Open Space and Mountain Parks staff on Feb. 12 briefed the Open Space Board of Trustees on the "Presence on the Land" initiative — a coordinated program of outreach staff, rangers and volunteer ambassadors intended to increase staff and volunteer presence on OSMP lands and improve visitor experiences and safety.

The main point: OSMP reported a combined 441,718 face‑to‑face contacts by outreach, rangers (non‑law enforcement contacts only) and volunteers between 2022 and 2024. Staff said that count includes education, visitor guidance and incident reporting; outreach manager Dakota Anderson said the total is "a number we are extremely proud of." The board heard how the initiative supported the first months of the North Sky trail opening.

Why it matters: Staff presented the initiative as an operational response to rising visitation and to requests for on‑the‑ground engagement, education and safety presence. Dakota Anderson described training and duties for outreach staff and noted staffing was heavily seasonal; staff said volunteer contributions nearly doubled contacts between 2022 and 2024.

North Sky highlights: Human Dimensions analyst Colin (last name not specified in transcript) summarized November–January counter data at several North Sky access points. He said counts show a statistically significant increase in trail access at the north‑end Joder Ranch trailhead after North Sky opened, but that most monitored North Sky locations still fall in the "low visitation" class compared with other OSMP multiuse trails. Dakota Anderson said presence teams made roughly 1,800 face‑to‑face contacts at North Sky during the initial weeks and reported a high concentration of cyclists and frequent visitor comments that the trail is "narrow" in places; staff described targeted outreach, signage and a planned reroute to address a tricky intersection with North Foothills.

Staffing and field capacity: OSMP staff told trustees ranger non‑law‑enforcement contacts declined in recent years because of turnover and training commitments for new hires and the complexity of incidents rangers now must respond to. Ranger manager Burton Stoner said new hires are in training and additional limited‑commission rangers are being recruited. Staff said outreach and volunteers are intended to provide many non‑law‑enforcement public contacts while commissioned rangers handle law enforcement, rescue and more complex incidents.

Next steps: Staff said 2025 will be the final year the initiative is listed as a department priority and that they hope to be fully operational by year end; priorities include better use of visitor origin (POVs) data to target presence, more dog ambassador recruitment, improved coordination with rangers for emergency response, and continued outreach tents and volunteer engagement.