A lot of work goes into providing a safe, enjoyable visitor experience in natural areas. Natural Areas Program staff build and maintain trails, parking lots, fences, and other site features and provide other services as necessary to maintain the City’s natural areas. Highlights of 2004 include the following:

• Improved 7.5 miles of natural surface trails
• Constructed ½ mile of new natural surface trail
• Improved and maintained ½ mile of crusher fine trail
• Maintained 4 vault toilets and 4 port-a-lets
• Installed new brochure holders
• Constructed and installed benches
• Repaired fishing piers
• Provided weekly trash collection
• Kept pet pick-up bag holders filled
• Provided ranger patrol at all natural areas open to the public
• Installed 70 mini kiosks (with regulatory and site directional information) at entrances to natural areas that are open to the public (many sites have multiple entrances)

In 2004, the City inaugurated the on-line Community Natural Areas Journal, an on-line opportunity for the public to share natural area experiences. While visiting City of Fort Collins natural areas, people see and hear a variety of wildlife, witness stunning sunsets, are awed by prairie wildflowers in the springtime, and so much more. On the Journal, citizens can read about others’ experiences in Fort Collins natural areas and share their own.

Stories currently on the journal tell about seeing a bald eagle at Arapaho Bend Natural Area, listening to frogs at Butterfly Woods Natural Area, hiking with a friend at Coyote Ridge Natural Area, seeing deer at Kingfisher Point Natural Area, and more.