Button Rock Preserve Management Plan Now Available to View

Please visit the Natural Resources Department's Plans, Maps & Reports page to see the Management Plan and Appendices. The final draft of the plan was presented to City Council on March 14, 2023. On April 11, City Council voted unanimously to accept the plan; on April 25, City Council voted unanimously to repeal and reenact the Button Rock Preserve ordinance which details the current rules at the Preserve.

Button Rock Preserve is the only protected preserve in Longmont’s system of open spaces, natural areas and parks. The purpose of Button Rock Preserve is to protect Longmont’s primary municipal drinking water supply which also means protecting the incredible biodiversity found throughout the Preserve’s 2,671 acres, 13 drainage basins, 14 ecological systems and two source water reservoirs. Today, visitor use numbers (people and cars) are much higher than they were when the Preserve first opened in the 1960s and when Preserve rules were last updated in the 1990s.

The Plan describes Button Rock Preserve’s purpose, goals and short- and long-term objectives and priorities. The water resources, ecology, native wildlife and cultural resources data gives managers a science-based lens through which to address present-day management concerns at the Preserve.

Science, visitor use data and best management practices along with community feedback from public surveys, public meetings and three Longmont Advisory Boards all guided the development of the Plan’s management recommendations. Some key decisions include implementing management zones to protect critical plant and wildlife resources, prohibiting domestic dogs to protect source water, soil and native wildlife, continuing recreational fishing and a fee-based fishing permit program, updating Preserve hours, and utilizing prescribed fire as a fundamental forest management tool.

After participating in the planning process and reading the final draft Plan, Longmont’s three advisory boards voted as follows:

• On Feb. 27, 2023, Water Board voted 4 to 0 in support of the Plan
• On Feb. 15, 2023, Sustainability Advisory Board voted 5 to 1 in support of the Plan and signed a Letter of Support
• On Feb. 13, 2023, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted 5 to 1 in support of the Plan but acknowledged that they were split 3 to 3 on the recommendation to prohibit dogs