Lauren Lecy, Boulder County. The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded two grants totaling $1,273,478 to projects in Boulder County. Boulder County, in partnership with Colorado Open Lands (COL), received $1,250,000 to purchase and conserve a 322 acre inholding to the Arapaho National Forest near Nederland. In addition, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received a $23,478 grant to support a hunting coordinator position for Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS).

These projects will help give outdoor recreationists places to play and enjoy scenic views, protect wildlife habitat, safeguard the state’s water supply and watersheds, and sustain local agriculture.

Boulder County will purchase the property located one mile west of Nederland and convey a conservation easement to COL with the grant money. Because of rapid growth in the area and its locations close to the town, the property faces a significant development threat if not conserved. 

The property is located within Arapaho National Forest and is surrounded by several other protected lands, including Boulder County Open Space, other U.S. Forest Service property, and other private conserved lands. This project will add to the area’s abundant open space and protect the property’s scenic views and historical significance. The Switzerland Trail of America, an old narrow-gauge railroad, runs through the property and is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The second grant is part of GOCO’s CPW Director’s Innovation Fund (DIF), a partnership between GOCO and CPW. The funding will support a term hunt coordinator position under BCPOS, which facilitates the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain Elk and Vegetation Management Plan and the newly approved Red Hill Elk Management Plan. CPW and BCPOS partnered to develop these management plans after elk populations grew on Rabbit Mountain and later on Red Hill. 

One component of these plans is coordinating with CPW to offer elk hunting opportunities to more than 100 hunters annually. As these programs grow, a second coordinator is needed to help manage both areas. 

To date, GOCO has invested more than $23.6 million in projects and conserved more than 5,000 acres of land in Boulder County. 

(Originally published in the July 9, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)