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$2,276 raised by 39 donors
23% complete
$10,000 Goal
Help us reach our goal to provide respite for reptiles and amphibians throughout Colorado!
RACR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates on an entirely volunteer basis. Our dedicated team has come together to provide our outstanding community with reptile and amphibian rescue, conservation, and education. We are participating in Colorado Gives to further our dream: to give Northern Colorado the public rescue and education center you deserve.
RESCUE
Our rescue program provides a resource to the often overlooked exotic pet population throughout Colorado by accepting surrendered animals into our care, treating any medical conditions or health concerns, then finding adoptive homes for the animals. Since 2020, we have proudly taken in over 260 animals and our average dramatically increases each year. Several of these rescues were endangered and critically endangered species, and we are honored to participate in Species Survival Plan Programs to provide the best possible placements.
We have received 345 surrender requests so far in 2025 alone, nearly 50 of which were Red Eared Sliders - an incredibly invasive turtle species here in Colorado. As millions of Americans struggle to afford food and housing, it also becomes more difficult to take care of their pets: resulting in more surrenders than ever. While we wish we could take every surrender into our care, we are currently limited in space and resources. Through the support of our community, we dream of a day when we can help all displaced, abandoned, and misunderstood reptiles and amphibians here in Colorado.
CONSERVATION & EDUCATION
Educating the public about local reptile/amphibian species and their ecological importance can help us preserve our local ecosystem and promote a sustainable future. We provide outreach and educational programs for all audiences to forward this goal, as well as guided hikes to bring our community up close and personal with wild spaces and the creatures who inhabit them.
We are delighted to announce that since last year's Colorado Gives Day, we have secured a public facility just 5 minutes from Downtown Fort Collins!
RACR has been traveling to schools and programs throughout Colorado since 2017 to provide high quality, donation-based education about reptiles and amphibians. Engaging our community in conversations about nature and the fascinating reptiles and amphibians that live all over the globe helps create a better understanding and respect for our natural world. Our programs offer the chance to experience a part of it that most are not so familiar with.
Helping us create an environmental classroom means:
We are committed to expanding our efforts and making an even greater impact in the conservation and welfare of reptiles and amphibians.
Help us transform one of our rooms into a tropical rescue environment to meet the ever-increasing demand for rescue! This exciting project consists of building multi-tiered structures that will safely house tropical species and provide essential space for rescues to explore and forage. Just like a rainforest, there will be habitat "zones" to accommodate different species.
Giving all our rescues a high quality environment to undergo treatment is our highest priority. Having excellent enclosure parameters can shorten a rescue’s time in medical hold, and get them into a loving forever home more efficiently. Not to mention, all the animals in our care deserve the best treatment we can give them!
Your contribution will help make this dream a reality, and uplift our community: the rescues, the students, the natural spaces we cherish, and the animals who call them home.
Our mission is to promote the welfare and conservation of reptiles and amphibians through education, rescue, and rehabilitation. We strive to increase public understanding and appreciation for these vital members of our ecosystem, and to inspire a sense of responsibility for stewardship of their natural habitats and captive care.
Through our initiatives, we are committed to ethical and sustainable practices and fostering a collaborative community who shares our passion for herpetology.
What We Do:
- Offer rescue services to displaced amphibians and reptiles in order to improve their health and find them loving and informed forever homes.
- Educate the public about appropriate care for captive exotic pets in order to raise the standard of care for herptiles.
- Advocate for conservation projects and ethical interaction with natural spaces and their inhabitants.
RACR was founded in 2015 to address the substantial need for exotic animal education in a rapidly expanding pet trade. Our original name was NCHS: Northern Colorado Herpetological Society, which was changed to our current name in 2024. In 2020, RACR became PACFA certified and established a rescue program for displaced pets. Working with partners in CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, RACR was able to intake animals in need of significant medical care and diagnostics. Since then, we have proudly taken in over 260 animals in Colorado, and our average dramatically increases each year.
We currently operate a rescue facility in Fort Collins, governed entirely by volunteers. Our qualification to utilize ambassador animals in education events makes us unique from other rescues in Larimer County, and allows us to play a critical role in our community.
We are proud to donate education events in collaboration with Kids Feeding Kids, the Aztlan Center, the Lyric, CSU, and Super Cool Kids Club. More than 50% of our education programs are gladly donated to Title I schools. We live by the philosophy that everyone deserves a chance to learn!
Hundreds of volunteers have donated their time to be a part of this organization since its founding, and a growing waitlist is eagerly anticipating RACR’s expansion. We are excited to provide opportunities for volunteer work, education, community service, and future staff positions.
We look forward to engaging with the Northern Colorado area on a greater level, and we are immensely grateful for your continued support as we grow.
Organization name
Reptile & Amphibian Center of the Rockies
other names
NCHS
2017
Tax id (EIN)
47-3036286
Category
Animal-Related, Education, Environment
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
1020 Luke Street Unit DLarimer County, CO, US