City of Fort Collins Engage
Welcome to Engage! Engage helps you manage your involvement, either as a participant or volunteer, sponsored by the FC Volunteer Program. Browse the calendar, edit your profile, and get involved!
Natural Areas
Special habitats like prairies, foothills, waterways, and forests are conserved for wildlife and people by the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department. Everyone is welcome to treasure and steward these beloved outdoor places. Thanks to community-driven sales tax ballot measures, there are 52 conserved natural areas and 114 miles of trail with more being added each year. See the Natural Areas Map (pdf).
Natural Areas Explorer is your guide to free natural area activities, June-October. Register here, by creating or signing in to you account.
Featured Activities
Pollinator Garden at Lee Martinez Park
We are looking for a small group of volunteers to maintain the pollinator garden at Lee Martinez
MoreUpcoming Activities Calendar
![]() |
Wade the River
Thursday, 07 August 2025 | 09:30 AM | Lee Martinez ParkWhere: Poudre Trail. Park at the tennis courts at Lee Martinez Park and follow the paved trail west until you come to a small beach on the north side of the trail. When: Thursday, August 7th, 9:30am - 12pm. Registration highly suggested, but n... more |
![]() |
Campfire with Full Moon Hike
Friday, 08 August 2025 | 07:30 PM | Coyote Ridge Natural AreaWhere: Coyote Ridge Natural Area, meet at the cabin, approximately 1 mile down the trail. It will take approximately 30 minutes to hike to the cabin, so PLEASE plan accordingly so that you are at the cabin at or before 7:30 p.m. program will begin... more |
![]() |
Sunset 'Just Be' Yoga and Meditation
Wednesday, 13 August 2025 | 07:15 PM | Shields St River AccessWhere: Park at Shields Street River Access. We will walk along the Poudre Trail, under the bridge to McMurry Natural Area. We will set up along the riverbank off of the trail. A volunteer will meet you at Shields Street River Access and direct you... more |
![]() |
Listening in the Dark: Bat Biology at Gadwall Ponds
Thursday, 14 August 2025 | 07:00 PM | Kingfisher Point Natural AreaWhen: Thursday, August 14th, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Where: Meet at the Kingfisher Point parking lot off of Timberline Road at 7:00 p.m. Extra parking can be found at the Natural Areas' NIX Farm campus (1745 Hoffman Mill Road). Note that if you ... more |
![]() |
Raptors and Nature @ Bobcat Ridge
Friday, 15 August 2025 | 09:00 AM | Bobcat Ridge Natural AreaWhere: Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. Please meet at the pavilion roughly 0.25 miles from the parking lot at 9:00a.m. Join a volunteer naturalist on a 1 mile hike through Bobcat Ridge. The raptor presentation will be at 10:00a.m. - 11:0 0a.m. in the p... more |
![]() |
Backyard Wildlife at the Museum of Discovery
Friday, 15 August 2025 | 10:00 AM | Fort Collins Museum of DiscoveryThis activity is in partnership with the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery "Nature All Around Us" Exhibit! Please stop by the museum to check out the exhibit and learn more about the natural world that surrounds us. When: Friday, August 15th 10... more |
![]() |
Nature Photography with a Smartphone
Saturday, 16 August 2025 | 08:30 AM | Riverbend Ponds Natural Area | Registration RequiredWhere: Riverbend Ponds Natural Area. Park at Prospect Rd. parking lot. When: Saturday August 16, 8:30 - 10:30 am Program Description: Your too can take great nature photos with your smartphone. We will learn the basics of nature photograp... more |
![]() |
Nature Lovers Adventure Series: Wet Boots - Biological Sampling in the Cache la Poudre River
Wednesday, 20 August 2025 | 06:00 PM | McMurry Natural AreaThis program is run by the Poudre River Public Library District, please sign up on their website: https://poudrelibraries.librarycalendar.com/event Learn about how the City tracks the health of our home river: the Cache la Poudre. Get your hand...
Co-Volunteers: Bernadette K, Kayla F
more
|
![]() |
Prairie Stories by the Campfire
Friday, 22 August 2025 | 06:30 PM | Coyote Ridge Natural Area | Registration Required*Registration for this program is required and will close at midnight on 8/8. .* Where: Coyote Ridge Natural Area, meet at the cabin, approximately 1 mile down the trail. When: Friday, Aug. 9, 6:30 - 8:00p.m. Program Description: Spend a... more |
![]() |
Ghostly Echoes from the Last Ice Age
Saturday, 06 September 2025 | 10:00 AM | Soapstone Prairie Natural AreaWhen: Saturday, September 6th, 10-11 a.m. Where: Soapstone Prairie. Meet at the North Parking Lot. Activity Description: Ever wonder why a pronghorn runs so fast? Why do some delicious melons lie rotting on the ground uneaten? Perhaps it n... more |
Search
Sign Up
Login
Get Involved
Accepting Applications for the following Volunteer Types:
- Adopt-A-Natural Area
- BARK Ranger
- Community Science
- Diamond Peak Mountain Bike Patrol
- Volunteer Crew Leader/Trail Steward
- Volunteer Ranger Assistant
Get Involved!
View Opportunities...Requests
Request a Program for your group: