You Could Choose Colorado’s Next State Parks

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is always looking at future state park opportunities. Can you think of a location in Colorado that would be great for a future state park?

Colorado Parks and Wildlife invite Colorado residents to share their thoughts and ideas for locations that could become a future Colorado state park. Personally, I've never really thought of this. Then again, I never thought in terms of the ball being in the public's court.

According to a CPW news release, they are committed to "providing a quality state parks system, which includes the opportunity to grow the system and provide additional access opportunities for our residents and visitors." With that in mind, they are reaching out to you.

Knowing how important these spaces are to Colorado residents, we invite them to share with us the lands and outdoor spaces they would like to see be a part of the state park system. We’re opening up the opportunity to lend your voice in finding unique places that just may become one of our next state parks. -  Dan Prenzlow, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife

What do you think? Do any Colorado locations come to mind? When pondering locations for future parks, CPW asks you to keep in mind the following criteria. Your nominations should:

• Meet Colorado’s needs
• Provide community value
• Provide outstanding nature-based recreation
• Conserve natural resources
• Support a financially sustainable system

Nominated sites can be any of the following:

• private lands proposed with the landowner's consent
• existing CWP lands or lands owned by the state
• properties held by federal or local government

To nominate a location, you are asked to review the criteria listed above, review the nomination instructions, and then complete the nomination form.

The last step, filling out the nomination form, is not nearly the nightmare you might think. When I hear the words "government application," my mind fills with images of forms longer than the bible with each page requiring 75 signatures. Trust me, this form is nowhere near that bad.

This sounds like fun. I've never really given the matter any thought. Here's your chance to get the ball rolling on something that could potentially provide fun and value for generations of Coloradans.

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