Contact for reporters: 
Jayme DeLoss 
jdeloss@colostate.edu 
(970) 491-8904

Photos available.

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program at Colorado State University has received $7.8 million from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to conduct a statewide survey of wildlife and natural resources. The grant is part of a record $117 million awarded March 15 to conservation, recreation and outdoor access projects and represents GOCO’s largest investment in data essential for conservation and recreation planning.  

The CSU-led survey will engage professional scientists as well as community members in collecting data on the state’s plants and animals in every county over the next five years. Information gathered will provide the first consistent baseline measurement of the state’s biodiversity and will be publicly available through the Colorado Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX) website.  

David Anderson, Colorado Natural Heritage Program director and chief scientist, said the survey is necessary to provide natural resource and wildlife information equitably across the state, so communities can develop conservation programs and sustainable recreation. Affluent counties that have invested in collecting biodiversity data have translated it into recreation and tourism benefits. Survey data will aid less affluent communities in applying for conservation and recreation grants through programs like the Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative. 

“I see this survey as a tool for equity and empowering our less affluent counties and communities, so that they can become a part of this movement to do sustainable recreation and conservation in the state,” Anderson said. “We’ve never had an opportunity like this to level everything up and empower so many people.” 

GOCO, which receives a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to invest in projects that help protect and improve natural spaces, has previously funded 19 county-level conservation and recreation plans. GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller said that it would have taken more than 90 years to complete a statewide dataset at that pace, but the survey will accelerate the collection of data essential for planning. 

“CNHP’s survey will fill in gaps in biodiversity data, from small pockets in Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties to large areas, including much of the Eastern Plains,” Miller said. “The new data will supercharge implementation of planning efforts and make a difference in on-the-ground outcomes for Colorado in the near future.” 

New discoveries expected 

Anderson said that he expects the survey will uncover some unknown or overlooked plants and animals. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we find some novelties, some species new to science,” he added. “Certainly, I expect to find a lot of species new to the state that we didn’t know were here.” 

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program tracks 665 plants and 128 invertebrates, and each is assigned two conservation status rankings based on how rare it is globally and statewide. The survey will provide important information to recalibrate those rankings and prioritize conservation efforts.  

Calling all biologists 

An assessment of this scale will require an army of botanists, ecologists, entomologists and zoologists, and Anderson has been assembling a team of the state’s top experts to lead the charge. He estimated that it will take hundreds to survey all corners of the state, including partners from CSU Extension, the Colorado Native Plant Society and community science groups such as Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a national organization of women who are passionate about public lands.  

“This project brings together a multitude of partners from local governments to land trusts, federal partners, tribal representatives and even citizen scientists. And of course, as the go-to and highly trusted source of biodiversity data, CNHP will take the helm,” Miller said. “It’s an exciting, all-hands-on-deck effort.” 

Volunteers will be important contributors to the survey and will use the online tool iNaturalist, an application that allows anyone to document plants or animals they encounter. All findings will be thoroughly vetted by experts before they are added to CNHP’s database.  

CSU Ph.D. student Gemara Gifford will support tribal engagement so that culturally important species are included in the project, and Extension horticulture specialist Lisa Mason will connect the Native Bee Watch network with the survey. 

Fieldwork will begin this summer, ramp up over the next three years and wrap up in 2028. 

What is natural heritage? 

Every U.S. state and Canadian province has a natural heritage program that curates biodiversity data and contributes to a global database managed by NatureServe. Colorado’s program is housed in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources.  

“Natural heritage is the nature we’ve inherited,” Anderson said. “We are its stewards, and it’s our job to take care of it so that we can pass it on to the next generation.”  

Anderson added that it’s important to know which species are here, where they are, how they’re doing and what threats they face, so the state and communities can be strategic about conservation and protect critical places. Data gathered by CNHP is essential for responsible development.  

“I really believe that we can keep all of our biodiversity in Colorado as we grow and develop if we’re careful about it and use data and science to guide our progress,” Anderson said. 

Read about all projects funded in GOCO’s press release. For more about the statewide natural heritage survey, visit CNHP’s webpage.