Natural Areas and Trails Rangers

About the Ranger Program

Overview

In 1997, with the encouragement of the City's Natural Resources Advisory Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and volunteer Master Naturalists Program, the Natural Resources Department hired its first two Natural Areas and Trails Rangers. The mission of the Ranger program is to provide a safe, peaceful, and enjoyable environment for all natural area visitors and trail users, while helping to ensure the protection of natural and cultural resources.

Today, rangers work in partnership with natural area visitors and trail users by encouraging responsible use and informing visitors about the regulations necessary to protect visitor safety and ensure resource protection. While patrolling natural areas and trails, rangers monitor for vandalism and misuse of sites, respond to and assist during emergency situations, communicate information to visitors, and when necessary, issue warnings and/or citations.

Although the rangers' essential duties and responsibilities have remained the same, the scope and depth of the program has evolved significantly. Rangers are trained as wildland firefighters, medical first responders, and have extensive training in resource education, search and rescue, ice & swift water rescue, and other ranger skills. In 2007, the number of full-time rangers had grown to 6 to accommodate substantially increased visitor use and to patrol new natural area acquisitions.

Duties

• Patrol natural areas and recreational trails to ensure user safety and the protection of natural resources.
• Enforce City of Fort Collins municipal code and regulations in natural areas and on recreational trails.
• Communicate with local police officials to implement crime prevention strategies in natural areas.
• Respond to and mitigate visitor use conflicts by employing conflict resolution techniques.
• Assist in the investigation of crimes in natural areas and along the trails, at the request of local police.
• Educate visitors on recreational uses, outdoor safety, and ecological values of natural areas.
• Maintain daily observation records of activities and incident reports.
• Testify in court in support of summonses issued.
• Participate in site management activities as necessary, including trail management, routine maintenance of fences, gates, signs, and kiosks, and other duties as assigned.
• Participate in wildfire control and assist with prescribed burning as necessary.
• Monitors trail conditions and conducts surveys related to wildlife, visitor use, or other.
• Speak to various citizen groups about the importance of natural areas and the role of the ranger program in the management of natural areas.