DENVER - On February 11, 2025, Governor Polis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) announced grant recipients for the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative (RPI) awarding $1.17 million dollars to coalitions around the state. Regional Partnerships convene community leaders from across outdoor recreation and conservation sectors to ensure that Colorado’s wildlife, recreation opportunities, and outdoor resources thrive into the future. This round of awards will support eight Regional Partnerships located across the state, including one new Regional Partnership for the Wet Mountain Valley covering Custer County. 

“These investments support Colorado’s Outdoor Regional Partnerships, which show how we work together in Colorado to strengthen our lands, waters and wildlife that we value,” said Governor Jared Polis. 

This seventh round of funding brings the total number of Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships to 21, covering 79% of the state. Since 2021, CPW and GOCO have awarded $6.07 million to Colorado’s Outdoor Regional Partnerships to support coalition building, conservation and outdoor recreation planning, research, and community engagement. The next grant funding round will take place in the spring of 2025. 

“CPW celebrates the successes shared by Colorado’s Outdoor Regional Partnerships, which includes new outdoor recreation opportunities, stewardship of some of our most iconic mountain trails, and greater collaboration among outdoor sectors. This work ensures that we are taking care of the beautiful places and wildlife that define Colorado and draw us into the outdoors,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. 

“It’s incredibly exciting to watch the Regional Partnerships network grow,” said GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller. “Every coalition brings invaluable knowledge of the resources and opportunities in their corners of the state. By collaborating, they make it possible for us to move together towards statewide goals, while securing the outdoors assets that make each region unique.” 

This announcement follows a celebration held on Monday by one of Colorado's Regional Partnerships, the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, and Governor Polis to recognize new recreation management opportunities on Pikes Peak. 

Regional Partnership Fall 2024 Grant Cycle Funding Recipients: 

Eagle County Community Wildlife Roundtable (ECCWR) ($100,000) 
Community members and organizations established the ECCWR in 2020, leveraging diverse values, creativity, and resources to move toward positive action and enduring solutions to the complex wildlife issues in Eagle County. With this award, ECCWR is using a new Conservation Summary mapping tool to inform a regional recreation and conservation plan that will identify collaborative projects to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities while considering high-priority habitat and wildlife migration corridors. 

NoCo Places ($150,000) 
NoCo Places is an established group of nine federal, state, and county land agencies collaborating to more effectively manage the impact of increased demand for outdoor recreation and visitation in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Larimer counties. Continued funding supports training and mapping workshops and sustained communication and marketing strategies that reach visitors to the NoCo Places region. With this award, Noco will also advance projects to map social trails and explore common management approaches to campground management. 

Outside 285 ($130,000) 
The Outside 285 coalition seeks to conserve wildlife habitat while improving trail-based recreation experiences within the US-285 corridor, which includes Clear Creek, Douglas, Jefferson, and Park counties. This award will support continued collaboration across outdoor interest groups and land managers to advance habitat restoration projects and new opportunities for outdoor recreation at the popular mountain destinations in this region. 

San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!) ($181,000) 
Formed in 2013, SLV GO! brings together 45 organizations, businesses, municipalities, and agencies who recognize the importance of enhancing outdoor recreational experiences, improving wellness, and protecting the environment across the six-county region of the San Luis Valley. This funding award will support partnership coordination, marketing and communication and the coalition’s capacity as it finalizes a regional conservation and recreation vision for the San Luis Valley. 

Southwest Colorado Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (SCCORR) ($110,000) 
SCCORR is building on the initial groundwork laid by the Southwest Colorado Outdoor Recreation Alliance, formed in 2018 by a group of outdoor recreation professionals focused on growing the region's outdoor recreation economy and resources in a sustainable, collaborative manner. Upon joining the RPI, SCCORR has built a broader constituency of outdoor and conservation interests to support sustainable recreation and natural resources conservation. With this award, SCCORR will finalize a regional recreation and conservation plan informed by mapping, community engagement and collaboration among outdoor interest groups, local governments and land managers. 

Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition (SPOC) ($250,000) 
SPOC was formed in the spring of 2024, building on the momentum created by CPW’s partnership with the City of Trinidad, the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, and GOCO to establish Fishers Peak State Park. SPOC builds on the development of the Las Animas County Recreation and Economic Impact Study and Huerfano County’s Community Action Plan, convening diverse stakeholders to advance regional priorities and expand collaborative recreation and conservation planning. With this award, SPOC will develop a comprehensive, community-driven plan that prioritizes balanced approaches to wildlife conservation and the preservation of the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage.

 Summit County Outdoor Coalition (SCOC) ($125,000) 
Established in 2023, SCOC convenes local, state, and federal land managers and nonprofit leaders to advance equitable outdoor recreation opportunities while protecting and conserving natural and cultural resources. With this award, SCOC will strengthen their coalition and engage outdoor interests from across the county, laying the foundation for a regional conservation and recreation plan.

Wet Mountain Valley Outdoors (WMVO) ($126,825) 
This new Wet Mountain Valley Outdoors coalition spans Custer County, connecting the Sangre de Cristo and the Wet Mountain ranges. This award will support a facilitated process to establish a new coalition informed by stakeholder conversations and listening sessions with community members and outdoor interests. This work will lay the foundation to inform recreation and conservation strategies that achieve the community’s vision. 

For more information and a list of all the Regional Partnerships, please see the Regional Partnerships Initiative page on the CPW website.