Headwaters Trail Alliance named Northwest Region Partner of the Year
Rachael GonzalesNorthwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected]
VAIL, Colo. - Headwaters Trail Alliance (HTA) has been honored with the 2022 Northwest Region Partners in the Outdoors award for their dedication to supporting Colorado Parks and Wildlife's mission.
The award was presented to members of HTA at the annual Partners in the Outdoors conference on April 19 in Vail. HTA was nominated by Area 9 Wildlife Manager Jeromy Hunting and District Wildlife Manager Serena Rocksund.
“HTA recognizes the importance of outdoor recreation and strives to balance impacts recreation has on wildlife,” said Huntington and Rocksund in their nomination form. “HTA members work to preserve the region’s natural resources and ecological value by promoting sustainability and stewardship.”
During the 2021 field season, HTA reported 1,351 hours spent on trails with a total of 6,158 volunteer hours. This includes 530 miles of trail maintenance, 9,718 hazardous trees removed, 2,320 drains cleared or constructed in wetlands, 27,720-feet of new trail construction, and 18,480-feet of trail reroutes to promote sustainability and social trail decommissioning.
CPW has partnered with HTA on a variety of projects to promote developing trails with wildlife in mind, advocate for sustainable trail systems and sponsor educational events around the community.
“HTA is sustainable outdoor recreation by promoting responsible recreation to diverse user groups,” said Rocksund. “In partnering with HTA, CPW has been successful in promoting responsible recreation with wildlife in mind to those living and recreating in our area. We look forward to continuing and building upon this multifaceted approach to recreation within wildlife habitat in Grand County.”
Headwaters Trails Alliance (HTA) is a nonprofit advocacy organization for trails in scenic Grand County, Colorado. Surrounded by mountain peaks and passes, Grand County streams are the headwaters of the Colorado River. HTA works hard to provide high-quality trails linking towns and recreational areas within Grand County, with secondary trail systems connecting historical, cultural and recreational sites within the local communities.
Each year, CPW recognizes partner organizations that have made outstanding efforts in support of Colorado's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) and CPW’s Strategic Plan at the annual Partners in Outdoors conference.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.