Caring for Button Rock Preserve

PROJECT UPDATE: To read the Button Rock Preserve Management Plan, go to the News tab below.

Overview

Button Rock Preserve is located 7 miles west of the town of Lyons in the lower montane foothills of the St. Vrain Creek watershed. A section of the North St. Vrain Creek runs through the eastern third of the Preserve and elevations range from 6,000 feet to almost 7,500 feet. The City of Longmont purchased the Preserve primarily to protect and maintain the main municipal drinking water source for Longmont and Lyons. The area also functions as a nature preserve to protect the fragile watershed and allow limited passive recreational opportunities.

Today, the Preserve is 2,671 acres and public recreation activities include passive recreational activities such as fishing, fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking, wildlife observation, and dog walking.

Visitation and Use of the Preserve

As visitation continues to increase, the need to balance resource protection with passive recreation has become critical. Visitation policies were developed starting in the 1960s and 1970s and were substantially updated in the 1990s. We are evaluating current regulations to determine if they still align with the Preserve’s present-day management needs. Through the Caring for Button Rock Preserve project, a management plan will be developed and adopted as a foundation for long-term sustainable, adaptive management of Preserve resources based on best available information.

Visitation Through the Years

In 2021, the Preserve received more than four times the number of annual visitors than it did in 2000.

The Button Rock Preserve Management Plan provides specific management direction in the areas of:

• water quality protection
• natural and cultural resource protection
• existing infrastructure and improvements
• recreation
• rules and regulations