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Conservation and Stewardship Planning#

Conservation and Stewardship Planning (CSP) is a planning method to facilitate well-managed natural areas that provide habitat, scenic value, and appropriate recreation opportunities for the community.

The CSP process is built on a foundation of the ballot language, the mission of the Natural AreasNatural Areas Master Plan goals, and the objectives, strategies, and tactics which are outlined in zone updates.

CSP's adaptive management approach allows for adjustments to tactics between zone updates based on environmental conditions, public feedback, and natural area capacity.

Zone Updates#

A Zone Update document describes how Fort Collins Natural Areas (FCNAD) will carry out the community's priorities, current ballot language, the FCNAD's mission, and existing approved plans. The Zone Update defines implementation priorities for the coming years. The goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics listed in the Zone Update ensure the natural areas in the zone remain resilient and accessible to the community.

Tactics for each zone are updated regularly through a review and revision process. New zone tactics may be drafted between updates in response to changes in condition and community priorities. Tactics are dynamic in nature but are always in alignment with the goals, objectives, and strategies.

Mountains to Plains Zone

The Mountains to Plains Zone contains some of the last remaining intact, high-quality shortgrass prairie and foothills shrublands along the Front Range of Colorado.

Soapstone Prairie Natural Area is a part of the ancestral homelands of the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Kiowa, Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Ute tribes.

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Poudre River Zone

The Poudre River Zone includes all the City of Fort Collins natural areas adjacent to the Poudre River from Gateway Natural Area, located seven miles up in the Poudre canyon, through Fort Collins to Arapaho Bend Natural Area where the river flows under Interstate 25.

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Share Your Feedback

You can share feedback about the management of natural areas anytime.

Access Fort Collins is an easy way to contact the City whenever it is most convenient for you.

You may also email naturalareas@fcgov.com, call 970-416-2815, or reach an on-duty ranger at 970-416-2147.

Tag @FCNaturalAreas on facebook, twitter and instagram too!

Geographic Zones#

map of geographic management zones

To manage City of Fort Collins Natural Areas, eastern Larimer County is divided up into six management zones based on geography: