There’s a lot of fanfare around grant awards, but what happens after the ceremonial checks are presented and the reporters have published their articles? Our partners get down to business.
For 25 years, GOCO has improved Colorado’s great outdoors with the help of Colorado Lottery profits. We’ve put more than $1 billion in proceeds back into 5,000 projects to improve the lives of Coloradans across the state.
After projects are awarded funding, grant recipients have about two years to make their projects happen. In May, nine projects crossed the finish line, representing more than $10 million in GOCO investments in communities across the state. Scroll to see if one’s near you:
Badger Creek Conservation Easement
$39,800 GOCO grant to Central Colorado Conservancy
This GOCO Transaction Costs grant helped Central Colorado Conservancy acquire a conservation easement on the 1,500-acre Badger Creek property in Fremont County. The property includes one-third of one mile of Badger Creek and unique landscapes. The ranch is leased for seasonal grazing and is a migration route for elk and other animals accessing the river. It also provides important habitat for threatened and endangered species such as the Mexican spotted owl, greenback cutthroat trout, and river otter, among others.
Learn more about the Transaction Costs grant program
Clement Park Interactive Water Feature
$350,000 GOCO grant to Foothills Park and Recreation District
With the help of GOCO funding, Foothills Park and Recreation District replaced a 28-year-old fountain in Littleton’s Clement Park. The outdated fountain, which was inefficient and required frequent repairs, was replaced with a more interactive waterfall and wading pool. This update provides another means for outdoor recreation within the park.
Learn more about how GOCO funds park projects
Cranor Ranch Conservation Easement
$404,000 GOCO grant to Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy (GRCL)
In partnership with Colorado Open Lands, GRCL facilitated the acquisition of a conservation easement on the 631-acre Cranor Ranch in Gunnison County. The property is a working cattle ranch and is included in the Colorado Natural Heritage Program’s Gunnison Basin Potential Conservation Area, which is recognized as having outstanding biodiversity. The land contains critical habitat for the Gunnison sage-grouse, bald eagle, ferruginous hawk, and northern leopard frog, which are either federally endangered or listed as Colorado Species of Concern.
Learn more about conservation easements and their importance
Fish Creek Trail Restoration
$496,909 GOCO grant to Estes Valley Rec and Park District
This GOCO funding helped restore parts of the Fish Creek Trail in Estes Park, which was destroyed by floods in 2013. The trail, which was just completed earlier that same year, connected the Town of Estes Park with the trails of Rocky Mountain National Park, and was originally supported with GOCO funds. Efforts included trail restoration and realignment of certain segments to ensure a more sustainable trail system.
Discover more about GOCO’s efforts in Larimer County
Nurtured by Nature in Longmont
$75,000 GOCO grant to Boulder County
In partnership with Environment for the Americas, Boulder County created a master plan for engaging Latino communities with nature in the Longmont area. Creation of the plan included surveying the community about barriers to the outdoors, identifying needs and preferences, developing programs catered to youth, and then running a pilot program to test the project’s effectiveness.
Learn more about GOCO’s planning grants
Pagosa Springs Town to Lakes Trail - Segment 1
$200,000 GOCO grant to Town of Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs, in partnership with Archuleta County, was able to complete the west phase of the Town to Lakes Trail with the help of GOCO funding. The ultimate goal of this trail is to connect Pagosa Lakes residents to the downtown area, networking over four miles of residential communities and providing a space for outdoor recreation. The west phase of this project involved the development of 0.7 miles of multi-use trail, including signage and re-vegetation of disturbed surfaces.
See a full list of Archuleta County projects
Partnering for Perpetuity
$100,000 GOCO grant to Colorado Open Lands (COL)
This GOCO Conservation Excellence grant helped COL expand its work with struggling land trusts. Most of the grant was used to help strengthen a stewardship endowment COL inherited through its merger with Legacy Land Trust, which resulted in the land trust overseeing an additional 43,000 acres of conserved land. The remaining dollars were invested in efforts to identify and work with certain land trusts to help them evaluate their options for moving forward sustainably while maintaining the ability to steward their conserved lands.
Read about GOCO’s Conservation Excellence program
Sopris Elementary School Playground Renovation Project
$100,000 GOCO grant to City of Glenwood Springs
Sopris Elementary School partnered with the City of Glenwood Springs to add a playground and nature area to the school’s campus. The nature play and learning area includes a custom maze, a bioswale area, native trees and shrubs, an eagle’s nest overlook, and an outdoor garden. The new playground includes swings, spinners, and musical instruments.
Learn more about how GOCO funds school playgrounds
Upper East River Valley - Trampe Ranch Conservation Easement
$8,968,460 GOCO grant to The Trust for Public Land (TPL)
As part of GOCO’s largest-ever, single-transaction grant award, this Protect Initiative funding helped TPL conserve 4,377 acres of working ranchland in the scenic valleys of the Gunnison and East Rivers between Gunnison and Crested Butte. The Upper East River Valley conservation easement was the last of three easements that will prevent subdivision and development of scenic ranchlands stretching for 30 miles in one of Colorado’s most iconic landscapes. These lands are essential to agriculture, with Trampe Ranch generating 20 percent of Gunnison County’s agricultural economy. In addition, the conserved lands provide scenic views that attract tourists and visitors, include habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, and serve as research lands for scientists from the nearby Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.