Great Outdoors Colorado launched the Inspire Initiative in 2015. Funded by proceeds from the Colorado Lottery, GOCO was created by voters in 1992 to “preserve, protect and enhance Colorado’s wildlife, park, river, trail and open space heritage.”  Over 900 million dollars in GOCO grants have been used to develop a broad range of outdoor recreation facilities, protected natural areas and environmental stewardship efforts throughout the state.  Projects include nature-based schoolground improvements, state and local park enhancements and youth conservation programs.

This innovative grant program engages Colorado youth in identifying barriers to nature access in their communities and in developing localized strategies to address those barriers.  MIG was hired to assist a coalition from Garfield County, Colorado in developing a Strategic Implementation Plan in order to pursue Inspire Initiative funding. Garfield County is located on the rural western slope of the state, encompassing both mountain and Colorado River corridor communities.  

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A diverse coalition of entities in the county including LiveWell Garfield County, the Garfield County Library District, the municipal governments of participating communities, two school districts and several non-profit organizations that provide outdoor programming and services to children formed to apply for Inspire Initiative planning funding. The grant funded an 18-month youth participatory planning effort through which the coalition was tasked with identifying new or improved Places, Programs and Pathways for accessing nearby nature.  
MIG led the strategic planning process, working with the Steering Committee and Youth Advisory Councils in four rural communities located throughout the County to assess ways to overcome barriers to regular nature access.  Outreach and engagement methods included interactive summer workshops for children and their parents at the County’s libraries, print and online versions of dual-language graphic surveys for adults and youth and a full-day Youth Summit to identify priorities and refine strategies county-wide.  As a result of these efforts, GOCO awarded the coalition $1.5 million to implement their vision.*

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*Text provided by MIG