Thirty years ago, Larimer County voters made a lasting investment in nature by approving the Help Preserve Open Spaces (HPOS) 0.25-cent sales tax, launching a legacy of conservation, stewardship and public access that continues today.
To mark this milestone, the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources (LCDNR) is proud to introduce 30 and Thriving, a public awareness campaign celebrating three decades of conservation success and community impact. The campaign invites community members to explore the stories behind the places they love and meet the people who helped shape Larimer County’s open lands program.
Since 1995, HPOS funding has:
- Protected more than 64,000 acres of open space
- Built more than 100 miles of trail
- Invested $355 million back into Larimer County communities
30 and Thriving features several opportunities for the public to connect and participate:
- Interactive website
- The website offers a digital timeline tracing the history of the HPOS program, from its voter approval to today’s thriving network of open spaces, trails and working lands.
- 30 Years, 30 Stories series
- Weekly stories highlighting community members and partners, private landowners and staff who have been instrumental to the program’s success. A new story will be released each week for 30 weeks.
- Notes to Nature community collection
- Everyone who’s enjoyed Larimer County’s open spaces is invited to share personal reflections and memories. These stories will be featured online as a collective tribute to the landscapes that have shaped life in Larimer County over the past three decades.
“Since voter approval in 1995, the HPOS tax has enabled the protection of iconic properties such as Horsetooth Mountain, Devil’s Backbone and Hermit Park Open Spaces, along with dozens of conservation easements on working lands,” says Daylan Figgs, director or LCDNR. “For three decades, the community’s trust has guided our work. We’re proud of the conservation legacy we’ve built together—and we’re committed to stewarding it well into the future.”
To follow along with the 30 Years, 30 Stories series and share your own Notes to Nature, visit larimerdnr-30andthriving.org.
