The agreement provides funding to the city of boulder open space mountain parks (osmp) to develop a monitoring and assessment framework for osmp, conduct a pilot monitoring project, and complete…

The agreement provides funding to the city of boulder open space mountain parks (osmp) to develop a monitoring and assessment framework for osmp, conduct a pilot monitoring project, and complete wetland inventory and mapping on osmp managed properties. Wetland program development grants (wpdgs) assist state, tribal, territory (insular areas), local government agencies, and interstate or intertribal entities in developing or refining state, tribal, territory, or local programs which protect, manage, and restore wetlands. The primary focus of these grants is to develop/refine state, tribal, and territory wetland programs. A secondary focus is to develop/refine local (e.g., county or municipal) programs. This project will help land managers across departments make more informed management decisions in wetlands management. Specifically, the recipient will 1) complete wetland and riparian mapping for all osmp owned or managed properties, 2) develop monitoring and assessment strategy, 3) conduct pilot monitoring project on 50 wetlands to assess wetland condition and test metrics, and 4) fulfill the grant's reporting requirements and transfer of results.activities:the activities include: developing an approved qapp, wetland mapping QA/QC training, digitize and attribute wetland and riparian areas for osmp properties, conduct field-based QA/QC on completed mapping, edit and finalize wetland mapping, develop and select field methods and prepare field manual, select monitoring sites, develop survey and database, collect field data, analyze data, develop maps, identify priority areas, and meeting grant/program requirements (e.g., progress reports, transfer of results, and a final report). Subrecipient:sub-award to colorado state university's colorado natural heritage program (cnhp) to complete wetland and riparian mapping, train osmp wetland ecologists and seasonal field technician, and develop wetland profiles. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: a qapp, wetland profile summary report and final arcgis layers, field manual, field forms, database, webmaps, presentations at conferences, field trip, progress reports, and a final report. The expected outcomes include: more effective and strategic management decisions due to increased and more accurate data; updated wetland and riparian mapping on the cnhp mapping tool and national wetland inventory (NWI); help osmp identify priority conservation areas and target restoration activities using wetland condition data; osmp can measure progress toward achieving conservation objectives, and assess changes in wetlands resulting from restoration activities, land use changes, management decisions, climate change, and other factors; baseline information will assist osmp identify priority conservation areas and target restoration activities and in making effective land management decisions that protect wetland resources from critical threats like incompatible recreational and agricultural practices, invasive exotic species, and climate change; targeted restoration on osmp properties located within disadvantaged communities (approximately 37% of osmp land) increasing the environmental justice (EJ) benefits; transfer of results within and beyond boulder county, so that the others can better develop their wetland programs; and managing day-to-day operations and activities supported by the assistance funding, to assure compliance with applicable federal requirements, and for ensuring that established milestones and performance goals are being achieved. The intended beneficiaries include osmp land users, disadvantaged communities, and boulder county.