Overview

This report summarizes the results of Phase I of the Chautauqua Sustainability and Resilience (S&R) Strategy, an ongoing collaboration between the Colorado Chautauqua Association (CCA) and the City of Boulder (COB). The Colorado Chautauqua is one of Colorado ’ s premier cultural sites, welcoming over one million visitors annually.

The S&R strategy is designed to address the environmental threats and vulnerabilities faced by the Colorado Chautauqua, a National Historic Landmark (NHL) District. These threats include fire, heat, wind, and floods, all of which are damaging Chautauqua ’ s aging infrastructure and assets, including its buildings, roads, pathways, drainage swales, electrical system, cultural assets, and ecological landscape.

Chautauqua is also experiencing increased energy demands as temperatures rise, as well as ongoing degradation stemming from overuse.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of the collaboration between COB and CCA was to “develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to advance sustainability and resiliency at the Chautauqua NHL District.

Creating a comprehensive S&R strategy that results in a realistic and implementable plan for addressing environmental risks is critical to the continued survival and success of Chautauqua. Developing a strategy, however, is complicated because the district is a public park belonging to the residents of Boulder, with both public and private entities operating within its boundaries. These entities include CCA, the City of Boulder ’ s Parks and Recreation Department, Open Space and Mountain Parks, as well as private residents.

A key goal of the S&R strategy is to better align the priorities of these stakeholders to support the long-term preservation and use of the Chautauqua NHL District.