The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded a $19,700 grant to the City of Alamosa for trail maintenance and improvement projects within the city.
The grant is part of GOCO’s Conservation Service Corps program. GOCO partners with Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) to employ conservation service corps crews across the state on outdoor recreation and stewardship projects. CYCA represents a statewide coalition of eight accredited corps that train youth, young adults, and veterans to complete land and water conservation work and gain professional skills.
With the funding, Alamosa Parks and Recreation will partner with Southwest Conservation Corps-Los Valles youth crews for two weeks of work. Crews will conduct trail maintenance, remove half a mile of abandoned barbed wire fencing, and treat roughly two miles of trail affected by invasive plant species including Russian knapweed, hoary cress, and Canada thistle. Alamosa continues to grow its trail network; the project, set to be completed in 2024, is crucial for the upkeep of existing trails.
To date, GOCO has invested more than $8.7 million in projects in Alamosa County and partnered to conserve 30,462 acres of land here. Among other projects, GOCO funding has supported Mosca Community Park, Alamosa Riparian Park and San Luis Valley Generation Wild.
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created through a voter-approved constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,600 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support.