Welcome To

THE HIGH PLAINS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

Native Plant Sale

Our Online Native Plant Sale has returned for the 2023 season. Browse our stock and place your purchase online for a no contact pickup!

Visit Our Gardens & Trails

The High Plains Environmental Center is home to multiple Native Plants Demonstration Gardens, a 3.6 mile mixed pavement & gravel Trail System, and 275 acres of Open Space. Gardens & Trails are open to the Public from Dawn to Dusk.

VOLUNTEER WITH US

Are you interested in making a difference in your local community? Would you like to gain or improve your gardening skills? Do you have a passion for sustainability? If your answer is YES, then HPEC might be perfect for you!

Programs & Events

HPEC often hosts programs, events, & educational activities onsite in our Gardens, and Trails, as well as online webinars and workshops. We also sponsor, organize, and collaborate on offsite events and activities. Click below to see what’s coming up next!

Experience Loveland’s Living Laboratory

Welcome to the High Plains, where the sun shines more than 300 days each year and the passing clouds release barely enough water to support life. Yet somehow, plants, animals, and people thrive and coexist here.

We invite you to experience our living laboratory at High Plains Environmental Center. Discover how to live in better harmony with the land. Explore the connection between sustainable living and ecological processes that foster personal and community well-being.

Visit the HPEC, walk our trails, and participate in fun, educational activities. Join us as we lead workshops on ecological restoration, landscaping, and native plants. Attend presentations on wetland ecology, landscaping to support pollinators, and native wildlife. Work and play with us as we conduct citizen science projects.

Discover your place in the High Plains community.

Celebrating 20 Years!

High Plains Environmental Center Executive Director, Jim Tolstrup, has written a book to commemorate our 20-year success so far in restoring nature where we live work and play. SUBURBITAT will be a great benefit to city planners, developers, landscape architects, HOA boards, homeowners, and anyone interested in creating beautiful landscapes that restore biodiversity and conserve natural resources.

“Jim’s superb guide will motivate landowners to embrace their environmental responsibilities no matter what ecosystem they live in.”
– Douglas Tallamy – Author of Bringing Nature Home   

                                                                                   Now available on Amazon Kindle!                                                                                                                                           All proceeds support our environmental stewardship mission.

                                                                                 

Our Featured Initiatives

Native Plant Nursery

 Open Space Management Services

Land & Gardens

Programs & Events

Volunteer With Us

Live Streaming Owl Cam

The Barn Owls are Back at HPEC!

              The Barn Owls on the camera below are on the High Plains Environmental Center’s (HPEC) property in  Loveland, Colorado. We have been monitoring Barn Owls at this location since 2015 with the assistance of the Colorado Avian Research & Rehabilitation Institute.

BARN OWL BOX

HPEC BARN

RAFTERS OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

HPEC BARN

Live Streaming Kestrel Cam

 

The Kestrels on the camera below are on the High Plains Environmental Center’s (HPEC) property in  Loveland, Colorado. We have been monitoring Kestrels at this location since 2019 with the assistance of the Colorado Avian Research & Rehabilitation Institute.

KESTREL BOX

HPEC VISITOR CENTER

Get Involved

Volunteer or Make a Donation to High Plains Environmental Center

DONATE

Click Here

VOLUNTEER

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Sign Up for the HPEC Newsletter

Enter your name and e-mail to be added to HPEC’s Monthly E-Newsletter! We’ll send you an email with exciting news, upcoming events, and volunteer projects. This is the best way to stay in the loop about all things HPEC!