Sessions: 2025 Colorado Open Space Alliance Conference

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
1A: 40 from 40: Reflecting on 40 key takeaways, ideas, and perspectives from a 40-year professional in Parks and Open Space	Tom Hoby, Jeffco Open Space
1B: Weaving Story into Stewardship (Part 1): Tools for Meaningful Connection	Catherine Dolder, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
1C: Building Bridges: Community Engagement Best Practices between Latinx Spaces and Ranger Agencies	Juan Ocampo, Boulder County Parks and Open Space
1D: Outdoors Online: Using Social Media for Education, Inclusivity, and Engagement	Jessica Anderson, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
1E: Playing in the Margins: Where Open Space, Urban Space, and Community Meet	Adam Bienenstock, Re-Nature Foundation David Skuodas
1F: Panel Discussion: Cultural Resource Management within a Natural Resource World	Shannon Stage, Jefferson County Open Space

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
2A: GOCO: Strategic Plan and Funding Opportunity Update	Tilah Larson, Great Outdoors Colorado
2B: Weaving Story into Stewardship (Part 2): Tools for Meaningful Connection	Catherine Dolder, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
2C: The Good, the Bad, and the Future: E-bikes for Ranger Patrol and Solving Trail Etiquette Conundrums	Benjamin White-Patarino, City of Louisville
2D: Implementing Prescribed Fire in Natural Areas	Gabriela Sullivan
2E: Making Nature Accessible: Bluff Lake Nature Center’s Campus Improvements Project	Rachel Hutchens, Bluff Lake Nature Center
2F: Keystone Connections: Bison as a Catalyst for Ecological and Cultural Resilience	Shannon Dennison, Denver Mountain Parks

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
3A: Collaborate to Increase Your Capacity: Co-Running Volunteer Programs with Partner Agencies	Ellen Harris
3B: Fire Doesn’t Stop at the Fence: Cross-Boundary Wildfire Risk Reduction in Boulder’s WUI	Aaron Kennedy, Outway Paul Dennison, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
3C: Baby BAER: Scaling Down BAER Principles for Rapid Post-Fire Response in Jefferson County Open Space	Tanner Marshall, Jefferson County Open Space
3D: Discover the Rocky Mountain Naturalist Certification
3D: Rugged Trails! When the Ranger world gets bumpy.	Michael Bowman
3D: Three Approaches to OPDMD Policy (mobility devices)	Zoe Shark, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas
3E: Restoring Balance: Grazing, Grasslands, and Community Connection	Kelly Uhing, City of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks Department
3F: Empathetic Enforcement with At-Risk Youth	Nathan Adams

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
4A: Forest Legacy Program: Big Opportunity for Open Space Conservation	Katie Rose Levin, Colorado State Forest Service
4B: Two Success Stories and Available Resource to Protect Irrigated Agriculture	Robert Sakata, Colorado Department of Agriculture
4C: Colorado’s Vital Landscapes and Resources: A preview of DOLA's Local & Regional Planning Guide and Playbook	Kristina Kachur Webb, Logan Simpson
4D: Measuring the Impact of Outdoor Recreation on Bird Communities in Colorado	Chris White, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
4E: Accessible Trail Data - Where We Are and Where We're Headed	Joe O'Brien, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
4F: COSA Governance	Matt Robbins, Jeffco Parks & Open Space

9:50 AM - 10:35 AM
5A: To be British in a Rocky Mountain World: A chat with Christopher Preston (Keynote Speaker)	Christopher J Preston
5B: How to Retain Volunteers for Your Open Space	Lindsay Young, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
5B: Shifting Landscapes: Redefining Ranger Engagement in Environmental Education	Kate Meunier, Denver Parks and Recreation
5C: Three agencies and their approaches to developing and implementing strategic plans	Julia Feder, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department
5D: Making a Climate Action Plan for your Agency: Playbook from City of Boulder's Open Space & Mountain Parks	Alycia Alexander, Open Space & Mountain Parks - City of Boulder
5E: 10 Years of Connecting Open Space and Sense of Place: Urban Prairies Project	Ashley White, Butterfly Pavilion
5F: Implementing New Payment Technology for Revenue Capture	Trevor Knight, Larimer County Department of Natural Resources

10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
6A: Director Session	J. Byron Fanning, Jr., Adams County Parks, Open Space and Cultural Arts
6B: Lincoln Hills Past and Present: Exploring Culturally Responsive Teaching in Outdoor Education	Pedro Gutierrez, Lincoln Hills Cares
6C: From Routine to Rescue: Navigating Task-Focused vs. Crisis-Focused Communication	Marcus Schoen, Jefferson County Open Space
6D: This Is What Winning Looks Like. Play On: The Colorado Lottery’s Outdoors Legacy	Adrian Varney, Colorado Lottery
6E: The Power of Place: Reimagining Access and Protection at Paint Mines Interpretive Park	Ross Williams, El Paso County Parks
6F: "Mirasol, Looking At the Sun", protecting irrigated farming	Rebeccal Jewett Robert Sakata, Colorado Department of Agriculture Patrick Stanko

10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
7A: Managing Natural Resources for the Future: Cottonwood Forest Project	Jonathan Kingery
7B: Bringing the Stories of Open Space to Life: Enhancing Visitor Engagement with Augmented Reality	Anna Scheck Mary McCormac, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
7C: Boating Incident and Drowning Response and Investigations	Brian Phillips, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
7D: From Grant to Groundwork: Advancing Accessible Trails Through Funding and Community Engagement	Gabriela Sullivan
7E: Rangers & Real-Time Data: Smarter Operations in the Field	Matthew Bonano, City of Lakewood
7F: Don’t Panic, We Have a Strategy! Resources, Tools, and Local Solutions for Colorado’s Outdoors	Dan Zimmerer, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)