Colorado grant could allow Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance, Eagle County to expand stewardship efforts
State funds would bolster 'boots on the ground' stewardship efforts
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The Great Outdoors Colorado program always has a lot more applicants than money to grant. The Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance is trying to land some of that money this year.
The Eagle County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday passed a resolution supporting a grant application submitted by the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance and the county’s Outdoor Stewardship Partnership project. The request is for $300,000 to “continue to fund land conservation and stewardship activities on federal, state, county and municipal public lands throughout Eagle County.”
Eagle County Natural Resources Manager Kallie Rand said most of those projects would be on federal land.
Ernest Saeger, the executive director of the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance, called the grant application “very exciting,” adding that it would be modeled on the successful Front Country Ranger partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. That program helps maintain, repair and upgrade trails, educate visitors and clean up campgrounds.
That work doesn’t take place on Bureau of Land Management property, Saeger noted, adding that the state grant would help the trails association get to work on federal land outside national forests.
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But Saeger said, Great Outdoors Colorado grants are “highly competitive.” The local grant application did get past the “concept round” of applications, which is a good sign. Still, there are a lot of applicants and a limited amount of money. Word about grant funding should come in the next several weeks, with funding available in June or July.
That money will be greatly appreciated if it comes. The grant application states that visits to the White River National Forest increased from 10 million to 18 million between 2011 and 2022. Meanwhile, the forest’s budget was cut from $30 million in 2009 to $18 million in 2023.
If the state grant comes through, the trails alliance will create a new “stewardship crew” to help manage dispersed recreation, enforce fire restrictions, help remove barbed wire fences and tackle other work. The grant would also pay to hire a conservation and stewardship coordinator.
If the funding is allocated, it would last through the summer of this year, as well as 2026 and 2027.
Commissioner Matt Scherr said the grant application is a great example of collaboration between local interests as the community works to build its resiliency.
Fellow Commissioner Tom Boyd added the grant could help locals start to plan for the future beyond the length of the grant, adding he hopes Great Outdoors Colorado takes a very close look at the application.
Boyd added that since 92% of public lands are in just 12 states, he hopes that those states start to take a “unified approach” to stewardship and management.
“Let us not be alone” in these efforts, he said.
Expressing her appreciation for the trails alliance’s work, Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney noted that those backcountry efforts are essential for water protection and other broader community needs.
