Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks representatives opened the new Vesper Trail recently, after two nesting pairs of burrowing owls raised eight owlets.
The burrowing owl pairs began breeding close to the new trail near the intersection of 75th Street and Lookout Road, just as the department was completing trail construction, according to a press release. OSMP representatives closed the trail to give the owls a chance to reproduce with minimal human disturbance.
Burrowing owls are a federally protected species, and their populations are declining throughout Colorado, according to the release…