DENVER – The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board has awarded a total of $455,173.42 in Lottery funds to five projects in San Miguel County: $350,000 to San Miguel County to acquire 680 acres of open space; $36,000 to the Town of Ophir for a playground addition; $33,228.42 to the Town of Norwood for a park expansion; $20,945 to the Town of Telluride to help install new bleachers in the Town Park Pavilion; and $15,000 to the newly created Norwood Park and Recreation District to help develop a master plan.

The County Open Space Commission will apply its $350,000 GOCO grant towards purchasing a conservation easement on the fourth and final phase of Bray Ranch, located on Hamilton Mesa; GOCO has already contributed $774,575 to the first three phases of the Bray Ranch project, which is part of the San Miguel County Land Heritage Program. This phase adds 680 acres to the existing 1,248-acre easement for a total of 1,928 protected acres. In addition to offering scenic views of the San Juan Mountains, Bray Ranch consists of agricultural land that provides summer and fall livestock grazing, and prime habitat for big game and other wildlife, including the Gunnison sage grouse, a species of high conservation concern.

While the Town of Ophir’s community playground is still relatively new, the town will use its GOCO grant to add new playground equipment to accommodate older children (as well as the town’s population growth). The new equipment will be geared towards children ages 5 to 12, and will be able to withstand heavy winds and extreme weather, both of which are common in Ophir. Additionally, the new structure will be made from recycled materials.

The Town of Norwood will use its GOCO grant to help expand the Norwood Town Park to include a skate park and a BMX trail. For the skate park, the Town will purchase a mini-ramp, two quarter pipes, two grind rails and a grind box, all of which will be located on a cement path. The BMX trail will accommodate all levels of bikers and consist of a 400’ x 6’ continuous loop dirt trail with three banked hills, two table top jumps and other features.

The Town of Telluride will use its latest GOCO grant to construct a wooden bleacher structure in the Town Park Pavilion, a multi-purpose covered ice rink facility funded by GOCO in 2003. The new bleachers will be constructed from reclaimed building materials and will include a skater’s bench, two tiers of elevated seating, stairways and a walkway, and an ADA-accessible seating area at rink level.

Created by voters in the 2008 election, the Norwood Park and Recreation District is the only recreation district in San Miguel County. The District will use its GOCO funding to create a Parks, Recreation Facilities and Trails Master Plan to address the community’s desire for more recreational amenities. Using a consultant to facilitate the planning process and develop a plan, the District will solicit input from residents as the plan is created to ensure community support. New trails, park and recreational facilities will be located in and around Norwood, but will serve residents of Nucla, Naturita, Paradox and Redvail in west Montrose County, as well as Placerville and Sawpit residents in San Miguel County.

The grants are among 55 awarded by the GOCO Board that are going to benefit 34 counties. Statewide, the projects will result in the preservation of 43,617 acres of open space, the addition or enhancement of 37 community outdoor recreation projects, and create plans for five future projects.

The Board had only intended to award $8.0 million for this round of grant requests, but increased the amount to accommodate more projects. Grant applicants had requested $14.6 million with the majority of requests coming from local governments for outdoor recreation projects.

“At a time when people don’t have as many resources to travel, it is important to make additional dollars available to fund outdoor projects in and near their communities,” said GOCO Board chairman Norma Anderson.

Great Outdoor Colorado is the result of a citizens initiative passed in 1992. Its mission is to help preserve, protect, and enhance the state’s wildlife, park, river, trails and open space heritage by awarding funds to local governments, land trusts, Colorado State Parks and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.