The U.S. State of Colorado has designated 96 natural areas of the state for special protection, as of 2023.[1][2] The Colorado Natural Areas Program was established in 1977 to preserve and protect special areas of the state with distinctive flora, fauna, ecological, geological, and paleontologic features. It is a program of Colorado Parks and Wildlife that identifies and protects public, and in some cases private, areas with at least one unique or high-quality natural feature of statewide significance. Land management agreements are made with landowners concerning private property.[1]
![A map showing the location of the U.S. State of Colorado.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Colorado_in_United_States.svg/220px-Colorado_in_United_States.svg.png)
Natural areas
editThe Colorado Natural Areas are:[1][2]
- Aiken Canyon Natural Area
- Antero-Salt Creek Natural Area
- Arikaree River Natural Area
- Badger Wash Natural Area
- Blacks Gulch Natural Area
- Blue Mountain-Little Thompson Fault Natural Area
- Bonny Prairie Natural Area
- Boulder Mountain Park Natural Area in Boulder Mountain Park
- Brush Creek Fen Natural Area
- California Park Natural Area
- Castlewood Canyon Natural Area in Castlewood Canyon State Park
- Chalk Bluffs Natural Area
- Coal Creek Tallgrass Prairie
- Colorado Tallgrass Prairie Natural Area
- Comanche Grassland Lesser Prairie Chicken Natural Area in Comanche National Grassland
- Copeland Willow Carr Natural Area
- Corral Bluffs Natural Area
- Cross Mountain Canyon Natural Area
- Dakota Hogback Natural Area commonly known as Dinosaur Ridge in Matthews/Winters Park
- Deer Gulch Natural Area
- Dome Rock Natural Area in Dome Rock State Wildlife Area
- Droney Gulch Natural Area
- Duck Creek Natural Area
- Dudley Bluffs Natural Area
- East Lost Park Natural Area in Pike National Forest
- East Sand Dunes Natural Area in State Forest State Park
- Elephant Rocks Natural Area
- Escalante Canyon Natural Area
- Fairview Natural Area
- Fourmile Creek Natural Area
- Fruita Paleontological Locality
- Garden Park Fossil Locality
- Gateway Palisade Natural Area
- Geneva Basin Iron Fens Natural Area
- Gothic Research Natural Area in Gunnison National Forest
- Gunnison Gravels Research Natural Area
- Haviland Lake Natural Area in Haviland Lake State Wildlife Area
- High Creek Fen Natural Area
- High Mesa Grassland Natural Area
- Hoosier Ridge Research Natural Area on the Continental Divide in Pike National Forest and White River National Forest
- Hurricane Canyon Natural Area in Pike National Forest
- Indian Spring Natural Area
- Indian Springs Trace Fossil Locality
- Irish Canyon Natural Area
- Jimmy Creek Natural Area
- Ken-Caryl Ranch Natural Area
- Kremmling Cretaceous Ammonite Locality
- Limestone Ridge Natural Area
- Lookout Mountain Natural Area
- Lower Greasewood Creek Natural Area
- McElmo Natural Area
- Mexican Cut Natural Area
- Mini-Wheeler Natural Area
- Miramonte Reservoir Natural Area in Dan Noble State Wildlife Area
- Mishak Lakes Natural Area
- Mount Callahan & Logan Wash Mine Natural Area
- Mount Emmons Iron Bog Natural Area in Gunnison National Forest
- Mount Goliath Natural Area in Arapaho National Forest
- Narraguinnep Natural Area in San Juan National Forest
- Needle Rock Natural Area
- North Park Phacelia Natural Area
- Orient Mine Natural Area
- Owl Canyon Pinyon Grove Natural Area
- Pagosa Skyrocket Natural Area
- Paradise Park Natural Area in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Park Creek Hogback Natural Area
- Pyramid Rock Natural Area
- Rabbit Valley Natural Area
- Rajadero Canyon Natural Area
- Raven Ridge Natural Area
- Redcloud Peak Natural Area
- Rough Canyon Natural Area
- Roxborough Natural Area in and near Roxborough State Park
- Ryan Gulch Natural Area
- Saddle Mountain Natural Area in Pike National Forest
- San Miguel River at Tabeguache Creek Natural Area
- Sand Creek Natural Area
- Shell Duck Creek Natural Area
- Shell Rock Natural Area
- Slumgullion Earthflow Natural Area in San Juan National Forest
- South Beaver Creek Natural Area
- South Boulder Creek Natural Area
- South Cathedral Bluffs Natural Area
- Specimen Mountain Research Natural Area in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Staunton Natural Area in Staunton State Park
- Tamarack Ranch Natural Area in Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area
- Treasurevault Mountain Natural Area
- Trinidad K-T Boundary Natural Area in Trinidad Lake State Park
- Two Buttes Natural Area
- Unaweep Seep Research Natural Area
- Wacker Ranch Natural Area
- West Creek Natural Area in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Wheeler Geologic Natural Area in the La Garita Wilderness of Rio Grande National Forest
- White Rocks Natural Area
- Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area
- Zapata Falls Natural Area
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Natural Areas Information". Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Colorado Natural Areas Program, 2018-2020 review, triennal report to Governor Polis" (PDF). Colorado Parks & Wildlife. State of Colorado. n.d. Retrieved 2022-07-25.