The Yes to Natural Areas initiative:

In 1992, a small group of residents worked to get an initiative on the ballot for a ¼ of one percent sales and use tax to go solely to protecting natural areas and providing for the enjoyment of those areas by residents. They were successful, and the Natural Areas Program as we know it today began! This funding was then continued by residents in 2002 as the Open Space Yes! campaign. Today we have over 55,000 acres of Fort Collins natural areas, with many opportunities for hiking, biking, education, etc.

However, this funding is set to expire in a few years. Instead of waiting for the funding to expire, a group of local volunteers are once again bringing forward a ballot initiative to continue the ¼ cent sales tax into the future. This campaign is Yes to Natural Areas!

What is Yes to Natural Areas? Yes to Natural Areas is a continuation of our current ¼ cent Natural Areas and Open Space sales and use tax. It is not a new tax.

If passed by Fort Collins voters in November, this ballot initiative will enable the Fort Collins Natural Areas Program to continue to:

• Protect natural areas, open spaces, and wildlife habitat in and around Fort Collins.
• Offer appropriate recreation (walking/hiking/biking and more) and education programs.
• Partner with Larimer County, GOCO, and others to make funding go much further.
• Provide revenue for responsible management of protected lands.

Will this result in more Natural Areas? Yes!  By passing this continuation now, our Natural Areas Program can continue to protect new lands to alleviate crowding on current open spaces, to protect wildlife and ecologically sensitive areas, and to offer new areas for residents to enjoy.

Why do this now? This funding is set to expire in a few years. Community volunteers are taking it to this year’s ballot to remove the uncertainty of funding for continuance of our Natural Areas Program. Some of the acquisitions take years of effort, and this will enable better planning.

Is this a tax increase? This is not a new tax nor a tax increase. The 1/4 cent Natural Areas sales tax was first passed in 1992 and continued as Open Space, Yes! in 2002. Thus, your taxes will not change.

Is there an expiration date? This initiative will remove the expiration date of the Open Space, Yes! (Citizen-Initiated Ordinance No. 1, 2002) tax. Because the Fort Collins Natural Areas Department relies solely on sales tax revenues from sources with expiration dates, long-term planning for the future is difficult. Most City programs do not have expiration dates.

Are there changes to the initiative language? Yes to Natural Areas makes several modifications to Citizen-Initiated Ordinance No. 1, 2002 language (Open Space, Yes!) related to Land Conservation, Operations, and Maintenance Activities. This will ensure that long-term operations and maintenance needs can be met within the parameters of the initiative language. Maintaining native plant and animal communities for the primary purpose of improving the current and future ecological health of protected lands will be moved into the category of Land Conservation Activities from Maintenance Activities, as will monitoring of land conservation easements. It is important to note that the Natural Areas Department share of the Larimer County Help Preserve Open Spaces sales tax may be used for Land Conservation, Operations, or Maintenance Activities, making percentages in the language sustainable into the future.

The entire initiative language can be found here.