Environment Colorado

Bees are dying at alarming rates, in part because of bee-killing pesticides. These pesticides are available in most states for next-day shipping via Amazon. Tell Amazon: Stop the sale of bee-killing pesticides now:

Tell Amazon: Stop selling bee-killing pesticides Many of America's bees are plummeting toward extinction. Amazon can make a difference by stopping the sale of bee-killing pesticides.

Five locations. Dozens of incredible community volunteers. Lots of fuzzy native bees! 🐝🏔️

Environment Colorado took to the field across the Front Range and foothills to survey Colorado’s native bumblebee populations through the Bumble Bee Atlas program sponsored by .

Our survey stops spanned amazing and diverse habitats:
🌾 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
🏙️ Sloan’s Lake Park (Denver)
🌿 Golden Ponds Nature Area (Longmont)
🌲 Staunton State Park (Pine)
⛰️ Golden Gate Canyon State Park

How did we survey them?
With a gentle catch-and-release method! Our volunteers netted bees and placed them in vials on ice for a few minutes. The cold induces a temporary, harmless "hypothermia" that slows their metabolism—giving us just enough time to safely photograph, identify, and log each species without injuring the bee or risking stings. As soon as they warmed back up, every single bee flew right back to their flowers! 🌸

Colorado is home to more than 1,000 native bee species. By surveying everything from bustling city parks to high-altitude state parks, we collect vital data on how urban development, habitat fragmentation, and pesticides impact our most essential pollinators.

🌼 Plant native perennials with varied bloom times (Penstemon, Asters, and Goldenrod).
🚫 Eliminate toxic pesticides and w**d killers from your lawn and garden.
🏡 Leave undisturbed bare soil and stems for ground- and cavity-nesting bees.

Thank you to everyone who grabbed a net and helped us bee the change this season! 💛🖤

🔗 Learn more about a big problem for bees and what you can do help here:
https://environmentamerica.org/colorado/articles/seeds-coated-with-pesticides-are-killing-colorados-bees/
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Colorado has a new Urban Night Sky Place!

DarkSky International says Golden Gate Canyon is the second state park they have recognized so far. Jackson Lake was named an International Dark Sky Park in 2020.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park designated as Colorado's first Urban Night Sky Place DarkSky International has recognized Colorado's Golden Gate Canyon State Park as the state's first designated Urban Night Sky Place.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Join Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center in counting wildlife along roads this fall between Oct. 2 and 11 as part of the 2026 Roadside Wildlife Count. Volunteers will use the ROaDs app created by to track the impacts of roads on wildlife this fall. Help us collect information to share with decision-makers, and join us in our call for building more wildlife crossings across the country. Sign up to be a volunteer now: https://environmentamerica.org/colorado/center/events/2026-roadside-wildlife-count/

Gov. Jared Polis just signed an executive order directing state agencies to step up protections for Colorado’s native pollinators. 🐝🌸

The new directive builds on Colorado’s 2024 pollinator study by cutting harmful pesticide use on state lands, creating pesticide-free buffer zones, and planting native wildflowers along state highway corridors. 🛣️🌼

From our mountain valleys to our family farms, over 1,000 native bee species sustain the places and food we love. 🍑🏔️ This action sets a strong framework for recovery where the state manages land directly.

Read our full update on what this executive order means.

Colorado takes key steps to protect native pollinators Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order directing state agencies to implement key recommendations to protect Colorado's pollinators and habitats.

We’re calling on the Forest Service to maintain protections for the 45 million acres of wild and roadless forests across the country, including here in Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. Tell the Forest service: Don’t rescind or alter the Roadless Area Conservation Rule: https://bit.ly/4xfzztK

From our friends at Environment Colorado...

Join us for a bumblebee count the week of September 10-15.

Colorado's native bumblebees play a vital role in keeping our ecosystems and open spaces healthy. Join Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center for a hands-on community science survey series to support the Bumble Bee Atlas, a program to survey bumblebee species across the country.

We are hosting five field sessions across the Front Range and Foothills from Sept. 10 to Sept. 15. Together, we will survey native bumblebee species, collect field data, and learn practical steps to protect pollinator habitat in our communities.

Survey sessions:
Golden Gate Canyon State Park -- Thursday, Sept. 10, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Golden Ponds Nature Area (Longmont) -- Saturday, Sept. 12, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sloan's Lake Park (Denver) -- Sunday, Sept. 13, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Staunton State Park (Pine) -- Monday, Sept. 14, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge -- Tuesday, Sept. 15, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Each session includes an introduction to community science, a species identification overview, and hands-on field training to catch, photograph and identify bumblebees safely.

This is a family-friendly event with no technical expertise required. We will provide nets, observation vials and field guides.

RSVP for one of our bumblebee counts.

Space is limited for each location, so please reserve your spot today.

Forward this invite to your network!

Our team checked out some of the early fall colors at Camp Hale—Continental Divide National Monument this week.

Every fall, thousands of male brown tarantulas cross southeastern Colorado's prairies to find mates—but busy highways like U.S. 350 cut directly through their path. To reduce road mortality, CDOT and the Butterfly Pavilion are researching "tarantula tunnels" and drift fencing to guide spiders safely beneath traffic. At the same time, the U.S. Forest Service is revising its 42-year-old management plan for the Comanche National Grassland to better protect habitat connectivity. Read how wildlife crossings and smart land management can safeguard the trek in our article.

Making Colorado highways safe for tarantula migration Every year, male brown tarantulas cross thousands of acres of the Comanche National Grassland in search of mates.