NEW-Protect Hughes Forever as a City Natural Area!

Well, it’s not over until it’s over, Friends of Hughes Open Space. And, we need your help.

Please donate to the new PATHS LEGAL & OUTREACH fund so we can fight the special interest lobbying group suddenly trying to grab Hughes all for themselves while we were patiently waiting for the land acquisition to be completed. The recreation lobbying group is aggressively pushing for a HIGH-impact habitat-destroying recreation mecca, a large crowd-drawing destination, that traverses and fragments the parcel, for a niche use that only a small subset of residents would use. This is not an equitable use of Hughes, the preservation of which was driven by a thoughtful group of hardworking Fort Collins residents and conservationists, not a niche recreation lobbying group. Another location (near Montava or the Mulberry annexation projects) would be more appropriate for a HIGH-impact, crowd-drawing recreation destination, rather than adjacent to the sensitive ecotone and ecological integrity of the foothills-to-plains transition.

The voters have spoken. The most EQUITABLE and PROTECTIVE use for Hughes is that it be designated a City Natural Area with a wildlife center, contiguous with the existing Natural Areas: Maxwell and Pineridge, with LOW-impact recreation only (a single trail, disc golf course, and the sledding hill), for the benefit of ALL members of our community, of all socioeconomic backgrounds and physical abilities.

Please donate to help us defend the letter and spirit of the citizen ballot measure to conserve Hughes in perpetuity as a City-designated Natural Area, that is, protected open space, for ALL members of our community and our local wildlife populations. After years of PATHS' outreaching and listening to thousands of Fort Collins residents about their vision for the future of Hughes, the community's clear common vision for Hughes was a quiet place of solitude for the entire community (of all abilities and walks of life) to connect with nature, and to serve as an extension of a protected wildlife corridor, and a place to preserve our dark night skies in a rapidly growing town with increasing noise and light pollution.

PATHS is a 100% citizen-funded, grassroots nonprofit.

Our amazing attorneys are key to our success, and so are our continued outreach and education efforts to keep our community informed about the City’s plans for the future of Hughes Public Open Lands. These efforts cost us money.

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PATHS Statement on the Future Of Hughes Open Space

Dear Hughes Public Open Lands Supporters,

The City of Fort Collins has begun its outreach efforts to determine the future use of the Hughes Public Open Lands parcel. An Outreach Consultant, Kearns and West, has been hired to compile and present input on future land use scenarios for the Hughes Public Open Lands site. Future land use scenarios may be presented to Council as early as March 14, 2023. The City is currently holding focus groups with select groups and seeking feedback from residents via a (very basic) survey about what WE, the voters and residents of Fort Collins, envision for Hughes. Let’s make sure we get OUR voices heard about how important it is to PROTECT and CONSERVE that land as a Natural Area (that is, protected open space) per the intent of the citizen-driven ballot measure.

In April 2021, nearly 70% of voters voted in favor of protecting this property as protected open space. PATHS will continue to push for appropriate land uses that the community has continuously and consistently asked for from day one of this effort, including way back when the first listening sessions were held at the Drake Center by CSU and the City of Fort Collins. Here is what the letter and spirit of the ballot measure envision for the future of Hughes based on extensive community input. And, here is how the City of Fort Collins can and should honor the citizens’ ballot measure and the land:

1. Make Hughes a Natural Area.

First and foremost, because of Hughes’ proximity to the existing Maxwell and Pineridge Natural Areas, and because so many wildlife use the open land to migrate through the area, we must maximally PROTECT Hughes as protected open space in perpetuity for our community, for future generations, and for our local wildlife. One thing many people don’t realize is that “open space” is not truly protected in the City of Fort Collins unless it is a designated City “Natural Area”. Therefore, the best and most protective use for Hughes is that it be designated a City Natural Area, contiguous with the existing Natural Areas: Maxwell Natural Area to the west and north, and Pineridge Natural Area to the south, with a low-impact trail connection. A Hughes Natural Area would allow the City to respect the spirit of the land and engage with indigenous communities for ceremonial uses. Moose, elk, deer, coyote, foxes, bobcats, and countless bird species (including great blue herons) and herps, have been observed at Hughes. Furthermore, Hughes is one of the few locations remaining in the City of Fort Collins where dark skies truly prevail, and we should aim to protect our dark skies by excluding light pollution from Hughes.

2. Keep the Disc Golf Course and the Sledding Hill.

Second, the City should preserve the disc golf course and the sledding hill, both of which are LOW IMPACT recreational uses that exert minimal impacts and which honor the conservation language in the citizen-driven ballot measure which was passed by Fort Collins voters with nearly 70% of the vote in April 2021. The only reason that “parks and recreation” was included in the ballot measure language was because so many community members implored the City to keep the exceptional disc golf course and the family-frequented sledding hill which have provided literally decades of free fun for our community year-round, in a beautiful and wide open outdoor space. Only LOW-IMPACT recreational uses are acceptable uses for the sensitive habitat in the contiguous area along the Maxwell/Hughes/Pineridge foothills corridor.

3. Lease a small part of the land to the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center.

Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of the citizen-driven ballot measure that resonated with voters is the provision that allows for a much-needed wildlife center to be leased to the NoCo Wildlife Center. The mission of the NoCo Wildlife center, a 501(c)3 independent nonprofit, is “to protect wildlife and the places they call home through rescue, rehabilitation, education, and advocacy.” The work of the NoCo Wildlife Center is increasingly crucial as Fort Collins experiences rapid growth, and our local wildlife populations are negatively impacted. The wildlife center could exist near the northern edge of the property where the old stadium was located and where utilities and other infrastructure still exist, and it should fit aesthetically and sustainably with the surrounding natural environment.

Please make sure your voice is heard on the future of our Hughes open lands in favor of CONSERVATION by asking City Council that Hughes be protected in perpetuity by being designated one of the City’s newest protected Natural Areas. Send your thoughts to City Council ahead of the March 14, 2023 work session. Thank you, Fort Collins!