(Courtesy photo)
The City of Steamboat Springs has been awarded a grant for $1,440,076 to purchase 181 acres along Slate Creek. It’s through a Great Outdoors Colorado grant from their Land Acquisition program. This is property west of Steamboat Springs, near the Brown Ranch property. Part of the property will be developed into a park and recreation area with playgrounds, fields, and trails.
Local support for this project comes from organizations such as the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Steamboat Soccer Club, Yampatika Environmental Education, and Routt County Riders, among others.
Press Release from the City of Steamboat Springs; March 18, 2025.
GOCO Awards $1.4M Grant For Slate Creek Acquisition
Grant Part Of Nearly $8M Supporting Colorado’s Outdoors, Wildlife, And People
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-March 18, 2025-This past Friday, the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded the City of Steamboat Springs a $1,440,076 grant to acquire 181 acres along Slate Creek.
The grant is part of GOCO’s Land Acquisition program, which supports urban and rural landscape, waterway, and habitat protection priorities and improves access to the outdoors.
The property contains important habitats, including sagebrush shrublands, oak brush hillsides, aspen groves, conifer forests, lush meadows, and riverbank areas. A portion of the property will be developed into a regional park and recreation area with playgrounds, soccer and baseball fields, picnic areas, and trails, providing much-needed green space in an underserved area.
A conservation easement held by Colorado Open Lands will permanently protect 131 acres, with the remaining 50 acres reserved for the recreation area. The easement is expected to close by December 2026. Partners will conduct a planning process to identify conservation and recreation opportunities. Partners aim for the project to serve as a model for conservation in rapidly developing areas.
“Recreation has always been a top priority for the community,” said Steamboat Springs Parks & Recreation Director Angela Cosby. “We know the value of land conservation goes well beyond mere dollars and cents. Smart, strategic land conservation strengthens communities, provides recreational resources, protects habitats, and ensures access to water resources. We can’t thank GOCO enough for their support of these efforts.”
The city is currently seeking additional funding from local, state, and federal funding sources for the purchase of the property. Local support for this project comes from organizations such as the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Steamboat Soccer Club, Yampatika Environmental Education, and Routt County Riders, among others.
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 when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,800 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.