Natural Partners in Wildfire Prevention: Boulder Expands Targeted Grazing Program

The City of Boulder is bringing the cows back to the land! This year, the city is expanding its strategic cattle grazing program on Open Space within high fire risk areas of the city. Community members will begin to see cattle grazing in mid-June as a part of broader wildfire resilience and risk reduction work that is happening on city-managed lands west of Boulder extending from Alpine Avenue to Lee Hill Drive.

During their stay on city Open Space, the cattle will move progressively north to achieve wildfire mitigation objectives across approximately 65 acres of high-priority Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas located within roughly 100-300 feet of residential neighborhoods. The targeted grazing is expected to last up to six weeks and is intended to reduce fine fuels in grass-dominant landscapes that can contribute to rapid wildfire spread. Additional WUI grazing projects are planned for August and September 2026 and will focus on areas in south Boulder.

To implement the grazing projects, the city is partnering with local ranchers who were selected for their experience using sustainable grazing practices to achieve complex land management objectives, including wildfire mitigation and ecosystem restoration.

Temporary trail closures may occur during grazing operations, and access to some undesignated or unmaintained trails may be restricted for community safety and resource protection. Cattle will be contained within temporary electric fencing. Visitors are asked to avoid approaching fences or livestock, keep pets under control and respect all posted closure signs.

This work builds on more than a decade of ongoing land management efforts in the Shanahan Ridge area focused on invasive grass management. "Following the Marshall Fire, communities across Colorado have been looking more closely at how to reduce wildfire risk in grass-dominated landscapes near neighborhoods," said Wildland Fire Sr. Program Manager Paul Dennison. "Projects like this allow us to apply and evaluate science-based mitigation strategies that can help reduce the speed and intensity of fast-moving grass fires near communities while supporting ecological stewardship of public lands."

The City of Boulder Wildfire Ready Team is working closely with regional wildfire managers, researchers, ecologists and land management professionals to develop and evaluate science-based approaches for reducing wildfire risk in grassland ecosystems. The approaches include cattle grazing as well as Open Space and Mountain Park's perimeter mowing program, which is also currently ongoing.

Wildfire resilience in the City of Boulder is a shared responsibility. The city has numerous other projects that complement targeted grazing and help reduce our wildfire risk. Learn more about cattle grazing, perimeter mowing, and other city wildfire resilience project on our website at Boulder Wildfire Projects.