Raptor Nesting Area Closure - Boulder Ranger District

PROHIBITIONS
Pursuant to 16 USC § 551 and 36 CFR § 261.50(a), the following is prohibited on the
National Forest System (NFS) lands, roads, and trails in the Boulder Ranger District,
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland, described
below and shown on the attached map incorporated into this Order as Appendix 1 (the
“Described Areas”):
1. Going into, or being, in the Eagle Rock Described Area A from February 1
through July 31, 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(a).
2. Going into, or being in, the Vampire Rock and Black Widow Slab Described
Area B from March 1 through July 31, 36 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(a).

EXEMPTIONS
Pursuant to 36 CFR § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:
1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads,
Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them
from this Order or a written determination by a Forest Service authorized officer
that a permit is not required under 36 CFR § 251.50(e)(1) or (2).
2. Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or
firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty.

DESCRIBED AREAS
This Order will close an area of 46 acres of National Forest System land in the Boulder
Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National
Grassland in Boulder County, Colorado. The areas closed are as follows:
A. Eagle Rock
Along Highway 119 (Boulder Canyon Drive), approximately 1.5 miles east of
Boulder Falls within the Eagle Rock (Section 6, Township 1 South, Range 71
West, 6th P.M., and Section 31, Township 1 North, Range 71 West) climbing area
and includes all NFS lands within the following boundaries: the entire rock
formation known as Eagle Rock.
B. Vampire Rock & Black Widow Slab
South of Highway 119 (Boulder Canyon Drive), in Section 2, Township 1 South,
Range 71 West, 6th P.M, and includes all NFS lands within the following
boundaries: the entire rock formations known as Vampire Rock and Black Widow
Slab.
The above-described areas are depicted in a map that is attached to the Order (Appendix
1).

PURPOSE
The purpose of this Order is to protect nesting raptors on National Forest System lands
by prohibiting unauthorized access within the area of Raptor Nesting Sites. It provides for
safety to the public and those authorized to be working in the area by preventing the
general public from disturbing birds of prey, known as raptors, during their breeding and
nesting seasons.
Each year, the U.S. Forest Service initiates adaptive, temporary closures to ensure birds
of prey, also known as raptors, will be undisturbed during their breeding and nesting
seasons. Raptors are sensitive to human disturbance during these times, and the
closures give them a chance to select a nest site during courtship free of human influence.
These closures occur at known nesting sites that are monitored by staff from the U.S.
Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
According to Standard (ST) 101 in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and
Pawnee National Grassland Forest Plan, the U.S. Forest Service is required to “protect
known raptor nest areas. Base the extent of protection on proposed management
activities, human activities existing before nest establishment, species, topography,
vegetative cover, and other factors. A no-disturbance buffer around active nest sites will
be required from nest-site selection to fledgling (generally March through July).
Exceptions may occur when individuals are adapted to human activity.”

IMPLEMENTATION
1. This Order shall be in effect from April 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM through July 31, 2026
at 11:59 PM, unless rescinded.
2. A map identifying the Described Areas is attached and made part of this Order as
Appendix 1. For a digital version of this Order and Exhibit 1, go to
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/alerts.
3. Unless otherwise expressly defined in this Order, the terms used in this Order are
defined by the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, 36 CFR Chapter II, Parts
200-299. If there are terms in this Order that are not expressly defined in the Order
or 36 CFR Chapter II, Parts 200-299, their meaning shall be determined by their
plain language definitions.
4. A violation of the above prohibitions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by
a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by
imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 USC § 551; 18 USC §§
3559, 3571, and 3581.
5. Contact the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National
Grassland’s Supervisor’s Office in Fort Collins, Colorado by phone at (970)
295-6600 for more information about this Order.
6. This Order supersedes any previous Orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in
the same Described Areas.