The Great Outdoors Colorado board recently awarded La Plata County a $299,000 grant to help expand the stewardship efforts of the San Juan Mountains Association across the San Juan Mountains region in Southwest Colorado.
The funds will support the SJMA’s stewardship program, which addresses the growing maintenance needs that have accompanied the growing number of people visiting the San Juan Mountains.
During the summer, SJMA employs forest ambassadors who speak to visitors on popular trails and encourage them to leave no trace. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of people forest ambassadors engaged with jumped from 26,000 to nearly 40,000, said Stephanie Weber, executive director of SJMA, in a news release.
While the association receives a small amount of federal funding, the grant money will allow them to leverage that funding and hire more summer employees, she said.
She said five forest ambassadors and two alpine loop ambassadors will be hired this summer, in part because of the funding, and they will cover the entire San Juan Region.
SJMA hopes to remove 1,000 pounds of trash, maintain 2,000 miles of trails, distribute 2,000 waste management products, naturalize 100 campfire rings and engage over 60,000 visitors on responsible recreation over the next two years.
The association will also hire a program coordinator to expand volunteer recruitment, diversify projects and strengthen local community partnerships.
GOCO was created in 1992, when voters approved an amendment to the Colorado constitution, giving GOCO and its associated trust the ability to fund programs that preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. It is funded entirely through a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds.
The grant is a part of GOCO’s stewardship impact program that supports organizations dedicated to stewardship work that improves ecological and recreational amenities of the natural environment.
“We're pleased to be able to work with La Plata County in helping to care for our public lands,” Weber said. “We couldn't have done this without them. And you know, while this money will help us have more of a presence out on our public lands, it still is going to take everybody doing their part to help care for our public lands.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
