Summary
In 2021, the town of Nederland, Colorado adopted a resolution recognizing the rights of Boulder Creek and the Boulder Creek Watershed. Spearheaded by Save the Colorado, the resolution states that the Board of Trustees intends to protect the creek by including the rights of nature as a primary consideration in town actions, preparing reports on the health of the watershed and creek, creating community-engagement mechanisms, opposing activities that would violate the creek and watershed’s rights, and developing other measures to protect rights of nature.
On January 2, 2024, the Board of Trustees in Nederland authorized the appointment of two guardians for purposes of preparing annual reports about the ecosystems’ health and to make recommendations on improving water quality, wildlife habitats and wetlands protection. The board, the town’s legislative body, approved Nederland residents Alan Apt, an author and former board member, and Rich Orman, a retired lawyer, as the ecosystem’s first guardians.