscaping

2136
02:30:00,264 --> 02:30:06,516
and wanfar partners. So again, another example of amazing stuff

2137
02:30:06,516 --> 02:30:10,610
that we are continuing to do. With our csu extension.

2138
02:30:12,123 --> 02:30:16,459
And then you've heard about the flood buyouts. We had.

2139
02:30:17,567 --> 02:30:22,481
14 flood bios that we designated. To private landowners. These

2140
02:30:22,481 --> 02:30:25,761
were properties that were destroyed. The homes on the properties

2141
02:30:25,761 --> 02:30:29,801
were destroyed in the 2013 flood, FemA or HUd bought

2142
02:30:29,801 --> 02:30:34,841
the properties and they turned them over to Boulder county.

2143
02:30:34,841 --> 02:30:38,481
And these are dispersed throughout the county. We, as open

2144
02:30:38,481 --> 02:30:41,846
space managers, took the ones that. Were adjacent to open

2145
02:30:41,846 --> 02:30:43,206
space, but the ones that are in the middle of.

2146
02:30:44,866 --> 02:30:49,529
Four mile canyon or up sunshine or something. We went

2147
02:30:49,529 --> 02:30:53,883
out with a competitive bid process, and we designated. A

2148
02:30:53,883 --> 02:30:57,243
new owner. So some of those are neighbors and some

2149
02:30:57,243 --> 02:31:00,043
of those are community partners like the harvest of all

2150
02:31:00,043 --> 02:31:05,660
first Nations. And. Indigenous people's community church, which is the

2151
02:31:05,660 --> 02:31:10,551
Apache nation. So twelve of those 14 have already gone

2152
02:31:10,551 --> 02:31:12,871
through the whole process, and the land title has been

2153
02:31:12,871 --> 02:31:19,083
turned over to the new owners. And. It is our

2154
02:31:19,083 --> 02:31:23,371
first. Time in Boulder county parks and open space history

2155
02:31:23,371 --> 02:31:26,731
that we have turned land back to indigenous communities. So

2156
02:31:26,731 --> 02:31:29,131
that's a big win. A big win, and I hope.

2157
02:31:30,933 --> 02:31:34,900
It is just the first step in what maybe. A

2158
02:31:34,900 --> 02:31:40,757
long. Adventure of land back here in Boulder county. Did

2159
02:31:40,757 --> 02:31:42,517
you have a question? Thank you. Lawrence posek. I have

2160
02:31:42,517 --> 02:31:44,877
a quick question. So the land that got turned back,

2161
02:31:44,877 --> 02:31:47,597
not to the indigenous people, but. To other neighbors or

2162
02:31:47,597 --> 02:31:50,237
whatever. Are they able to build on that property again?

2163
02:31:50,237 --> 02:31:55,885
No. They have very strict requirements. They cannot build any

2164
02:31:55,885 --> 02:32:00,826
permanent structure. So. Their flood plane. It's expanding the floodplain.

2165
02:32:02,726 --> 02:32:10,430
And they have to treat their weeds. Joan. And you

2166
02:32:10,430 --> 02:32:16,053
mentioned earlier. The conservation awards. We celebrated that on Tuesday.

2167
02:32:16,053 --> 02:32:19,933
Thank you to Renata. She coordinates. The whole, both the

2168
02:32:19,933 --> 02:32:23,253
nominations and the selection. And then the ceremony was a

2169
02:32:23,253 --> 02:32:27,333
wonderful ceremony, and just to tell you. You've seen some

2170
02:32:27,333 --> 02:32:32,451
of the projects before. That were winners. One. Is the

2171
02:32:32,451 --> 02:32:36,011
Linda Hollyubar synabria property. It's this Bruce gulch property. That

2172
02:32:36,011 --> 02:32:39,852
we partnered with. Cu for their research station. And we

2173
02:32:39,852 --> 02:32:43,492
have the backup concept. We have a conservation easement. Dave

2174
02:32:43,492 --> 02:32:48,142
Sutherland, who is longtime open space and mountain parks. Naturalist

2175
02:32:48,142 --> 02:32:51,422
who now has his own. He's retired and he just

2176
02:32:51,422 --> 02:32:55,692
does naturalist programs. So if you're ever interested. Google Dave

2177
02:32:55,692 --> 02:33:00,052
Sutherland. Nature hikes. He does them all over Boulder. Boulder.

2178
02:33:01,067 --> 02:33:04,187
Wonderful, wonderful opportunities for you to go out and learn

2179
02:33:04,187 --> 02:33:09,788
from him. Harvest of all first nations. Their founder, Andrea

2180
02:33:09,788 --> 02:33:17,335
Yolo. Tio Nawaje got it for the cultural award. Stephanie

2181
02:33:17,335 --> 02:33:19,855
Wendorf, who lends for animals to the ag Heritage center,

2182
02:33:19,855 --> 02:33:25,776
which Janet feeds on Sunday night. She got an Ag

2183
02:33:25,776 --> 02:33:31,296
conservation award. And then volunteers Amy Iwata and Roberta Johnston

2184
02:33:31,296 --> 02:33:39,344
were the two volunteers, so. That is the conservation awards.

2185
02:33:39,344 --> 02:33:43,604
Trace was a winner last year. So keep your, when

2186
02:33:43,604 --> 02:33:45,844
you see that advertised, if there are people that you

2187
02:33:45,844 --> 02:33:48,644
know that you would like to nominate. Keep. It's for

2188
02:33:48,644 --> 02:33:51,164
anyone in the whole community to nominate, so keep that.

2189
02:33:51,164 --> 02:33:53,924
In mind next year as it rolls around and then

2190
02:33:53,924 --> 02:33:57,324
one more plug, that four revolution conference that Aaron talked

2191
02:33:57,324 --> 02:34:00,444
about December 11. You can register for it right now.

2192
02:34:00,444 --> 02:34:02,929
Boulder county parks and over space. Partnered with the Natural

2193
02:34:02,929 --> 02:34:07,129
Resources Conservation Service and OSMP ten years ago to launch

2194
02:34:07,129 --> 02:34:10,369
the first one. And I have been to everyone for

2195
02:34:10,369 --> 02:34:14,016
the last ten years, and it is the best. 8

2196
02:34:14,016 --> 02:34:16,936
hours of your year. You've learned so much, you get

2197
02:34:16,936 --> 02:34:21,800
inspired to do things like. What Aaron was talking about.

2198
02:34:21,800 --> 02:34:24,360
I would encourage you, if you're around on December 11,

2199
02:34:24,360 --> 02:34:27,431
sign. Up now. And block that date on your calendar

2200
02:34:27,431 --> 02:34:32,321
for the soil rev conference. And it's held at the

2201
02:34:32,321 --> 02:34:38,263
Boulder Jewish. Community center. On a wrap up, and that

2202
02:34:38,263 --> 02:34:44,708
is all I have for you tonight. Any questions? Trace.

2203
02:34:44,708 --> 02:34:50,508
Trace baker, postac. Slight correction, Teresa. Last year I received

2204
02:34:50,508 --> 02:34:53,828
something like a volunteer of the. Year of the war

2205
02:34:53,828 --> 02:35:00,259
volunteer of the year award, not conservation award. Well, Trace,

2206
02:35:00,259 --> 02:35:03,579
I looked at the picture today, and you were standing

2207
02:35:03,579 --> 02:35:05,939
there at our conservation awards, and that's what it is.

2208
02:35:05,939 --> 02:35:08,379
It's. Our conservation awards are a big picture, and you

2209
02:35:08,379 --> 02:35:11,939
were the volunteer of the year award in our conservation

2210
02:35:11,939 --> 02:35:15,539
awards. Okay. Thank you. It's a both. And be sure

2211
02:35:15,539 --> 02:35:24,008
you. Take it away. All right. I believe that's it.

2212
02:35:24,008 --> 02:35:26,688
Thank you, Terese, and thank you, everybody. And we are

2213
02:35:26,688 --> 02:35:31,593
adjourned. Thank you. Oh, I got to use the gavel.

2214
02:35:31,593 --> 02:35:33,648
Yeah. Okay.