Larimer County says it has conserved 64,232 acres and is on track to meet long‑term open‑space target

Megan Flenikin, natural‑resources objective team leader, told the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners that the county’s land conservation work has added 14,232 acres since 2018 for a total of 64,232 acres, which she said represents roughly 60% of the 24,000‑acre goal set for 2018–2043 under the open‑space sales‑tax program.

"We added 14,232 acres to our land conservation portfolio which is a total of 64,232 acres which equates to we met about 60% towards meeting that total goal in just our first 8 years of working towards it," Flenikin said.

Flenikin described a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) project led by Community Planning and Infrastructure (consultant hired; project lead Danielle Romanis) intended to use TDR to incentivize conservation, resilience to hazards (flood, wildfire) and potentially support denser housing in appropriate locations; staff expect to finish the consultant phase in 2026.

On hazard planning, Flenikin said the FEMA‑required five‑year hazard mitigation plan update kicked off in August and is scheduled to run through July, with the current plan expiring in September 2026. She also flagged a statewide Forest Tracker mapping tool (Colorado State Forest Service) that compiles self‑reported forest‑treatment data and lets users see decade‑by‑decade treatment pace.

Commissioners asked about carbon and ecosystem‑service valuation; Flenikin said county data translate the conserved 64,232 acres to about $92,000,000 in annual ecosystem‑service value (carbon capture, habitat, water and air quality). No formal votes were taken during the update.