As part of their capstone project for the Master鈥檚 of the Environment program, three graduate students worked with local community to create a plan for the Mayhoffer Farm鈥檚 ongoing success
A team of three graduate students has collaborated with local governments to protect a working farm, allowing visitors to learn about its long history and importance as a natural and agricultural buffer between urban areas.
As their capstone project in 2021, Ethan Abner, Jena Van Gerwen and Cara Potter鈥攁ll graduate students in the CU Masters of the Environment (MENV) program鈥攃hose to develop听. Boulder County and the cities of Lafayette and Louisville worked with them to develop a plan that relied on ideas from local leaders and residents.
Considered a high-priority urban buffer separating Lafayette and Louisville, the farm was acquired in 2017 jointly by the two cities and Boulder County Parks and Open Space. The property has a diverse history of agriculture and coal mining.
鈥淭he histories of Lafyette, Louisville and Boulder show how agriculture and mining contributed to the cities鈥� growth,鈥� Abner said. 鈥淲e also thought that it was incredibly important to recognize that the land had been inhabited for thousands of years before any of us got here. We wanted to ensure that we captured that history in the management plan and story-map to听 guide the managing agencies as they implemented the plan.鈥�
The Mayhoffer Farm was deemed to have the potential to serve a variety of community needs, including:
- Preserving a greenspace buffer between Louisville and Lafayette;
- Conserving historic farmland and wildlife habitat; and
- Providing educational and recreational opportunities for the community, including accessible trails as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The property also enhances access for traditionally marginalized and underrepresented communities. A crucial part of the project has been speaking with those communities, local leaders and other key interest groups, to incorporate their ideas.
As an example, the students worked with the Thorne Nature Experience, one of baby直播app鈥檚 first environmental nonprofits, to host a focus-group dinner with members of the Latinx community to get their ideas about using open space. They held public surveys, completed stakeholder interviews, and conducted spatial data analysis.
Despite the graduate students鈥� recommendation to create a trail through the property to provide recreation opportunities for users, including people with disabilities, 听Mayhoffer Farm is still a working farm, growing hay and providing pasture for cattle. The agricultural operations will continue.
The three students each brought individual interests to the project.
Abner worked at the U.S. Department of Defense in听legislative affairs before entering the MENV program at CU Boulder. He worked on Capitol Hill as a military legislative assistant for his South Florida congressman. Before that, he served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Environmental policy was not on his radar until he had the opportunity to work with it.
鈥淚 thought it would be interesting to work within the community where I鈥檓 living to put the skills I had gained from that previous work to use,鈥� Abner said. 鈥淪ince I鈥檓 switching my focus to policymaking in environmental restoration and natural resource use, this land management plan seemed like a good project for my interests.鈥�
In addition to the Mayhoffer Farm Management Plan, Abner has been working part time since graduating in December on a project with the U.S. Forest Service.
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鈥淭he three of us had a lot of opportunities to try some things that were a little bit different with this鈥� capstone project, he said. 鈥淜udos to the communities for including a focus on marginalized and underrepresented communities. It will be exciting to see what will happen on the property over the next five to 10 years.鈥�
Potter graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio with a degree in systems ecology, an interdisciplinary field that aims to holistically study ecology,听and then began working with a horse trainer. It was a way to give herself a break before deciding on her next move.
鈥淲hen I graduated from Oberlin, I pursued a lifelong passion outside of academics by听spending a year apprenticing with my horse trainer,听a crucial听mentor along my听journey,鈥� Potter said. 鈥淭he skills and abilities I developed during that time led me West as I was interested to learn more about working horses and ranching. I got a job on a ranch in Southern baby直播app in the San Luis Valley. The land is owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed by a regenerative ranching company.鈥�
While working there for a season, Potter met a woman who worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She recommended that Potter look at masters鈥� programs to build upon the hands-on learning she was getting at the ranch. Academic work would deepen and contextualize the work Potter was doing, expanding her understanding of the wider sphere of conservation and sustainability.
鈥淚 liked that CU鈥檚 MENV program is a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary program with a focus on systems thinking,鈥� Potter said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a cool way to understand today鈥檚 complex conservation and sustainability issues. I鈥檓 really interested in multi-use landscapes. The management plan was a cool project, and I learned a lot about local governments and stakeholder engagement.鈥�
For Van Gerwen, the capstone was an opportunity to work with people in local government agencies on an open space project.
鈥淚 want to work in outdoor spaces and sustainability,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his project seemed like the best way to accomplish what my main goal was in grad school. All the work I鈥檝e done in my undergrad, grad school and between schools has been oriented around environmental work and sustainability. Most of it was oriented toward the outdoors and open space. So this project was very much up my alley.鈥�
Van Gerwen graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a major in environmental management and protection, with specializations in botany and geographic information system (GIS) mapping.
Her relevant work experience included surveying California endangered plant species, specifically the bog thistle. She conducted field research on visitor experience at Rocky Mountain National Park on visitor experience, and at the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests ranking infrastructure conditions using geographic information system mapping.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of flexibility in the MENV program,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t helps you weave your own path. I think the program does a great job of networking students with professionals in the field. I鈥檝e made a lot of connections through the program, and it鈥檚 set me up for getting the job I want.鈥�