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Visitor Plan Goals

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City of Boulder Open Space Visitor Plan Goals

From the Visitor Plan Advisory Committee report, March 10, 2000

(complete report at http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/openspace/xvisitor_plan/vpacrep.htm)

Goal #1: Manage and preserve land to provide a variety of high quality passive recreational activities, outdoor education opportunities, and visitor services where consistent with overarching environmental values.

Objectives

1.1 Provide a range of passive recreational activities and outdoor education opportunities consistent with the Open Space Charter and where compatible with other purposes.

Maintain and improve a sense of welcome to visitors.
Attempt to preserve an individual sense of freedom for visitors to enjoy appropriate Open Space areas.
Assess appropriate passive recreational needs; identify attractive areas for passive recreation; inventory natural, cultural and agricultural resources; assess relative rarity of particular ecosystems; and identify data gaps.
Recognize budget constraints.
Evaluate potential limitations on activities based on objective criteria.

1.2 Provide high-quality, well-maintained and safe passive recreational facilities (e.g. trails, access points) and visitor services.

Design trails and supporting facilities with environmental preservation in mind.
Provide a variety of trails for different purposes.
Seek to connect existing trails.
Provide some loop trails.
Design trails and other visitor facilities to be accessible for people with disabilities when and where appropriate.

1.3 Provide access points and trailheads to Open Space that encourage visitors to use alternate modes of transportation to get to Open Space (e.g. walking, bicycling, buses).

1.4 Minimize conflicts between passive recreational uses by informing visitors about proper trail etiquette and reinforcing with enforcement when necessary.

Goal #2: Ensure passive recreational activities are compatible with long term preservation of natural, cultural, and agricultural resources.

Objectives

2.1 Enhance public education and outreach efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the natural, cultural, and agricultural values.

Inspire visitors to appreciate nature and become stewards through education and interpretation.

Work with young children and local schools.

Expand on-the-ground education and interpretive efforts (staff, hosts, etc.).

2.2 Promote research and monitoring.

2.3 Carefully manage activities to enhance visitors’ understanding of natural resources and to minimize environmental impacts.

Inform visitors about ways to minimize environmental impacts and enforce appropriate restrictions when necessary.
Management should not only minimize impacts, but attempt to restore environmental values wherever possible (especially in areas that have been damaged by passive recreational use).

2.4 Preserve and restore higher quality natural areas by directing visitor use to appropriate areas and away from sensitive areas. Some uses or levels of visitor use may need to be limited or not allowed to protect natural values.

Identify higher quality or sensitive natural areas through system-wide inventories and future planning efforts. Potential areas may include Habitat Conservation Areas, relatively large unfragmented areas with high natural values, wetlands and riparian areas, tallgrass communities, rare plant species, raptor habitat, and ground nesting bird habitat.

Goal #3: Partner with the community in passive recreation decision-making and stewardship efforts.

Objectives

3.1 Enhance public’s relationship with the Open Space program.

3.2 Seek input and discussion in planning, decision-making, and implementation efforts.

3.3 Communicate Open Space activities, achievements, issues, management challenges, and messages.

3.4 Solicit ideas for volunteer programs and implement these programs with neighbors, visitors, and interest groups.