Metro Denver Nature Alliance

03/16/2026

Thank you to all who attended our spring Partner Convening on Friday! We highlighted the Regional Vision Demonstration Projects that Metro DNA funded with Denver Urban Gardens, Environmental Learning for Kids, Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges, and Thorne Nature Experience. Next, Keystone Policy Center reviewed our Regional Vision for People and Nature, which was released early this year. We also heard from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado on the Regional Partnership Initiative grant program, and what neighboring regional partnerships are doing with their implementation funds. The morning ended with breakout groups discussing the unique recreation and conservation challenges in the region and brainstorming potential projects.

We appreciate your support and look forward to an exciting year of exploring ways to implement the action plan in our Regional Vision!
Learn more about the Regional Vision: www.metrodna.org/regionalvision

03/05/2026

Make sure to register by next Monday, March 9th!
You're invited to join Metro Denver Nature Alliance on Friday, March 13, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM for our Spring Partner Convening.
This bi-annual gathering is a chance to reconnect with fellow partners, learn about the recently completed Regional Vision for People and Nature, and explore what’s next as we move from visioning into implementation. We’ll also hear updates from Regional Vision Demonstration Project recipients and hold space for partners to share opportunities, resources, and collaboration ideas across the metro Denver region.
We hope you’ll join us for a morning of connection, learning, and collective momentum. Please RSVP by Monday March 9th and invite your colleagues!
RSVP here: tinyurl.com/mdnaspring26

02/16/2026

You're invited to join Metro Denver Nature Alliance on Friday, March 13, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM for our Spring Partner Convening.

This bi-annual gathering is a chance to reconnect with fellow partners, learn about the recently completed Regional Vision for People and Nature, and explore what’s next as we move from visioning into implementation. We’ll also hear updates from Regional Vision Demonstration Project recipients and hold space for partners to share opportunities, resources, and collaboration ideas across the metro Denver region.

We hope you’ll join us for a morning of connection, learning, and collective momentum. Please RSVP by Monday March 9th and invite your colleagues!

RSVP here: tinyurl.com/mdnaspring26

02/02/2026

Meet the coalition behind the Regional Vision for People and Nature! Metro Denver Nature Alliance’s mission is to align nature-based efforts to ensure more equitable access to nature and to promote healthy people, communities, and natural places.

01/30/2026

Metro Denver faces four main challenges: access, displacement, and inequity; climate change and urban sprawl; fragmentation; and funding. Our Regional Vision for People and Nature addresses these challenges and serves as a shared roadmap to guide community priorities and investments in the outdoors.

“The challenges the region is facing are ones that have impacted us individually, one way or another. As a program provider, I’ve seen firsthand how scheduling time in the outdoors has become more difficult because the outdoors is getting hotter and drier,” said Kim Lopez, Volunteer Coordinator at Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges and Executive Committee member of Metro DNA. “Our community wants fun, safe, and inclusive ways to recreate locally in the outdoors, and they shouldn’t have to leave the Denver Metro to find it. The Regional Vision is directly informed by the lived experiences of our neighbors and the latest data regarding our environment’s health. The Denver Metro is the perfect place to demonstrate how we can build resilient landscapes with both the community and the land’s needs equally considered.”

Visit our website to read our vision!
http://www.metrodna.org/

01/29/2026

Today, we're excited to share our Regional Vision for People and Nature— a shared roadmap to guide community priorities and investments in the outdoors.

The Vision describes current context and conditions; regional values
and themes; and desired future conditions for the region. It will serve as a framework for building and investing in a more connected, inclusive and sustainable future for people and nature in Metro Denver.

“Metro DNA’s Regional Vision for People and Nature establishes a
unifying foundation that brings together a broad and diverse coalition committed to stewarding the natural resources that make the Denver area so special,” said Chris Hawkins, Cities Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, and Executive Committee member of Metro DNA. “Every person deserves access to nature – and nature depends on all of us to thrive.”

With support from Colorado Parks and Wildlife Regional Partnership Initiative funding, and Keystone Policy Center leading the process, the Vision builds upon previous work conducted by Metro DNA, including the Regional Conservation Assessment, Regional Equity Assessment, and investment in Regional Demonstration Projects.
The Vision lifts up local voices, values, and ideas that reflect Metro
Denver’s diverse needs and aspirations.
Check out our website to read the regional vision!
https://www.metrodna.org/

12/18/2025

🌟 Big News! 🌟 Metro Denver Nature Alliance has been awarded $160,000 through the Regional Partnerships Initiative (RPI) — a grant program led by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado - GOCO in support of Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy.

This investment will help us strengthen coalition capacity, deepen community engagement, and complete the Regional Vision for People and Nature—a shared framework for conservation, sustainable outdoor recreation, and equitable access across the Denver metro region. With this support, Metro DNA will build on two years of coalition-led planning and community outreach to guide more coordinated and impactful work in the years ahead.

Thank you to our partners for your collaboration and support—this win reflects your leadership and commitment to people and nature across metro Denver! 🌿

https://cpw.state.co.us/news/12152025/governor-polis-colorado-parks-and-wildlife-and-great-outdoors-colorado-award-999

Breadcrumb Home News Releases Governor Polis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Great Outdoors Colorado Award $9.99 Million to Projects Advancing Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy Governor Polis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Great Outdoors Colorado Award $9.99 Million to Projects Advancing Colorado....

10/27/2025

We are excited to announce our bi-annual partner convening!
Join us on November 20th from 9am-12pm for an amazing morning of collaboration, connection, and engaging discussions about MDNA’s vision and direction across the Denver metro area!
Be sure to register by November 17th using the QR code or the link below!
Hope to see you there! 🍂🌲🌎
www.tinyurl.com/mdnameeting

06/25/2025

🌿 Help Shape the Future of People and Nature in Metro Denver! 🌿

What do you want the future of nature and community to look like in our region? We’re listening — share your voice to help shape the Regional Vision for People and Nature. Join the conversation today!

Take the survey here or use the QR code in the post: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNnyZ2aEMOQGjfxB-vwcFmXw2zfVMTuRBLtC0AQBfMjV8v-A/viewform

After taking the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 giftcard to a business local to the metro Denver region. There will be up to six winners and the winners will be notified on September 10, 2025. Thank you for being part of this important conversation!

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Ayuda a dar forma al futuro de las personas y la naturaleza en el área metropolitana de Denver
¿Cómo quieres que sea el futuro de la naturaleza y la comunidad en nuestra región? Estamos escuchando — comparte tu voz para ayudar a construir la Visión Regional para las Personas y la Naturaleza. ¡Únete a la conversación hoy!
Realiza la encuesta en el enlace en nuestra biografía o usa el código QR en la publicación.
Después de completar la encuesta, participarás en un sorteo para ganar una tarjeta de regalo de $50 para un negocio local de la región metropolitana de Denver. Habrá hasta seis ganadores y se les notificará el 10 de septiembre de 2025.
¡Gracias por ser parte de esta conversación tan importante!

04/28/2025

We are excited to announce our collaboration with the Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges to support the creation of a nature play space at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge!

Visit the Friends' website at https://ffrwr.org/ to learn more.

Learn about our 2025 Regional Vision Demonstration Project Grants here: https://www.metrodna.org/

03/19/2025

🌿 Metro DNA Partner Convening 2025 – Recap! 🌿

Key Highlights
👥 75 attendees & 60 organizations

📢 2024 Demonstration Projects – Exciting progress on community-driven initiatives, including:

🌾 Pasture Restoration at The Urban Farm – Transforming 9 acres into sustainable grazing land
💧 Water Quality Monitoring in Lower Bear Creek – Tackling environmental justice challenges
🌱 GES Food Forest – Expanding urban green spaces and increasing community food access

📅 2025 Demonstration Project Announcements – New initiatives advancing conservation, education, and sustainability
💡 Regional Vision Workshop – A collaborative discussion on shaping an equitable and thriving environmental future

✨ The energy in the room was inspiring as partners, scholars, and community members came together in a shared commitment to our mission. Thank you to everyone who continues to support this work – your dedication makes a difference! 💚