As Colorado lawmakers head back to the Capitol, outdoor recreation advocates are calling for a boost in state funds to increase access to the outdoors for underserved youth and families.
“There are a lot of barriers to accessing the outdoors. I think a lot of it deals with cost, transportation, accessibility and even historical exclusions,” said Jason Swann, the conservation finance director for the Trust for Public Land ’s Intermountain West program.
But when Colorado invests in increasing access, the benefits are manyfold from improved health and social connections to amplified respect for conservation efforts and a statewide economic boost, Swann said.
Rising RoutesThat’s why Colorado lawmakers created the Outdoor Equity Grants program in 2021. The program takes some of the money collected through the Colorado Lottery. Then, Colorado Parks and Wildlife collects applications and distributes the funds to nonprofits and businesses helping engage “communities that have traditionally been excluded,” such as LGBTQ+ youth, Coloradans with disabilities and Black and Latino families.