NEDERLAND — The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB), having opened a portion of their monthly meeting to receiving updates from Boulder County Parks and Recreation, learned about how Rangers are mitigating issues of staff capacity and the prospects of an exceptionally dry summer.

“We don’t close in March,” Bevin Carithers, the Resource Protection Manager for Boulder County Parks and Open Space said to the members of PROSAB on March 19, 2026, describing an unprecedented situation caused by unseasonable temperatures just the previous weekend.  

“We are well aware of the fire danger, as it's pretty unprecedented for us to close all of our parks on a Friday and Saturday in the middle of March,” Carithers explained, “but we didn’t want trees falling on people and there was a huge concern about visitors to open space sparking a fire.” 

During the high winds and dry temperatures of March, the County and City of Boulder experienced downed trees causing damage, power outages both planned and unplanned, and several fires, including one near Chautauqua Park and the Heil Ranch Fire, which engulfed over seven acres of vegetation. 

Carithers explained how the risk of human-caused fires in public areas during increasingly dry conditions may result in an increase in park closures.  

“I think we’re going to see that a lot this summer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are times where we say ‘It’s too dry and too windy; time to close parks.’” 

As for mitigating the forests—and the crowd of tourists that visit them—Carithers discussed what to expect in regard to Hessie’s and Fourth of July’s trailhead management, and what forestry initiatives Boulder County plans to implement on land plots surrounding Nederland’s neighborhoods.  

It was noted that there were between 20,000 to 24,000 riders on the Hessie shuttle last season, which was such an influx that Boulder County was forced to take notice.  

“We think we did solve a problem with the parking issues,” Carithers said, “but I don’t think we ever anticipated that the visitation would be to that extent.” 

Carithers explained that the shuttle will run again this year, and that RTD has worked out an agreement with the school district in order for bus service to operate more frequently. This would approach what Carithers described as “similar to pre-COVID levels.” 

Additionally, the City of Boulder is contracting with Green Ride Charter Services to manage parking at the Fourth of July trailhead, while the Boulder County Rangers will maintain jurisdiction over emergency response. 

It was also mentioned that Boulder County Parks and Open Space would soon be executing a “forestry project” on the Elk Draw property, which was donated to the County in 2024. The 40-acre parcel is located at the end of West 1st Street, and is east of the 323-acre Tucker property. The County wishes to mitigate the area and gain access to the backside of Arapaho Ranch. 

The project was originally planned for this winter, but due to the unusually warm season, Boulder County will bid out again for the project this October. 

Regarding the Tucker property, the popular land expanse which intersects several trail systems and land ownership boundaries had to be closed to public use by the County after a series of unmarked “social trails” were discovered which led to concerns about the impact to local wildlife. 

For several months Boulder County has been observing the property, finding it to be an extremely important piece of land, serving as a wildlife corridor for a significant herd migration. Carithers determined that the property would most likely remain closed seasonally, much like Caribou Ranch Open Space, which is closed from April 1 to July 1 for moose and elk calving season. 

Carithers also detailed how the County will be working alongside the US Forest Service and an organization called NoCo Places to map the Tucker Property and other properties they have bought in recent years, in order to begin devising management plans and recreational programs.  

“We’ve just bought, bought, bought—and now we’re seeing some issues and, yeah, it’s time to manage it,” Carithers said about Boulder County’s goals moving forward. 

As for what other open spaces and undeveloped County lands may be assessed and mitigated, Carithers mentioned that Reynolds Ranch and the Bearberry Open Space off Coal Creek will be looked at in the coming months. Carithers added that Commissioners have asked Boulder County Open Space to look at the logistics of alternating pedestrian and bicycle use at some other Boulder County trails and open spaces, like at Betasso Preserve.  

The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board meets every third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 17,  2026. Meetings can be attended online via WebEx.

For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/parks-recreation-open-space-advisory-board.

The Nederland Planning Commission meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. Meetings can be attended online via WebEx. 

For more information: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/planning-commission.

The Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board meets on the fourth Thursday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 6:45 p.m. and can be attended online or in person at the Nederland Community Center.

For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/sustainability-advisory-board.