Greeley's Newest Natural Area
Greeley’s Newest Natural Area is a 978-acre expanse of prairies, bluffs, and arroyos located between Greeley and Windsor. Visitors experience magnificent plateaus and stunning mountain and valley views. This place is home for a diversity of wildlife.
A portion of the property is now open to visitors! Click here for information to plan your visit to the new natural area.
Click here to view a map showing Greeley's Newest Natural Area.
Possibility
The property is a blank slate in terms of recreation opportunities. Due to its location and size, this natural area will draw visitors from across northern Colorado. People will find a unique, close-to-home recreation experience. The same geography that excites visitors also provides homes for many wildlife species. White-tail deer, bald eagles, and coyotes have all been spotted on site. Check out the pictures and links to the right to see some of the critters who call this place home. The needs of both people and wildlife must be carefully balanced as the project moves forward.
Growing Greeley’s Natural Areas
The purchase of land on Greeley’s west side doubles the City’s acres of public natural areas for the community to enjoy. Greeley Natural Areas & Trails has a vision to provide equal access to nature for all Greeley residents. The long-term goal is for everyone to live within a 10-minute walk to nature. This new natural area moves us closer to that goal. The project was jointly funded by the Trust for Public Land, Great Outdoors Colorado, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Town of Windsor and the City of Greeley. Click here to read more about this property.
Making the Dream Happen
This project would not be possible without strong partnerships and community input. Together, the City of Greeley, Mundus Bishop, and Trust for Public Land are putting the community's voice first in this project. Typically, a natural area is opened after all the trails have been built and the design is finished. We are doing things differently here. We are bringing you, the community, into the process at the beginning. We want to know what your vision is for this place. Please take part and share your ideas.
Creating a Vision
This long-range project includes several phases, such as analysis, community input, design, and the creation of a master plan. The master plan is a road map, guiding the management of the property into the future. It will take many years before this natural area becomes the vision described in the master plan - see the Lifecycle timeline on this page. Budget and staff capacity will determine the work that can be done. We need your help to make this community vision a reality. Please take a moment to share your ideas and vision by clicking the various tabs below. We want to hear your ideas!
Visiting the Natural Area
A portion of the property is now open to visitors! Click here for information to plan your visit to the new natural area.
Please keep in mind that the site is still a work in progress. A small number of service roads are open as temporary trails. Future trail construction and amenity installation will take place over several years as funding and staff capacity allow.
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We Want to Hear From You / Queremos Conocer Su Opinión
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See below for Spanish. Ver abajo en español.
The concepts for Greeley’s Newest Natural Area are now ready for public review. Click the SURVEY tab to share your feedback. Feedback is being collected until September 30th.
What is a concept?
Concepts consist of maps and sketches showing the vision for the future of the property. They show the broad strokes; the details will be finalized in future planning efforts. You can find the concepts in the Documents section on the right (scroll down on mobile).
How was public input used to develop these concepts?
Community input received from Fall 2022 through Spring 2023 provided the foundation for the two concepts; all suggestions were considered in the concept development process. Input was collected via surveys and in person outreach. Natural Areas & Trails balanced community input with expert assessments of the property’s wildlife, vegetation and soil conditions. The result is concepts that meet the Greeley community’s needs, protect the natural elements that make this place so special, and lay the foundation for sustainable trail design.
Why is it important to provide feedback now?
Sharing your feedback helps Natural Areas & Trails staff create outdoor places and experiences that meet the needs of the Greeley community. This is the last chance to provide feedback before a preferred concept is chosen and the master plan is completed.
How will my feedback be used?
Your feedback will help Natural Areas & Trails choose and refine the preferred concept. The preferred concept is the road map for future trail building and amenity installation at this new natural area.
How do I provide feedback?
Review the two concepts, they look similar but there are differences between them. Notice what you like and don’t like about the concepts. Do you prefer one concept over the other? If you were creating your own preferred concept, which elements would you mix and match from each? Click on the SURVEY tab to share your feedback.
Los conceptos para el área natural de Greeley más reciente están listos para la revisión pública. Oprima la pestaña SURVEY (ENCUESTA) para compartir sus opiniones, que se recopilarán hasta el 30 de septiembre.
¿Qué es un concepto?
Los conceptos son mapas y bocetos que muestran la visión para el futuro de la propiedad. Esto es a grandes rasgos; los detalles se concretarán en planificaciones futuras. Puede encontrar los conceptos en la sección Documents (Documentos) que está en la parte derecha (deslice hacia abajo en la versión para móviles).
¿Cómo se usó la opinión del público para desarrollar estos conceptos?
Las opiniones de la comunidad que se recibieron desde el otoño de 2022 hasta la primavera de 2023 sentaron las bases para los dos conceptos; se tuvieron en cuenta todas las sugerencias en el proceso de desarrollo de los conceptos. Las opiniones se recopilaron a través de encuestas y en actividades de divulgación presenciales. Natural Areas & Trails sopesó las opiniones de la comunidad y las evaluaciones de expertos sobre la fauna, la vegetación y las condiciones del suelo de la propiedad. El resultado son conceptos que satisfacen las necesidades de la comunidad de Greeley, protegen los elementos naturales que hacen especial a este lugar y sientan las bases para un diseño sustentable de los senderos.
¿Por qué es importante dar su opinión ahora?
Compartir su opinión ayuda al personal de Natural Areas & Trails a crear lugares y experiencias al aire libre que satisfagan las necesidades de la comunidad de Greeley. Esta es la última oportunidad para enviar sus comentarios antes de que se elija el concepto preferido y se complete el plan general.
¿Cómo se usarán mis opiniones?
Sus opiniones ayudarán a Natural Areas & Trails a elegir y perfeccionar el concepto preferido. Dicho concepto es el plan para la creación de futuros senderos e instalación de servicios públicos en esta nueva área natural.
¿Cómo doy mi opinión?
Analice los dos conceptos. Son similares, pero tienen diferencias. Tenga en cuenta lo que le gusta y lo que no le gusta de cada uno. ¿Prefiere alguno? Si estuviera creando su propio concepto preferido, ¿qué elementos combinaría de cada uno? Oprima la pestaña SURVEY (ENCUESTA) para compartir sus opiniones.
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Watch June Inside Greeley Segment
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During a recent Inside Greeley segment, we gave an update on Greeley’s newest natural area and the community outreach we’ve been doing, especially with local youth. Both Greeley Central and Greeley West high school students have shared their insight, time and talent in support of this new natural area. Watch the video and catch up on what’s been happening.
Wait! There’s more. We are re-naming the nearly 1,000 acre property, currently known as Shurview. You have until June 30 to suggest a name for the natural area using the “Ideas” tab above. We’ll announce the winning name later this year.
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What We've Heard So Far
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You’ve been talking and we’ve been listening! We wanted to pause and share what we’ve heard so far. The image shows some of the input we received on this project.
Many of you said “keep it natural,” meaning we should conserve native plants and leave space for wildlife. Most people are also very excited about being able to recreate at the new natural area, either by mountain biking, walking or bird watching. A lot of folks envision a future connection to the Poudre River Trail.
Over and over, you told us how important it is to make sure this space is accessible and inclusive for everyone. This could include wheelchair accessible trails, representing and honoring Greeley’s international community and shaded places for families to gather. What are your ideas for making this new natural inclusive and accessible? Share your ideas under the ‘Hopes’ tab!
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The Results Are In!
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We asked the Greeley community, via a Speak Up Greeley poll, how you hope to use this new natural area, and you responded! See the results below. The top three uses selected were mountain biking (40% of respondents), walking/hiking/running (33%), and bird/wildlife watching and star gazing were tied at 7%.
Don’t see your interests represented? Click on the “Hopes” button above and share how you hope to use this space.
We also collected surveys in person and asked people what they like to do when they visit a natural or park. See the results below. The top three responses were exercise/walk (64% of respondents), sit and relax (35%) and play (32%).
A huge thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts either online or in person!
Videos
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Experience the property from the comfort of your own home, then take a few minutes to click through the tabs at the bottom of the project page and share your ideas.
