30 years, 30 stories
Behind every protected acre, every restored trail, every conservation victory—there are people who made it happen.
People who showed up. Who chose nature. Who made the difference.
The Long View
Some people build careers. Others build something that outlives them. Staff who have spent a decade or more with Larimer County Natural Resources share what keeps them coming back: the work matters, the land endures, and what comes next.
Meegan Flenniken
For 28 years, Meegan Flenniken has watched bubbles on maps become landscapes. Hired fresh out of graduate school when the office was a Quonset hut, she built landowner relationships rooted in authenticity and time, turning conservation vision into protected places that will endure.
Chris Fleming
Chris Fleming started as a seasonal ranger making $3.25 an hour. She became Larimer County's first POST-certified ranger, then Hermit Park's first manager. For 25 years, she's watched the visitor services team grow from just her to 15 sworn officers protecting thousands of acres.
Dan Miller
When estate taxes threatened to force the sale of his family ranch, Dan Miller began a decades-long conservation journey. Through strategic easements, creative financing, and HPOS partnerships, he protected parcels piece by piece, transforming an inheritance crisis into a multi-generational legacy.
Charlie Johnson
Charlie Johnson brought two passions to his 21 years as a Larimer County land agent: conservation and photography. Mentored by Jerry White, he negotiated complex projects from River Bluffs to Red Mountain. His final easement before retiring in 2021 completed the Poudre River Trail connection.
Brian Hayes
From Highway 287, the dark sky view toward Long View Open Space brings Brian Hayes peace. As Loveland's representative on the Open Lands Advisory Board from 2000 to 2010, he helped preserve the Fort Collins-Loveland Separator—thousands of acres protecting that view.
Jessup Family
The Jessup family has protected 2,920 acres of Sylvan Dale Ranch through three rural land use projects and seven conservation easements. Beginning with a 1998 family meeting, they made preservation their priority and continue stewardship through the Heart-J Center.
Brian Werner
Brian Werner helped lead three open space campaigns from 1994 to 1999. The first lost. The next two won decisively. Serving as spokesperson, he collected thousands of signatures, built community support countywide, and made lifelong friends who shared his vision.
Patty Block
Patty Block rode horses on Horsetooth Mountain before it became open space. Gathered cattle on what's now Bobcat Ridge. In 2002, she placed her own conservation easement protecting the Big Thompson Canyon approach, turning working land into protected landscape.
Carl Hansen
As stewards of a fifth-generation ranch, the Hansen family spent over a year working with LCDNR to secure a conservation easement in 2024, preserving their agricultural heritage and protecting natural habitats for the community and future generations.
Tom Keith
Tom Keith led the 1993 master plan recommending a sales tax, campaigned through 1994's defeat and 1995's victory, then chaired the Open Lands Advisory Board in its formative years, establishing landmark projects like Devil's Backbone and the Laramie Foothills conservation vision.
Gary Fonay
When Gary Fonay and his family purchased 800 acres adjacent to Red Mountain in 2023, conservation was already the plan. In 2025, they donated a permanent conservation easement, one of the most recent milestones in the program's 30-year history.
Eldon Ackerman
Since 2005, the Ackerman family has placed conservation easements on over 800 acres of farmland and grassland bordering Red Mountain Open Space. For nearly 20 years, Eldon has leased and grazed county land, operating as one cohesive ranch dedicated to preservation.
Daylan Figgs
Director Daylan Figgs reflects on partnership, working landscapes, and the lasting impact of conservation. From cross-boundary collaboration to everyday moments on the trail, his perspective centers on a simple truth: protecting open space is a commitment made not just for today, but forever.
Charlie Gindler
Charlie Gindler returned home in 1998 to help his family and encouraged his father to conserve ranch land rather than develop it. Over eighteen years as ranger, resource specialist, and open space manager, he stewarded Red Mountain and Eagle's Nest, continuing traditions of conservation and agriculture.
Tom Shoemaker
As Director of the Natural Resources Department for the City of Fort Collins, Tom Shoemaker helped build early partnerships that shaped Larimer County’s open space conservation. Serving on the first Open Lands Advisory Board, he helped guide efforts that protected thousands of acres between Fort Collins and Loveland.
Pamela Johnson
For over 20 years, journalist Pamela Johnson brought Larimer County’s open spaces to life on the page, bridging community and landscape. From bison thundering onto the prairie to joyful days at Flatiron Reservoir, her stories captured the soul of conservation and inspired many to step outside.
Culver Family
The Culver family held land on the south flanks of Horsetooth Mountain for 80 years, surviving foreclosure, loss, and lots of rattlesnakes. What they built there, and what they ultimately gave back, is a story of stubbornness, grit, and four generations of quiet generosity.
Gary Buffington
When Gary Buffington became Director in 2001, the program was already taking root. Over the next decade-plus, he helped it grow in acres conserved, in facilities built, and in the public trust that carried HPOS to a 2014 renewal through 2043.
Sue Burke
Part of the administrative team from the program's early days, Sue Burke provided behind-the-scenes support, interacting daily with staff, board members, and community. A life-long advocate, she spent time at every open space, passing on stories to help others connect more deeply.
A living collection of stories.
Throughout 2026, we’re sharing the people and moments that shaped Help Preserve Open Spaces.
You'll meet the early planners who shaped the first open lands, the ranchers and landowners who chose conservation over development, the leaders and staff who continue to carry the legacy forward, the storytellers who documented the journey, and the community members who championed it every step of the way.