Governor Polis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Grow the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative

DENVER - Today, Governor Polis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) announced grant recipients for the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative, establishing two new partnerships in south-central Colorado and the eastern plains. First launched in 2021, the Initiative funds regional coalitions that bring broad interests together to ensure that Colorado’s lands and waters thrive to sustain healthy wildlife and treasured outdoor recreation opportunities. 

“Colorado’s Outdoor Regional Partnerships are a model for collaboration to conserve our iconic outdoors for people and wildlife,” said Governor Polis. “New partnerships on Colorado’s eastern plains offer exciting opportunities for economic growth through outdoor recreation while advancing conservation for Colorado’s grasslands and preserving our agricultural heritage.” 

"We are pleased to announce the grant recipients for the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative, a program that has proven to be a cornerstone in our ongoing efforts to foster sustainable outdoor recreation and conservation of Colorado’s natural resources through collaboration and partnerships,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “The success of Outdoor Regional Partnerships reflects the dedication of communities across Colorado to work together and steward the natural resources and recreation opportunities in their regions.”

This grant opportunity is the result of a landmark Executive Order signed by Governor Polis creating the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative with funding support from CPW and GOCO. Grant funding supports community collaboration to identify and advance locally driven solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of regions across the state. Looking ahead in 2024, this Initiative will inform Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a regionally rooted, statewide vision and action plan for conservation, recreation, and climate resilience.

“Colorado's collaborative approach to conservation and recreation is something to be proud of," said GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller. "This next round of Regional Partnerships funding invests in both new and existing coalitions whose expertise and passion will help us chart a path for our state's future. Here at GOCO, we continue to be inspired by this work and honored to support its success.”

There are now 18 Outdoor Regional Partnerships, covering about 70% of the state. This grant cycle increases the amount of money invested in Outdoor Regional Partnerships to $3.5 million with another round of grant funding opening in the spring of 2024. Grant recipients include three existing coalitions based in Colorado’s front range and central mountain regions, and two new coalitions that expand the Initiative to the eastern plains. New partnerships bring critical coverage of grassland habitats, including mixed and tallgrass prairies which provide essential habitat for numerous wildlife species, including the lesser prairie-chicken, burrowing owl, swift fox, black-footed ferret, and the lark bunting, Colorado’s state bird.

Regional Partnership Grant Funding Recipients:

Eastern Grasslands Coalition ($76,000)

This new Regional Partnership encompasses Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, and Lincoln counties with the potential to expand across the central eastern plains. With this grant funding, the Eastern Grasslands Coalition will hire a coordinator to bring stakeholders and partners together from across the region and lay the foundation for a strong lasting partnership. Together, community representatives from broad outdoor interests will explore conservation and recreation opportunities in tandem with community needs, economic resiliency, and cultural heritage. 

NoCo Places ($150,000)

Representing eight county, state, and federal public land agencies and nonprofit partners across Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Larimer counties, NoCo Places has been a part of the Regional Partnership Initiative since 2021. This grant award supports messaging campaigns, staffing needs, and the finalization of a conservation and recreation vision for this highly populated region that is home to some of Colorado’s most popular outdoor recreation destinations, including Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Outside 285 ($100,000)

Outside 285 is a collaboration of public land management agencies, wildlife advocates, and recreation use groups working together to develop shared solutions for public land planning in the US 285 corridor southwest of Denver. After joining the Regional Partnerships Initiative in 2022, Outside 285 expanded their region to include all of Park County. Continued funding will support coalition capacity, communications, planning tools and strategies to enhance the outstanding outdoor recreation experiences offered by the region’s numerous peaks and miles of trails and rivers while conserving wildlife and other natural resources.

Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition ($100,000)

New to the Regional Partnership Initiative, the Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition builds on the collaborative efforts to create Fishers Peak State Park. Grant funding will support coalition building and further collaboration across Huerfano and Las Animas counties to plan for and support conservation and outdoor recreation.

Summit County Outdoor Coalition ($99,930)

The Summit County Outdoor Coalition, first funded in early 2023, convenes broad interests from conservation, recreation, and local, state, and federal land management. Grant funding will support strengthening the coalition’s foundation along with community engagement and landscape condition mapping to inform a vision for growing sustainable and inclusive recreation, protecting critical wildlife habitat and enhancing ecosystem resilience.

For more information, please see the Regional Partnerships Initiative page on the CPW website.

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