Contact:
Rebecca Ferrell
303-291-7764
rebecca.ferrell@state.co.us
DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced the appointment of the inaugural Colorado Outdoor Equity Board. The board, created by the passage of House Bill 21-1318, is composed of members representing communities that have faced barriers to accessing Colorado’s outdoors and are responsible for the governance of the Outdoor Equity Grant program.
“I am proud and excited for this diverse group of Coloradans to serve on Colorado’s first Outdoor Equity Board,” said Governor Jared Polis. “The bipartisan Outdoor Equity Fund is a great chance to invest in programs for Colorado kids so they can see the wonders and benefits of nature. This transformational fund will not only help get more Coloradans to recreate and play in our beautiful great outdoors but help a new more diverse generation build meaningful connections with the land.”
To ensure an open and public process, an external selection committee was recommended by outdoor equity coalition members involved in the passage of House Bill 21-1318. After careful consideration, the committee selected the final candidates from over 60 applicants, and the nine board members have now been formally appointed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources. The nine newly-appointed members will hold voting seats during terms of either one, two or four years. Three of the non-youth seats will begin with two-year terms to allow for staggered terms in the future. One of the three youth seats is a one-year term, while the remaining youth members will hold two-year terms. Each board member may serve no more than two terms.
Inaugural two-year board member appointments include:
- Benilda Samuels - impacted by and has experience in racial justice issues
- Richard Williams - impacted by and has experience in environmental justice issues
- Loretta Pineda - experience working in conservation issues
Inaugural four-year board member appointments include:
- Michal Rosenoer - experience in providing outdoor education programs
- Jon Kreamelmeyer - impacted by and with experience in disability-accessible outdoor programming
- Edwin Alan Coleman - impacted by and has experience working in equity for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+
Inaugural youth board member appointments include:
- Brayhan Fernando Reveles Olivas - two-year term
- Yesica Chavez - two-year term
- Yandel Castillo - one-year term
The Colorado Outdoor Equity Board will also have three non-voting members, to include:
- Nathan Fey, Director, Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office
- Dan Prenzlow, Director, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- Jackie Miller, Executive Director, Great Outdoors Colorado
“Congratulations to the newly appointed members of the Colorado Outdoor Equity Board. One of the many lessons from the pandemic is that Coloradans love and need to be in our outdoors for recreation and our mental health” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “But we can do a better job of ensuring that our outdoor spaces are welcoming and open to all. This Board will fund projects for our youth and under-represented communities so that all Coloradans can experience our wildlife and enjoy the benefits of Colorado’s outdoors.”
The board will award grants to organizations or applicants that will directly utilize the grant to engage eligible youth and their families by reducing barriers to Colorado’s outdoors, creating pathways for formal or informal conservation of Colorado’s outdoors, or offering environmental and Colorado outdoor-based educational opportunities.
“One of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s key goals is to help people live life outside, giving folks the ability to explore and enjoy our state’s natural resources,” said Dan Prenzlow, CPW Director. “This is an exciting opportunity for this board and CPW to help ensure that the state’s outdoors, and the tools to partner with us in conserving them, are equitably available to all Coloradans for generations to come.”
"Establishing the Outdoor Equity Board with individuals demonstrating such expertise, passion, and years of combined experience is the first step of many in working towards more equitable, inclusive, and accessible outdoor spaces for all Coloradans, We are proud of the hard work and diligence of our coalition, and are looking forward to working with and supporting the board as they engage in this vital work for Colorado youth and their families," said Jared Bynum, Next 100 Colorado - Outdoor Equity Coalition.
Sponsors of HB 21-1318 are expressing their pride in the bill and board selections.
Representative Leslie Herod: "I am thrilled to see the Outdoor Equity Board come to life. The members of this board will bring their lived experience and their expertise to advise Colorado Parks and Wildlife and make Colorado's outdoors more accessible to all"
Senate President Leroy Garcia: "The Outdoor Equity Board is an essential step towards ensuring all Coloradans have greater access to our beautiful outdoors. I want to thank the Coalition, and my colleague Representative Herod for their commitment to the vision of an accessible Colorado. I am looking forward to seeing the opportunities and exceptional conservation that will be funded by the Outdoor Equity Fund."
Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis: "I am proud to join with the over 64 organizations around the state that will expand participation in our great outdoor activities for so many young Coloradans. We know visiting public lands has a positive impact on public health and now marginalized communities will have more access to our beautiful state through the Colorado Outdoor Equity program."
Representative David Ortiz: "Access to the outdoors and adaptive sports was critical to my recovery after surviving my helicopter crash in Afghanistan. All Coloradans should have equitable access to the outdoors, especially those communities that are all too often left out"
For more information about the Outdoor Equity Grant Program, visit cpw.state.co.us.
CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 42 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.