Palmer Land Conservancy, a regional land conservation champion, along with 10 other outdoor recreation and land conservation nonprofits, have launched Elevate the Peak, a collective visioning initiative charged with the development of a 10-year implementation plan to guide current and future land conservation and recreation efforts in the Pikes Peak region.And the initiative wants your 2 cents.The goal is to better understand how Coloradans of all ages, backgrounds and identities use our outdoor spaces to work, play, escape, engage and connect. Elevate the Peak wants to learn what neighbors love about calling the Pikes Peak Region home, as well as what excites, inspires and concerns Pikes Peak residents as our region enters a period of unprecedented change.Elevate the Peak is asking the communities of El Paso, Fremont, Park and Teller counties to share input on regional priorities forecast over the next 10 years. To kick off the project, community members are invited to participate and connect to the effort by going to Elevatethepeak.org to register and take a short five-minute survey and sign up for updates.Once a week through August, Elevate the Peak will randomly draw a survey participant to win prizes, including rafting trips, fly fishing expeditions and gift cards to downtown Colorado Springs, local farms and more.ìNow more than ever, as our region experiences unprecedented population growth, we collectively recognize the importance of safeguarding and stewarding the land,î said Rebecca Jewitt, president and chief executive officer of Palmer Land Conservancy. ìTogether, with the communityís input, we can create a new vision for the future, prioritizing and aligning projects, earmarking funds, and protecting the regionís crown jewel -ñ our great outdoors.îElevate the Peak is led by an 11-person Leadership Council, and will bring together the conservation, outdoor recreation, and the public, private and philanthropic sectors through a multi-tiered, six-month engagement initiative. It will include web-based community engagement and a series of geographically targeted conversations to listen and learn from all corners of the community.The regional Leadership Council represents El Paso, Teller, Park and Fremont counties, and includes Catamount Institute, Gold Belt Byway Association, Trails and Open Space Coalition, Coalition for the Upper South Platte, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, Palmer Land Conservancy, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, Pikes Peak Community Foundation, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Fremont Adventure Recreation and Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates.ìWhile we are focused on conserving Coloradoís western heritage, ranch lands and agricultural productivity, we understand the importance of collaboration. Elevate the Peak takes a regional approach to assessing land conservation and it is critical to have community input,î said Maggie Hanna, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust and member of the Elevate the Peak Leadership Council. ìWe are proud to be a part of the initiative as we engage a variety of organizations, stakeholders and land managers in creating a long-term plan for the region.îInitiated by a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, Elevate the Peak is also funded by Gates Family Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Chapman Foundations, Colorado Springs Health Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, Bloom Foundation and Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation.†The initiative also includes an economic analysis conducted by Tatiana Bailey, Ph.D., director of the Economic Forum at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, to provide research and data regarding the return on investment of land conservation and outdoor recreation.Previous studies have shown that the range of public and individual benefits from public parks and open spaces is extensive and include a higher quality of life through recreation, a reduction in medical expenses, improved air quality, clean drinking water and a stronger economy.For more information on Elevate the Peak, visit Elevatethepeak.orgRegional statistics on land conservation and outdoor recreation:
- For every $1 invested in land conservation in Colorado, up to $12 is seen in economic benefit.
- 71% of Colorado residents participate in outdoor recreation each year.
- $2.14 billion is spent on outdoor recreation each year in Congressional District 5.
- 229,000 jobs created by outdoor recreation statewide
- $28 billion in annual consumer spending in Colorado
