Bluff Lake Nature Center

Help us sustain the incredible growth we have seen from our Campus Improvements Project with your support this Colorado Gives Day!

Your gift helps us provide access to nature in the heart of the city, supporting Bluff Lake's educational programs like field trips and summer camps, protect Bluff Lake's diverse native habitats, and keep Bluff Lake free and open 365 days a year!

This year is one that has been truly transformative for Bluff Lake and our community. The opening of our Campus Improvements Project at the beginning of the year has meant so much to our team, visitors, program participants, volunteers, partners and neighbors, not to mention the flora and fauna that call Bluff Lake home. Notable changes have included: 

• A safe and accessible pathway onto the site;

• Clean drinking water;

• Increased interactions between the team and visitors;

• A welcoming space for our community partners to gather and host programming; and so many more!

Making an end of year gift or becoming a monthly donor allows Bluff Lake to take care of the new costs and capacity that the Campus Improvements Project have brought. Including:

• Facility maintenance expenses including janitorial, technology, and utilities;

• Capacity expenses including expanding our team to 12 year-round employees and 12 seasonal employees;

• Program increases including exploring new programs and increasing available program spots in current programs; and so much more!

PLUS! When you set up a new monthly donation between November 1 and December 8, Colorado Gives Foundation will automatically match your first month’s gift up to $100! With $250K available in matching funds across all nonprofits, now is the perfect time to make your support go twice as far. 

Thoughts on the Improvements from the Team:

"The visitor lobby and breezeway are fast becoming a community connection hub. It's the place where friends meet before heading out on a walk together or gather afterwards to cool down and socialize while taking in the view." - Ann, BLNC Volunteer

“In the past, we all may have loved Bluff Lake, but we loved it for our own reasons and in our own way. We may have seen each other occasionally onsite, but it was mostly to just wave as we continued on. With this new facility, and bringing all of our team onsite, we now get to have an incredible shared connection to the site, in addition to the individual reasons we are all here. I love that every day I get to see our mission in action through field trips and forest school, onsite partner programs and workshops, general visitors going birding or taking a walk, and I can see all of that just by standing in the Gateway for 15 minutes!” Rachel, Executive Director

"When visitors to Bluff Lake stop in the Visitors Lobby and chat, I find that they are thrilled to gaze out through the Gateway in anticipation of the walk down the ramp. Whether they are drawn in for the first time or have walked the trails for years, I sense that each visitor loves this place as “theirs” and will cherish it for the generations to come." - Mary, BLNC Volunteer

"Before the new facilities, we lacked basic amenities like running water, flushable toilets, and shelter during freezing winter days. Having these resources has drastically improved my sense of safety and convenience while working with kids. Having the entire Bluff Lake staff housed together nearby gives me greater peace of mind and reassurance whenever I need to reach out for help." - Emily S, Forest School Educator

"The new facilities at Bluff Lake have made all day to day tasks easier and convenient! The difference has been especially noticeable as we’ve transitioned from having no facilities to having these resources available. During summer camp, not having to haul around water really lightened the load of our wagons. It also freed up space for educational materials and items that add to summer camp fun, such as games and  squirt guns to keep us cool on hot summer days!" - Emily W, Environmental Educator