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In the News
Articles Archive - 2004
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GOCO weighs issuing bonds
by Jerd Smith, The Rocky Mountain News
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Eighteen counties have proposed preserving more than $300 million in key state landscapes, such as the scenic San Juan Skyway corridor in southwestern Colorado .
The proposals were requested by Great Outdoors Colorado , which came under fire last fall for failing to activate a special bond pool authorized to finance such projects.
Voters OK'd the $115 million pool more than 2 1/2 years ago to protect Colorado 's rapidly dwindling open spaces.
Today, GOCO's critics give the agency credit for making some progress on the initiative, but not everyone is convinced the agency is doing enough to preserve the state's crown jewel open spaces.
Some conservationists, such as former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm, remain frustrated. "I get very upset when I hear they still haven't done anything. It sounds as if people are simply dragging their feet."
Voters created Great Outdoors Colorado in 1992 and charged it with using lottery proceeds to protect open space, parks and wildlife. By the late 1990s, however, requests for the agency's grants were outstripping its annual budget, leaving little cash to protect large parcels of land threatened by Colorado 's growth boom.
In November 2001, despite the pall of Sept. 11 and a recession, voters in 62 of the state's 64 counties approved the bonding authority. The measure was backed by dozens of prominent Coloradans, including Gov. Bill Owens, Attorney General Ken Salazar and photographer John Fielder.
The idea was that GOCO could issue bonds and repay them with future lottery proceeds.
But last fall, when GOCO was criticized for its failure to act on the bonds, board members explained they wanted to take a cautious, deliberate approach, saying they hadn't seen any compelling projects to fund and they didn't want to take on debt unnecessarily.
"It has taken this long because this is a complicated matter," GOCO board member Ruben Valdez said late last week. "This is not free money. If we issue those bonds it's going to affect future programs."
If, for instance, the agency issued the full $115 million, it would require an annual debt payment of $9.4 million, according to GOCO communications director Chris Leding. The payments could sharply curtail the agency's normal annual open space grants, unless the payments are shared by other GOCO programs, such as parks and wildlife.
This year, the agency, as part of its normal grant cycle, will dole out about $53 million in grants for parks, wildlife and open space.
Some groups, including the Mesa County Commissioners and the Crested Butte Land Trust, are worried about the impact on GOCO's ongoing programs, and have urged the board to take on the debt cautiously, if at all.
But Will Shafroth , a former executive director of GOCO who co-chaired the campaign for the bonding authority, said the agency understood back in 2001 that the debt payments would affect operating budgets. "Of course the debt is going to have an impact. But my hope was that they would look for a balance, a way to make the payments and have some left over for projects on an ongoing basis."
Still, Shafroth gives the board credit for progress in recent months.
"The major concern I had last fall is that GOCO was not moving on the substantive part of the bond proposal - looking at the projects that needed to be done. Since then they've been moving forward."
In January, GOCO asked for ideas on how the bonding authority could be used if it is activated.
In response, 34 preliminary proposals were submitted, including up to $48 million to preserve the Front Range mountain backdrop from Jefferson County south into Pueblo County ; $12 million to preserve 70,000 acres in the Larimer County foothills; and $15 million to protect land along the 236-mile San Juan Skyway in four southwestern Colorado counties.
Today the agency will review more detailed proposals. The GOCO board is expected to vote in late June on whether to issue the bonds and at what level, or whether to try to set aside money from its regular budget for special large-scale projects.
Owens continues to support the bonding authority, according to spokesman Dan Hopkins.
"Does the governor think GOCO should bond? Yes. Does he think there's been foot dragging? No. It's simply been a more difficult task and required more outreach than they anticipated," Hopkins said.
In the meantime, open space agencies across the state have been polishing their presentations due before the GOCO board today.
"We've turned in a proposal so that GOCO can see the magnitude and urgency of what we're trying to do up here," said K-Linn Cameron, open lands manager for Larimer County . Cameron is coordinating the $20 million effort by the county, the city of Fort Collins and the Nature Conservancy to protect 70,000 acres that span the foothills and prairie between U.S. 287 and Interstate 25 north to Wyoming .
Two of the largest ranches in the area have recently gone up for sale, forcing local officials to scramble to find money to buy the land quickly, Cameron said.
"There is a huge discussion about debt service at GOCO right now. And that's a good discussion for board members to have," she said. "But there is definitely an urgency to protecting this land now. We're hopeful (the GOCO board) will move forward, whether it's with bonds or something else - something where larger dollar amounts are available for large-scale projects."
GOCO preservation bids
Eighteen counties that submitted more than $300 million in preservation proposals requested by Great Outdoors Colorado .
The proposals include:
* $48 million to preserve the Front Range mountain backdrop from Jefferson County south into El Paso and Pueblo counties
* $10 million to purchase conservation easements to preserve 15,706 acres of working ranches in the Gunnison Valley
* $12 million to preserve 70,000 acres in the Larimer County foothills
* $15 million to protect land along the 236-mile scenic San Juan Skyway in four southwestern Colorado counties
* $19 million to preserve habitat along the Colorado and Gunnison rivers in Mesa County
Details of GOCO grant projects
by TheDenverPost.com, The Denver Post
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Here are descriptions of projects to benefit from $60 million in lottery proceeds under the Great Outdoors Colorado grant program:
- Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Projects
Sponsor: Larimer County
$11.6 million
How the money will be spent: Preserving 55,400 acres to create a 140,000 conservation zone of native grasslands and rolling foothills. While much of the land will remain in private ownership, the project will provide 30 miles of trails among rock buttes, grassland vistas, and redrock walls.
- West Plum Creek
Recipients: Douglas County
$6.3 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring 848-acre Dawson Butte property and easement over the 1215 Penley Ranch.
- San Juan Skyway
Sponsor: Montezuma Land Conservancy
$5.7 million
How the money will be spent: Conserving 3,565 acres along the scenic byway, developing 4.5 miles of the Galloping Goose Trail in San Miguel County, developing recreational facilities in Molas Lake Park above Silverton, consolidating 50 acres of fragmented ownership of the Ouray Ice Climbing Park.
- Clear Creek Open Space/Beaver Brook Watershed
Sponsor: Clear Creek County
$5.2 million loan
How the money will be spent: Preserving 1,781 acres west of Evergreen. Property includes two small reservoirs and is a critical link to complete a 20-mile protected wildlife and open space corridor
- Front Range Mountain Backdrop
Sponsor: Jefferson County
$5 million
How the money will be spent: Purchasing 730 acres owned by Coors near South Table Mountain and other nearby parcels
- Colorado Species Conservation Plan
Sponsor: Colorado Division of Wildlife
$4.2 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring conservation easements over key habitat for Preble's meadow jumping mouse, Gunnison sage grouse, and mountain plover
- St. Vrain State Park
Sponsor: Colorado State Parks
$4 million
How the money will be spent: Developing 160 campsites
- Saguache Corridor
Sponsor: Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust
$3.7 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring conservation easements on 18,400 acres of ranchland
- Jacob's Cliffs Open Space
Sponsor: City of Durango
$3 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring 176 acres for open space at the base of Animas Mountain
- Cheyenne Mountain State Park Development
Recipient: Colorado State Parks
$2.5 million
How the money will be spent: Developing the park near Colorado Springs - the first state park in El Paso County.
- Minnequa Lake Park
Sponsor: City of Pueblo
$2.3 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring the 243-acre lake property
- Blue River Experience
Sponsor: Silverthorne
$1.6 million
How the money will be spent: Acquiring three open space parcels, trail easements and constructing North Pond Park
- Colorado River Trail
Sponsor: Garfield County
$1.2 million
How the money will be spent: Constructing 2.7 miles of trail, providing access for rafters, kayakers and anglers
- Navajo River Watershed
Sponsor: Conservation Fund
$1.1 million
How the money will be spent: Conserving 8,850 acres that creates a link between South San Juan Wilderness and San Juan National Forest
- Continental Divide National Scenic Trail in Colorado
Recipients: Colorado State Parks and Grant County
$820,000
How the money will be spent: Building 56 miles of new trail and reconstructing 17 miles of existing trails.
- Colorado Outdoor Complex
Sponsor: Colorado Division of Wildlife
$800,000
How the money will be spent: Providing a shooting range near Barr Lake
- Robert Easton Regional Park
Sponsor: Foothills Parks/Rec. District
$700,000
How the money will be spent: Constructing of a tot lot, skate park, interactive fountain, picnic shelters, and fishing pier
- Manitou Section 16
Sponsor: City of Colorado Springs
$200,000 for lease
How the money will be spent: Making lease payments to the State Land Board
Larimer project is big winner in grants from state
by Kim McGuire, The Denver Post
Thursday, December 2, 2004
Growing up in Colorado, K-Lynn Cameron became accustomed to spectacular views that stretch as far as the eye can see.
But the swath of rolling grasslands north of Fort Collins that gently yield to Wyoming foothills leaves her awestruck.
"It's the untouched Old West exactly as you might envision it," said Cameron, Larimer County's open lands manager. "To know we're going to save it is just awesome."
On Wednesday, Great Outdoors Colorado awarded $11.6 million to Larimer County as part of an unprecedented $60 million awards package - the largest pool of money the lottery-funded agency has doled out in a single batch.
The Larimer County grant to buy the grasslands was the third largest single grant ever given by GOCO, which also awarded money to 17 other projects Wednesday.
Among them: the planned acquisition of a 243-acre lake near Pueblo, construction of 56 miles of new trails along the Continental Divide, a series of projects in the San Juan Mountains, and the purchase of Douglas County ranch land providing a critical link to protected open space.
"With broad support from communities across the state, large expanses of open space that define the rich beauty of Colorado will now be preserved," said Gov. Bill Owens.
The Owens-appointed GOCO board has been criticized in the past for funding projects that did little to preserve Colorado's special places.
But of the $60 million awarded Wednesday, $48 million will be used for land conservation, and the remaining $12 million will advance work on two new state parks, trails and recreational opportunities. By the time this fiscal year ends, the board will have given $97 million. Last year, it awarded $53 million. One of the key reasons: increased lottery proceeds from Powerball.
Colorado voters established the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund in 1992. Fifty percent of all lottery proceeds go into the fund, which finances projects that preserve, protect and enhance Colorado's wildlife, parks, rivers, trails and open spaces.
GOCO chairman T. Wright Dickinson explained that after much discussion, the board decided not to use its voter-approved bonding authority to finance the 18 projects.
Some of the projects will be completed as a result of this year's GOCO grants, while others will continue to seek funds.
"The approach the GOCO board has chosen fulfills the voters' intent without going into debt," said Dickinson, of Maybell. "These grants meet the most urgent land preservation needs at this time. And, if additional projects of the same urgency come forward, GOCO has still preserved the option to bond."
The selection process started early this year and culminated this fall as project sponsors made their final pitches.
Bringing the most players to the bargaining table was the coalition of cities, counties, land trusts and even a college supporting the San Juan Skyway project, which will preserve land along the 236-mile scenic byway through southwestern Colorado.
That project, which received $5.7 million from GOCO, will help develop hiking trails, spruce up recreational facilities at Molas Lake Park above Silverton and help consolidate ownership of the Ouray Ice Park.
"This is a huge boost for us," said Nina Williams, director of the Montezuma Land Trust, the project's primary sponsor. "We simply don't have the financial resources of some of the Front Range communities or mountain resort towns to pull off a project like this."
Of the 18 projects, GOCO awarded the most money to Larimer County, which will use the $11.6 million to preserve 55,400 acres that will stitch together an immense 140,000-acre conservation zone.
While much of the land will remain in private ownership, 30 miles of trails will be constructed on land now inaccessible to the public. The trails will ferry hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders past soaring rock buttes, sweeping grassland vistas, red-rock walls and historic tepee rings.
One of the key components of the project is the purchase of the Red Mountain, a historic ranch Cameron and other county officials have had their eye on for years.
"Two years ago, Red Mountain was 42,000 acres, and today it's 13,500 acres," Cameron said. "That was an indication of what was going to keep happening. It was going to keep getting chopped up, keep getting parceled out in smaller and smaller pieces. That added to our overall sense of urgency to get this grant."
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or at kmcguire@denverpost.com.
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