Sessions: 2026 Colorado Open Space Alliance Conference

Name	Speakers	More Info
8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
1A- Land Blobs, Sticks in the Mud, and Cow-menity Management	Christy Spielman, Boulder county parks and open space
1B- Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance's Collaboration in Colorado Open Spaces	Tim Luethke, Denver Zoo
1C- Mining, Reclamation, Recreation & Conservation	Joey Carpenter, Town of Crested Butte
1D- Usable Trail Roundtable: A Collaborative Approach to Adaptive Recreation	Matt Martinez, Jefferson County Open Space
1E- Threads of Legacy: Women in Conservation Through the Lens of Park Ranger Uniforms	Mel Georgi
1F- Using Science, Community, and Indigenous Knowledge for Holistic Land Stewardship: A Case Study of the Prairie Restoration Project at the Plains Conservation Center	Fendi Despres, City of Aurora Open Space and Natural Resources

Name	Speakers	More Info
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
2A- Under Pressure: Lessons Learned from closing 46,000 acres of open space and trails in less than 12 hours due to climate extremes.	Jeff Haley, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
2B- Win-Win Volunteer Coaching	Lauren Hennessey
2C- Caring for the Commons through Play and Discovery: Partnership, Stewardship, and Nature Discovery at Pike’s Peak	Shane Brown, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds
2D- We Need You - State Wildlife Action Plan	Kacie Miller
2E- Ahead of the Incident: Proactive Methods for Boater Education and Risk Mitigation in Colorado	Brian Phillips, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
2F- Stormwater Improvements with Open Space Benefits Case Study: Brantner Gulch in Adams County	Byron Fanning

Name	Speakers	More Info
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
3A- Applying the USNVC 3.0 to Colorado Open Space (Part 1: Introduction & Community Engagement)	Brenda Wichmann
3B- Director's Section	Byron Fanning
3C- Caring for Our Commons: Building Crested Butte's Open Space Values and Decision-Making Framework	Gabby Voeller
3D- Regaining our Nights: A Land Managers Approach to Protecting Dark Skies	Ashlee Wallace, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
3E- Broad-Reach Stewardship: Practical Tools for Multi-Audience Engagement	Kellina Gilbreth, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
3F- Meet Your Grant Manager: Navigating CPW Funding Opportunities	Andrea Kurth, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Name	Speakers	More Info
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
4A- Applying the USNVC 3.0 to Colorado Open Space (Part 2: Demonstrations & Case Studies)	Brenda Wichmann
4B- Youth Engagement in Colorado Open Space Conservation	Brooke Zanetell
4C- Blueprint for Smarter Parks: Integrating Typology, Field Data, and GIS	Jason Meyer, El Paso County Parks
4D- Wildfire + Open Space Funding and Stewardship	George Jutras
4E- We Belong: Exploring Accessibility, Connection, and Community in Outdoor Programming	Kriste Peoples, Women's Wilderness
4F- Exploring Common Ground - The Future of COSA	Matt Robbins, Jeffco Parks & Open Space

Name	Speakers	More Info
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
5A- Breathing Easy in Colorado: Air Quality, Wildfire Smoke, and Community Connections	Erin Kendall
5B- From Purchase Contract to Opening 15 Miles of New Trails – The Lost Canyon Experience	Justin Spring, The Conservation Fund
5C- AHDriFT: A Small Animal Survey Technique for Small Land Management Agencies	Christine Sandbach
5D- Weed Blaster - Jefferson County Parks and Open Space	Stephanie Murphy
5E- Turning Concern into Care Workshop: Empowering Communities as Partners in Open Space	Jessica Anderson, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
5F- Hanging Lake Trail Restoration: Stewardship of an Iconic Public Landscape	Emily Kasyon

Name	Speakers	More Info
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
6A- Blue Sky Thinking: Transforming Fragmented Management into Collaborative Stewardship	Shannon Dennison, Denver Mountain Parks
6B- Building a Unified Sign System for Natural Areas	Zoe Shark, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas
6C- Leveraging Partnerships to Scale Biodiversity Conservation Across Colorado	Julie Kallenberger
6D- You Don’t Have To Know Everything To Make A Difference: Leveraging Community Expertise To Solve Equity Gaps	Kayla Drake, Fort Collins Natural Areas
6E- From Communities to Trails: How Community Engagement Can Diversify Our Open Space	Whitney May Taylor
6F- Fantastic Bats and Where To Find Them: Surveying for Bat Colonies in Structures and Historic Mines	Erickson Smith

Name	Speakers	More Info
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
7A- Fort Chambers and Addressing Difficult Histories Through Site Design: A Case Study	Kacey French, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
7B- From Dams to Decisions: Balancing Adaptive Beaver Management for Habitat, Trails and Infrastructure	Brandon Cary, Mile High Flood District
7C- Delivering on the Colorado Outdoors Strategy: Supporting Public Land Management Through Mobile Location Data	Jake Jorgenson, RRC Associates, Inc.
7D- Stewardship of Cultural Resources: Policy, Practice, and Compliance	Kati Fay, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
7E- A Place for Everyone – or No One? Rethinking Access in the Commons	Carly O’Connell
7F- The Awe Factor: Caring for the Commons Through Emotional Connections	Mary McCormac, Colorado Parks and Wildlife