Colorado Parks and Wildlife to launch statewide initiative to engage tribes and Native communities on priorities for state parks
At its June commission meeting, the Great Outdoors Colorado board approved six unique projects for funding through the CPW Director’s Innovation Fund, a joint initiative between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado.
The fund, designed to elevate creative projects that are not typically funded through Great Outdoors Colorado or other sources, supports innovative, small-dollar efforts that advance the missions of both Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado. Final project endorsement comes from the director before submission to the Great Outdoors Colorado board for funding consideration.
One project, “Engaging Colorado’s Tribal Communities,” was awarded $50,000 to help Colorado Parks and Wildlife engage tribes and Native communities about tribal priorities related to Colorado state parks through a series of listening sessions.
“If we take care of the land, the land takes care of us, and what better way to do that than through the relationship lens of community partnerships,” said Stacy Coleman, Colorado Department of Natural Resources’ assistant director for tribal affairs. “Better supporting the needs of the diverse Native communities here in Colorado on state park matters, ancestral public lands, is an important priority for the DNR and this grant allows for the opportunity to meaningfully engage in this statewide conversation together.”
The five other projects funded by Great Outdoors Colorado include:
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- Fossil Bed Protection Structure ($25,000) – Funding will support the construction of a protective structure at the Indian Springs Trace Fossil Natural Area to preserve one of North America’s most significant 450-million-year-old fossil beds.
- Black-footed Ferret Monitoring ($10,000) – In a groundbreaking move, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will collaborate with the Smithsonian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor endangered black-footed ferrets using radio collars for the first time in over three decades.
- Aerial Herbicide Drone Deployment ($25,000) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife will purchase a drone-based herbicide application system to manage invasive species in State Wildlife Areas that are difficult or unsafe to access by ground equipment.
- OHV Stakeholder Engagement ($25,000) – Working with NoCo Places, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will lead a stakeholder engagement initiative to determine future uses of the Lefthand OHV Area, which has been closed to motorized use since the 2013 floods.
- Wolf Drone Monitoring ($15,000) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife will pilot drone-based technology to monitor gray wolf movements and test hazing techniques to deter conflicts with livestock.
Additionally, the Great Outdoors Colorado board awarded $9.94 million in grants to partners across the state, including $150,000 through the Director’s Innovation Fund to support the six Colorado Parks and Wildlife-led efforts.
“These projects reflect CPW’s continued commitment to bold, outside-the-box conservation, engagement and recreation strategies,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Deputy Director Heather Disney Dugan. “They’re inventive, impactful and exactly the kind of work this fund was designed to support.”
Since its inception, the Director’s Innovation Fund has awarded nearly $1.3 million to encourage Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to take bold ideas off the whiteboard and into the field. Each project selected this year not only addresses a distinct conservation or stewardship challenge, but also demonstrates how creativity and public trust can work together for lasting impact.
For more information on Great Outdoors Colorado’s latest round of funding, visit GOCO.org. To learn more about Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s programs and initiatives, visit CPW.State.CO.US.
