Here’s how Colorado Lottery proceeds were put to work.

Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Programs

Centennial Program | $38.9M invested in 9 projects

High-value, once-in-a-generation visions and projects that will create lasting impacts on the state and future generations

• 3,246 acres conserved
• 276 miles of regional trail connected
• 78% of Colorado’s population lives within 20 miles of projects
• 132 years of visioning, planning, and implementation combined

Completion of the Eagle Valley Trail, $7,000,000 to Eagle County
Awarded March 2024. Only 7.5 miles remain to complete the 63-mile Eagle Valley Trail (EVT), which stretches from the top of Vail Pass to Glenwood Canyon, passing through towns like Vail, Minturn, Eagle, Avon, Arrowhead, Edwards, Wolcott, Gypsum, and Dotsero. Once complete, the EVT will connect over 140 miles of additional trails in nearby Summit, Pitkin, and Garfield Counties. This means that, if you feel particularly adventurous, you can hike, run, or ride from Breckenridge to Aspen without using a highway. This project connects residents and visitors with recreation, nature, and the charming mountain towns and local businesses in the region.

Statewide Natural Heritage Survey, $7,892,920 to the Colorado Natural Heritage Program at Colorado State University
Awarded March 2024. GOCO made its largest-ever investment in data. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) will lead a team of professional scientists and community volunteers to create the first-ever comprehensive measurement of Colorado’s biodiversity. This survey will gather critical information about the health of landscapes, informing our next steps to secure these resources for future generations. Best of all, the results will be available for free on Colorado’s Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX) website. The project is also supported by $500,000 from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Collard Ranch, $6.25 million to Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Awarded March 2024. Western Rivers Conservancy and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) permanently conserved the 1,860-acre Collard Ranch on Tarryall Creek, located just 60 miles southwest of Denver. It’s a major elk migration corridor, and also hosts mule deer and pronghorn. The ranch features several beaver ponds, which are uncommon at the bottom of Colorado’s valleys. Beaver dams enhance river health by slowing the flow of water, which creates habitat for fish and other wildlife. CPW now manages Collard Ranch as a state wildlife area, which will eventually open to the public for fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities.

Lost Canyon Ranch, $3,000,000 to the Town of Castle Rock
Awarded Dec. 2023. Castle Rock is growing fast. This means partners must act quickly to ensure residents will always have access to the great outdoors and wildlife can happily roam. The Town of Castle Rock teamed up with The Conservation Fund to permanently protect the 682-acre Lost Canyon Ranch next to Castlewood Canyon State Park. It’s the largest one-time purchase of open space in the town’s history, saves critical wildlife habitat and a migration corridor, and could eventually be the biggest outdoor recreation space in Douglas County. It also contains Franktown Cave, a prehistoric archaeological site where artifacts dating back 8,000 years were discovered.

Land Acquisition | $3.1M invested in 5 projects

Supporting important landscape, waterway, habitat, and public access land protection priorities

Delhi Ranch Conservation Easement, $200,000 to Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
Awarded Dec. 2021. Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) partnered with The Nature Conservancy and the Hall family to protect Delhi Ranch, a remarkable 27,340 acres spanning Las Animas, Otero, and Pueblo counties. This property, owned by the Hall family for five generations, features a working cattle ranch, canyons, bluffs, and shortgrass prairie—North America’s most endangered ecosystem. Colorado has lost nearly 50% of its native grasslands, which are crucial for several reasons: they tolerate drought and grazing, contain rich soil, mitigate climate change by storing carbon underground, and support diverse wildlife, including many at-risk species.

Heart of Heil Valley Acquisition, $1,500,000 grant to Boulder County
Awarded June 2023. A beloved open space just got bigger! Boulder County purchased 586 acres of State Land Board land that’s been added to the 5,143-acre Heil Valley Ranch Open Space. The property has been a popular recreation destination for many years and contains 19 miles of trails that connect to the county’s Hall Ranch Open Space, popular with mountain bikers, hikers, horseback riders, and bird watchers. The unique landscape transitions from prairie grassland to montane habitat and hosts critical wildlife habitat. Scientists have also spotted several rare plants and butterflies on the property.

Community Impact | $10.1M invested in 16 projects

Developing and revitalizing outdoor amenities that enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors

Lafayette Nature Center & Coal Creek Connections, $750,000 to the City of Lafayette and Thorne Nature Experience
Awarded Dec. 2022. Called, “A HOME for Nature Connection,” partners built a new nature center in Lafayette and made improvements to the adjacent creek corridor and open space. The center hosts environmental education programming and features a 35,000-square-foot nature play area that mimics natural habitats. Two gazebos support community gatherings and feature murals depicting Latinx and outdoor culture. The center serves as a hub for Nature Kids/Jóvenes de la Naturaleza, a Generation Wild community connecting Lafayette’s Latinx families with outdoor experiences.

Town of Haxtun Pool Renovations, $923,400 to the Town of Haxtun
Awarded Dec. 2022. Twenty years of community-led efforts came to fruition. Funding helped the Town of Haxtun renovate the community’s public pool. More than just a place to swim, the facility serves as a central gathering space for the community, supports multi-generational programming, and hosts local school athletics. The town addressed numerous safety and maintenance issues that would have prevented the pool from opening for the summer. In addition, they added lap lanes, a toddler slide, and new light fixtures, as well as ‘zero entry’ (stairless) access to better serve people with disabilities and young children.

Stewardship Impact | $738K invested in 4 projects

Supports collaborative stewardship work that demonstrates meaningful improvements to ecological and recreational amenities

Grand Valley Stewardship Crew, $300,000 to Mesa County
Awarded Dec. 2022. Some real-life superheroes are keeping trails and landscapes beautiful. A four-person Grand Valley Stewardship Crew (GVSC) has been hard at work on trail projects in Mesa County, while helping partners complete theirs, too. They’re trained to work with chainsaws, trail building tools, and herbicides, and can jump in to complement the work of volunteer stewards. The crew is helping Colorado West Land Trust restore the Monument Connector Trail, Rivers Edge West improve habitat, and supporting other local government and nonprofit efforts. They’re also helping short-staffed land management agencies maintain campgrounds and facilities.

Community-Engaged Urban Forestry Stewardship, $300,000 to the City and County of Denver
March 2022. Everyone should have access to trees. Funding is helping Denver’s Department of Parks & Recreation, in partnership with The Park People and The Nature Conservancy, build a thriving tree canopy in neighborhoods that need it most. Urban trees improve air quality, provide shade and lower temperatures, and–importantly–seeing them makes us feel relaxed and happy. But not everyone in Denver has trees lining their streets. Partners are supporting residents in the lowest-canopy, lowest-income neighborhoods plant new trees and learn how to take care of their own forests, while gaining meaningful career experience.

Planning & Capacity | $2.9M invested in 11 projects

Invests in planning, capacity, research, pathways to career building opportunities for under-represented individuals, education, and storytelling projects that address opportunities, explore issues, and examine trends in the outdoors

Eastern Plains Youth Corps Proof-of-Concept Project, $342,445 to Mile High Youth Corps
Awarded March 2023. Conservation corps engage young adults and veterans in projects that enhance and maintain Colorado’s outdoors. Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) is conducting a two-year pilot program to assess what’s needed to create an Eastern Colorado-based conservation service corps and conduct stewardship work. A local, full-time program manager was hired to oversee an 11-week pilot program. MHYC hopes to expand the study to additional Eastern Colorado counties to see how the model could be implemented throughout the region.

Charting a New Course for Water Smart Land Conservation, $298,000 to Colorado Open Lands
Awarded March 2024. The South Platte River Basin is home to some of Colorado’s most productive farmland and holds the most water rights in the state. However, it’s also one of the state’s fastest-growing counties, and land is being developed quickly. Plus, conservation easements in this region are around four times more expensive than the average. Faced with these challenges, Colorado Open Lands (COL) is working with Colorado West Land Trust to learn from each other’s work to help conserve the region’s critical lands and water resources before it’s too late. COL is also bringing together various partners in the region to explore new strategies and financing tools that encourage collaborative investments in farmland and water rights.

Generation Wild Program | $5.2M invested in 12 communities

Invests in diverse, local coalitions offering culturally responsive programs that provide youth and families with quality outdoor experiences as well as leadership and career opportunities

Nature Connection in Hotchkiss, CO
Even if you can see mountains, rivers, and mesas from your home or schoolyard, factors like transportation and financial costs can make it tough for families to access outdoor experiences. Nature Connection, a Generation Wild community, provides school-based and summer programs for kids and families in Delta and Montrose counties that are fun, active, and educational.

Exploremos (formerly Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement) in Eagle, CO
Led by Walking Mountains Science Center, Exploremos is a Generation Wild community bringing together local organizations and community members working to provide equal access to outdoor spaces and opportunities for youth and families in the Eagle River Valley. Their free or low-cost programs are offered in Spanish and feature activities like hiking, rafting, fishing, and environmental education sessions for the whole family.

RESTORE Colorado | $3.1 million collaboratively invested in 11 projects

Restoration and Stewardship of Outdoor Resources and the Environment (RESTORE) employs a collaborative funding model to support large-scale habitat restoration and stewardship projects across public and private lands.

Enhancing Hydrology of the Yampa River to Benefit Endangered and Threatened Fish, $250,800 to The Nature Conservancy
Awarded Sept. 2023. Funding helped reconstruct the historic Maybell Ditch and modernize the headgate to the lower Yampa River to help fish pass. Partners restored water movement on 55 miles of stream and improved habitat connections, while maintaining water-users’ irrigation needs. This stretch of the Yampa irrigates hay pasture and ranchlands and hosts abundant wildlife, including four endangered fish species that rely on healthy river flows. (TNC, 2024)

Removing Barriers to Big Game Movement on Colorado’s Western Slope, $103,000 to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Awarded Sept. 2023. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers removed 20 miles of fencing on the Western Slope to support migration of elk, mule deer, and pronghorn. Fences are put up for a variety of reasons, from indicating property boundaries to containing livestock and pets. However, if they’re too difficult to cross or see, they can also harm wildlife or restrict their movement across territory. Projects like these seek to remove harmful fencing and/or build wildlife-friendly fencing that allows wildlife to continue to access important habitats and migration corridors. (CPW, 2009)

Conservation Service Corps | $1.2M invested in 26 projects

Administered by Colorado Youth Corps Association, grants employ conservation service corps crews, including young people and veterans, on projects like trail building, enhancing forest health, and eradicating invasive species.

• 890 acres of habitat restored
• 26 miles of constructed/restored trail
• 1,533 invasive trees removed
• 46 acres thinned to reduce wildfire risk
• 324 youth employed and 31,279 hours worked

2024 City of Colorado Springs Open Spaces Preservation and Restoration, $92,400 to the City of Colorado Springs
Awarded Dec. 2023. More visitors to our outdoor spaces means more stewardship needs. Conservation corps are rolling up their sleeves to help. The City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department partnered with Mile High Youth Corps-Southern Front Range crews to restore trails at Austin Bluffs, Smith Creek, and Fisher’s Canyon open space areas. Crews helped improve trail connections, closed user-made ‘social trails’, treated noxious weeds, and restored native plants. Their efforts supported both outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat.

North St. Vrain Forest Health Project, $88,800 to the City of Longmont
Awarded Dec. 2023. The City of Longmont partnered with Larimer County Conservation Corps (LCCC) to protect a critical drinking water supply and restore forest health in the Button Rock Preserve. The Preserve is a 3,000-acre protected watershed upstream of Lyons that provides drinking water to over 110,000 people and contains important wildlife habitat. Crews helped reduce fire fuels and improve fire escape routes across 24 acres. In July 2023, GOCO staff got an inside look at how it’s done by joining LCCC for a volunteer day where they helped complete the day’s work.

Transaction Cost Assistance Program | $1M invested in 21 projects

Administered by Keep It Colorado, TCAP re-grants GOCO funds to help land trusts cover costs associated with conservation easement transactions. The program is part of the Emerging Conservation Opportunities program, which provides planning, capacity, and community engagement support to Colorado’s land conservation community.

Herencia Lucero Property in Conejos County, $50,000 to Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust
Awarded Dec. 2023. Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust is working with landowners to protect 805 acres of working ranchland and significant water rights in the Rio San Antonio irrigation system. The property includes 1.4 miles of the Rio San Antonio and 344 acres of wetlands, as well as grasslands, riparian shrubland, and cottonwood forests. These lands and waters provide critical habitat for numerous species such as bald eagle, northern harrier, golden eagle, sandhill crane, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and Rio Grande chub. The landowners are part of a sixth-generation Hispano family that contributes to agricultural production in the San Luis Valley.

Manzanares Creek Ranch, $50,000 to Colorado Open Lands
Awarded Dec. 2023. This 500-acre ranch is located at the confluence of Manzanares Creek and the Huerfano River along the northern slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in western Huerfano County. The property connects to a continuous landscape of public and protected private lands extending all the way to the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness and Great Sand Dunes National Park. The evergreen forests, wetlands, piñon-juniper woodlands, aspen and cottonwood groves, and meadows of the property provide habitat for numerous species including elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, mountain lion, pika, snowshoe hare, cutthroat trout, golden eagle, Hernandez’s short-horned lizard, and numerous bats.

Wildlife & State Parks | $31.6M invested

Each year, half of GOCO’s funding is invested through Colorado Parks and Wildlife to support ongoing efforts in conservation, outdoor recreation, and wildlife management.

• $4.1 million invested in recreation management at state parks
• $7.7 million invested to support construction projects at state parks
• $5.2 million invested in protecting and restoring native wildlife species
• $2.98 million committed to environmental education and youth programs
• $150,000 invested to support 7 unique projects through the Director's Innovation Fund

Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative | $4.14 million GOCO investment to date
With funding from CPW and GOCO, a network of regionally based coalitions known as “Regional Partnerships” are bringing together diverse organizations to advance conservation and outdoor recreation priorities for their areas. Since launching in 2021, 40 grants have been awarded, representing $4.9 million in investments from GOCO and CPW that support 20 regional partnerships. That’s 75% of Colorado covered by these coalitions, with more to come.

The coalitions are also playing an important role in the development of Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a statewide vision and action plan for climate-resilient conservation and restoration, exceptional and sustainable outdoor recreation, and coordinated planning and funding. This strategy effort is convened by CPW, the Governor’s Office, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and GOCO.

Wildlife Update: Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
Save the pinyon jay! These dynamic birds native to Western North America can be found in Colorado’s pinyon-juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests. They stay close to their namesake, pinyon pines, which provide seeds they eat and safe places to nest. With climate change and habitat loss, it’s estimated that populations have declined by around 80 percent. They’re now being considered for the endangered species list. To inform conservation efforts, CPW is working to understand the bird’s habitat use, reproductive threats, and land management needs. In 2024, the team surveyed populations and mapped breeding colonies in 88 locations. Results were promising, revealing 30 active breeding colonies, 100 nests with eggs or nestlings, 145 potentially active nests, and 935 old nests. They plan to conduct more surveys in 2025 to build on these findings.

CPW Director’s Innovation Fund | $150K invested in 7 projects

This program elevates unique projects by Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff that complement CPW’s and GOCO’s respective missions.

Eldorado Canyon State Park Timed Entry Accessibility and the Latinx Community, $32,500 grant to Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Awarded June 2023. Eldorado Canyon State Park staff is examining whether a timed-entry vehicle registration system is making it difficult for Latinx community members to access the park and exploring what education marketing and outreach strategies might improve access. Following the start of timed-entry, staff observed a noticeable reduction in use of the picnic area, a key recreation area for Latinx community members. Park staff and partner organizations conducted a listening session with community members who provided suggestions for website improvements and a more user-friendly registration system. Looking ahead, staff are working to improve marketing and social media campaigns to better reach diverse audiences.

Barr Lake Indigenous Heritage Project, $25,000 grant to Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Awarded June 2024. Barr Lake State Park is rich in Indigenous history, containing evidence of tipi settlements and bison hunting grounds. The project aims to broaden the understanding of Colorado's diverse human narratives by establishing an interpretive Indigenous heritage site. This site will offer immersive educational experiences for visitors of all backgrounds and abilities, featuring elements including an ADA-accessible trail, a tipi, a stone circle, and a wickiup (a traditional cone-shaped dwelling also known as a brush shelter). The project will contribute to a broader effort by the State of Colorado, in collaboration with CPW, to build a holistic storytelling initiative honoring the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.