by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Partnership ensures lasting wildlife habitat and open space in Northern Larimer County
LOVELAND, Colo. — A Northern Colorado ranch rich in wildlife and natural beauty will now be protected forever thanks to the Fonay family’s partnership with Larimer County Natural Resources.
In a significant act of conservation, local landowner Gary Fonay and his family have donated an 800-acre conservation easement on their ranch, located west and adjacent to Red Mountain Open Space. The easement permanently protects the property’s native foothills grasslands, shrublands, ponderosa pine woodlands, and rimrock outcroppings — key habitats for local wildlife.
“Conservation is important to our family,” Fonay said. “It was great to work with Larimer County to preserve this special property, protecting important wildlife habitat forever.”
The Fonay family began acquiring the property in 2023. Their donation marks a continuation of the region’s strong tradition of public-private partnerships that preserve Northern Colorado’s open spaces and ecological heritage.
“It’s been an honor to work with the Fonay family to ensure this property will remain as a key wildlife and habitat buffer to Red Mountain Open Space,” said Meegan Flenniken, Land Conservation, Planning & Resource Division Manager for Larimer County Natural Resources. “Their generous donation of the conservation easement is a tremendous gift to the community.”
Since 1954, Larimer County has conserved more than 57,000 acres of land, including thirteen public properties now open for recreation. The county’s ongoing conservation work helps connect people, nature, and place — a vision clearly shared by the Fonay family.
For more information about Larimer County’s conservation programs, visit larimer.gov/naturalresources.
Source: Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
