Bison thunder out of a holding area and onto the grasslands of Red Mountain and Soapstone Prairie on Nov. 1. Photo by William A. Cotton, CSU Photography.

Bison Back Home on the Range in Larimer County

On Nov. 1, an iconic species of the prairie was returned to its ancestral home. Ten bison, carrying on the valuable line of genetics from the Yellowstone herd but without the disease brucellosis, now roam 1,000 fenced acres of Red Mountain Open Space and Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

The bison are not visible to the public from Red Mountain, but may be viewed from Soapstone Prairie. Get information on seeing the bison »

View photos, video and stories of the bison release on our Facebook page »

Support the future of bison! Project partners are seeking $20,000 to help build a corral for the bison herd. Donate to the bison project »

A boat rips across Horsetooth Reservoir earlier this fall. Photo by Zach Schierl.

Boat Ramps Open Weekends During Fall Season

Larimer County is supplementing state funds for aquatic nuisance species inspections to ensure boat ramps at Carter Lake (North Ramp) and Horsetooth Reservoir (South Bay ramps) can stay open until mid-December. Ramps are open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., until Dec. 13.

Read about the dramatic increase in boat decontaminations this year »

Is this a future biologist? We hope so! Larimer County and its partners are developing a project, with funding from GOCO, to connect kids like this girl to nature. Photo by Terry Walsh.

Inspiring Kids to Enjoy, Care for the Great Outdoors

Larimer County is part of a coalition of agencies, school districts and nonprofits that will receive a $50,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado through its Inspire Initiative. The grant will be used to plan a project that will connect underserved kids in northwest Fort Collins with nature. We're honored and excited!

Read about all of the GOCO Inspire Initiative communities »

Interpretive signs near the gages explain river flow along the Cache la Poudre River. The gages and signs were installed by the Poudre Runs Through It.

New Gages Can Help People 'Read' the Poudre River

How much water is flowing through the Poudre River today? Now paddlers, anglers, tubers, farmers and others have an easy way to find the answer. They can look at one of two new gages installed along the Poudre River at McMurry Natural Area in Fort Collins and the County Road 13 bridge in Windsor.

Learn more about the gages in this Coloradoan article »

People gather firewood at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space this fall as part of Larimer County's free firewood collection program. Photo by Charlie Gindler.

Free Firewood Helps Citizens Stay Warm This Winter

Larimer County's free firewood collection program wrapped up, with 187 people gathering 124 truckloads of wood at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. The wood comes from trees cut down for a forest health thinning project. We hope to bring back the program in 2016. Stay tuned to our newsletter and website!

Photo of Red Mountain Open Space by Mark Yoder

Reminder: Red Mountain Closes for Season on Nov. 30

From December to February, Red Mountain Open Space will be closed because of winter weather changes and wintering wildlife requirements.

Get directions and info on visiting Red Mountain »

Learn about Colorado bears with Nancy Howard, district wildlife manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, at a presentation Nov. 17 in Loveland. Photo by Maxine Guill.

Upcoming Guided Hikes and Programs

Bear Aware - Nov. 17 (Tues.), 7 p.m., Crow Hop Brewing Co. in Loveland, presented by Friends of Larimer County Parks and Open Lands

History Hike at Devil's Backbone - Nov. 21 (Sat.), 10 a.m., Devil's Backbone Open Space (waiting list only)

Thanksgiving Falls Hike - Nov. 28 (Sat.), 9 a.m., Horsetooth Mountain Open Space

Registration is required for all programs.

Information and registration: www.larimer.org/NRregistration/, or Zach Schierl at (970) 619-4565 or zschierl@larimer.org.

Volunteer Ranger Assistant Applications Available Soon

Have you ever wanted to be a ranger? Now you can! Volunteer Ranger Assistants help visitors, report maintenance issues and educate people about regulations on Larimer County's open spaces and City of Fort Collins' natural areas. A training will be held this winter.

Applications will be available Nov. 15 on the City of Fort Collins' website.