Who Are We?

We conduct research in the area of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources (HDNR) and prepare students for careers in conservation leadership and tourism. This area of study focuses on understanding and attending to the needs and values of humans, human society, and culture as they relate to the natural environment. HDNR has more than 90 years of collaborative research in parks and protected areas and contributes to informed decision making while conveying a broad based understanding of the way humans value, use and depend on the natural environment. HDNR is one of the few programs in the United States that offers a comprehensive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program.

CSU Land Acknowledgment

Colorado State University acknowledges, with respect, that the land we are on today is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations and peoples. This was also a site of trade, gathering, and healing for numerous other Native tribes. We recognize the Indigenous peoples as original stewards of this land and all the relatives within it. As these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard, the ties Nations have to their traditional homelands are renewed and reaffirmed.

CSU is founded as a land-grant institution, and we accept that our mission must encompass access to education and inclusion. And, significantly, that our founding came at a dire cost to Native Nations and peoples whose land this University was built upon. This acknowledgment is the education and inclusion we must practice in recognizing our institutional history, responsibility, and commitment.