June 2, 2000

Sombrero Marsh project will restore wetlands

BOULDER – Preserving and restoring a wetlands area in East Boulder called for an unprecedented union of three organizations that haven’t had a history of working together.

By creating Sombrero Marsh Environmental Education Center, their paths have merged and groundbreaking is scheduled for July, according to Architect Jack Rudd.

The property near 63rd Street and Arapahoe Road had been on the city of Boulder Open Space department’s “wish list” for almost two decades. The Boulder Valley School District owned the land and was using it for a landfill. Last year they agreed to sell the acreage to the city on the condition that it be used as an environmental education center. That’s when Thorne Ecological Institute got involved in the project.

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“There’s a ton of complex history here,´ said Peri Chickering, Thorne’s executive

director. “Originally, we were going to build and own an ecological center on this Boulder Valley property and the city of Boulder’s Open Space department would be responsible for all the acreage and trails around it.”

After some hard negotiating, particularly on liability issues related to the landfill, the school district decided to build and retain ownership of the center. Open Space purchased the land, approximately 39.4 acres, for $492,000 after conducting extensive water testing and concluding that there were no toxic substances to deter preservation efforts.

Colleen Scanlon Lyons, resource planner with the Boulder’s Open Space department, said, “Our goal is restoring and preserving the Sombrero Marsh area despite it being surrounded by development. There’s no management of the area right now so the plan is to restore five acres to its natural state so that visitors can wander the restored area, thereby closing off use to the existing marsh to protect habitat.”

Thorne will maintain its headquarters at the site while operating educational programs that link with BVSD curriculum. On-site management was deemed necessary because the human impact from over-use is likely in a suburban area, and visitor flow needs to be controlled in order to protect nesting marsh birds and marshland grasses.

Because educational facilities and offices would have to be included in the plan, all three organizations wanted a building that was functional while being almost invisible. To accomplish this, Jack Rudd, an independent architect, was called in on the project by Thorne Ecological Institute. In addition to 20 years of architectural work in Boulder, he has a background building special interest schools that reflect different teaching modalities.

Rudd’s background fit with Thorne’s vision to build a facility that would provide both office and teaching space as well as blend in with the environment. “We brought in Jack because we felt he understood what Sombrero Marsh was going to be about: education, restoration and preservation.

“We wanted the building to be small and built in to the landscape,´ said Chickering. “He caught the spirit of the thing, and we were glad BVSD retained him on the project.”

The 4,600-square-foot structure will have offices, a student laboratory to conduct studies on the marsh, assembly space for meetings, a reference library and a teaching courtyard component. It will be a simple structure of masonry and now typical residential materials once thought of as “green” building supplies.

“Originally, our intent was to put together a building with readily available products that any contractor could access and are considered environmentally wise,´ said Rudd. “We wanted to use even the construct of the building as a teaching force, too.”

Budget constraints have limited some of those goals, including whether or not the space

will include an amphitheater. The Open Space department, however, will use recycled plastic materials for the walkways through the marsh, and the simple design of the education center lends credence that a working environment can blend into its surroundings.

“It’s difficult to design a building that intimately reflects the intent of the teaching,” Rudd said, “but by late fall, Thorne Ecological should be in and using the entire space – marshlands and the building – as an environmental education center. It’s a unique idea and will be a unique facility. It’s going to make a difference in the natural sciences around here.”

BOULDER – Preserving and restoring a wetlands area in East Boulder called for an unprecedented union of three organizations that haven’t had a history of working together.

By creating Sombrero Marsh Environmental Education Center, their paths have merged and groundbreaking is scheduled for July, according to Architect Jack Rudd.

The property near 63rd Street and Arapahoe Road had been on the city of Boulder Open Space department’s “wish list” for almost two decades. The Boulder Valley School District owned the land and was using it for a landfill. Last year they agreed to sell the acreage to the city on the…

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