NAI's New Home
When NAI was formed in 1988, Colorado State University generously offered office space in the Forestry Department building on campus. It wasn't long before we outgrew that space and by 1995, Executive Director Tim Merriman had found and purchased a new home for NAI at 528 S. Howes, just a block from the CSU campus. This Victorian house, with about 900 square feet, served well as an office space, but growth and expansion of business activities for the organization again required additional space. By 2004, a full-time staff of 10 and half a dozen student workers needed more room.

After a long search for suitable office space, NAI purchased a steel auto-repair building at 230 Cherry Street with a footprint of 4200 square feet. Creative planning and architectural remodels enabled NAI to “recycle” this brown field site into an 8400-square foot office building that opened for business in June 2004. Currently, NAI inhabits the upper floor and a storage space for the Association Store on the lower floor, and leases the remaining two suites on the lower floor to Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and National Parks Conservation Association, which helps cover our mortgage payments. The plan for the building included two suites downstairs to allow us to expand at least through 2014 without requiring another move. As we need the space, and our partners downstairs also grow and find new homes, we will move into the suites one at a time.

Every effort was made to keep the building “green” though budget concerns meant that we were not able to do as much as we had hoped. Where possible, green materials were chosen (for example, recycled plastic decking). All building occupants are required to practice recycling of office products to the greatest extent possible. Our maintenance supplies (cleaners, etc.) are provided by the environmentally friendly company of EcoLabs.

We hope you will find time to stop by the NAI office whenever you are in Fort Collins.



The furniture in NAI's offices is purchased at a discount from a local store, Mountain Woods Furniture, which uses reclaimed small-diameter wood from burned-over aspen forests.


NAI's building and its general contractor, Heath Construction, won the "Project of the Year, Under $3 Million" award from the Associated General Contractors of Colorado in 2004.


Executive Director Tim Merriman and President Evie Kirkwood open the door to NAI's new home during a June 25, 2004, dedication ceremony.


June 25, 2004


June 2, 2004


May 31, 2004


May 25, 2004


May 18, 2004


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May 7, 2004


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April 30, 2004


April 26, 2004

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April 13, 2004


April 7, 2004


April 2, 2004


March 25, 2004


March 15, 2004


March 10, 2004


prior to construction