Valerian is pleased to announce Managing Principal Cassie Kalson and Associate Principal Stacey Stickler will be presenting at the Colorado Open Space Alliance Conference in Steamboat Springs this week! Valerian is also a Bronze Sponsor of COSA – so if you will be in town, be sure to check out our table at the exhibition.

The Colorado Open Space Alliance is a Colorado-based non-profit under the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. As a regional organization of publicly funded local government open space programs, COSA works cooperatively to share information, create public awareness, and foster partnerships needed to protect and preserve the special places of Colorado.

Cassie and Stacey will be presenting on the Design Guidelines for Nature Play in the Built Environment that was completed and released in the fall of 2017. This document was created through a partnership with the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (now the Mile High Flood District) and the City and County of Denver’s Parks and Recreation division as a commitment to advocate for connecting people to the land through play as a core community value that is critical to a better quality of life and the development of future stewardship for our public spaces. Valerian has completed several natural play elements since the completion of the Design Guidelines and will cover some of the experiences learned through these projects than can help in planning for future successful projects and techniques to implement with consultants to ensure all disciplines work together towards a common goal.