OSMP's Out in Nature Program Builds Queer Community in Boulder's Wild Spaces

About 12 percent of Canada geese, who mate for life, form same-sex pairs and will adopt abandoned goslings together. This is just one of the more than 1,500 animal species documented exhibiting queer behaviors in nature and one of the many things participants discover through the City of Boulder's Out in Nature programs.

The city's Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is committed to creating outdoor spaces where every member of the Boulder community feels safe, seen and welcome. Out in Nature, led by OSMP Education and Outreach Representatives Kelly Kirk and Basil Binkley, puts that commitment into practice for the LGBTQIA2S+ community through a series of queer-centric outdoor programs designed to build connection between people and the natural world.

For many LGBTQIA2S+ people, cities have historically been places of refuge where community, resources and safety exist in proximity. Nature has not always felt the same way. Without family connections or representation in outdoor culture, accessing nature can feel out of reach. Additionally common anti-queer and trans rhetoric often describes transness and homosexuality as "unnatural", leading to further distance between folks in the LGBTQIA2S+ community and the outdoors as well as a felt sense of brokenness. Out in Nature meets people where they are, creating safety and a sense of belonging in Boulder's open spaces through creating intentional queer nature spaces and discussing just how much queerness is in the natural world.

The program takes many forms. Some events are walks along local trails where participants pause to learn about queer ecology, the study of queerness as it appears throughout the natural world. Others are intergenerational hikes, nature board game nights, local queer history trivia or art sessions outside. What they share is a focus on community and connection to nature. Groups form organically. Phone numbers get exchanged. And it is not unusual for participants to stay hours after a program ends.

Research shows that time in nature reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels, but those benefits are only fully felt when a person feels safe. For LGBTQIA2S+ people who may have experienced family rejection, who are new to Colorado and looking for community, or who have simply never seen themselves reflected in outdoor spaces, Out in Nature provides that safety. Attendees have consistently provided feedback about how meaningful it is to feel represented and see themselves reflected in nature. One participant noted that "knowing that it's a program by and for LGBTQ+ people made (him) feel a lot more confident and comfortable coming on the hike."

Now in its fourth year, Out in Nature has reached over 4,000 participants and has been recognized with an Innovation Program Award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education and the Blue Grama Award from the Colorado Open Space Alliance. This recognition reflects not just the program's local impact but its potential as a model for other organizations.

OSMP now provides training to land management partners across the region, sharing the tools, language and frameworks that make the Out in Nature programs work. The goal is to expand affirming outdoor access beyond Boulder's city limits.

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