| Soapstone Prairie Natural Area | |
| Map: | USA Colorado |
| Location: | Larimer County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest City: | Fort Collins |
| Coordinates: | 40.9799°N -105.0623°W |
| Area: | 28mi2 |
| Established: | 2004 |
Soapstone Prairie Natural Area is a 28mi2 park and conservation area in northeastern Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The City of Fort Collins purchased the land for Soapstone Prairie Natural Area in 2004, which was opened to the public in 2009.[1]
The natural habitat of eastern Colorado was shortgrass prairie. Over the past 150 years much of the land was used for agriculture. Of the 40% of the remaining shortgrass prairie, much of it is degraded and fragmented due to neighboring cities, towns and farms.[2] The area has thriving prairie dog colonies.[3] Almost 60 endangered black-footed ferrets were reintroduced in 2014 whose main source of food is prairie dogs.[4]
The Natural Resources Department of Larimer County recognized that grazing was important for soil, vegetation and overall ecological balance and that bison were the primary historical grazers before being extirpated.[5] The managers wanted to create a herd that could act as a seed herd that would help establish bison with heritage genetics. Establishing a conservation herd became a collaborative effort of Larimer County, the City of Fort Collins, the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Colorado State University.[6] Genetically valuable bison from Yellowstone National Park were introduced in 2015 onto the contiguous lands of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space.[7] Ten bison were released into a 1000adj=midNaNadj=mid.[8] By 2021, the herd grew to about 120 and were grazing on approximately 2500adj=preNaNadj=pre of shortgrass prairie.[9] In cooperation with partner organizations, bison are being sent to Native American tribes where they are important for cultural endeavors and food sovereignty. With these transfers, tribes have been able to start their own herds. Bison have been sent to tribes in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota.[10]
See main article: Lindenmeier site. The Lindenmeier site, named for the previous Lindenmeier Ranch, is a Folsom archaeological site on the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. The site contains the most extensive Folsom culture campsite yet found with an uncorrected averaged radiocarbon date of 10,660±60 B.P., or 8,710 B.C. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 1961.[11]