During the winter solstice party on December 21, children from the community helped Executive Director Emma Reesor cut the ribbon, christening the new boat ramp.

DENVER— The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board recently awarded the Town of Del Norte $350,000 for the Del Norte Riverfront Project, a community-led effort to improve access, create recreation infrastructure, and enhance habitat along the Rio Grande in Del Norte. The project was one of 17 Local Park and Outdoor Recreation grants awarded by GOCO from a pool of 54.

In recent years, local organizations have partnered to diversify Del Norte’s economy, and grow the recreation economy, by building several new trail systems for hiking and mountain biking close to town. To expand on these efforts, the town, in collaboration with the local community, will be making improvements to river access and recreation in the San Luis Valley.

These improvements will be broken down into several phases of work which include community planning and construction of a boat ramp, access road, and parking area. GOCO funds will be used to realize phase two of the project, which includes pedestrian river access and a whitewater play wave, allowing for rafting, paddleboarding, kayaking, and tubing. Additionally, improvements to the river habitat and streambanks will be made through the design and shaping of stable channel structures.

Grant funds will also be utilized to build a new ADA-accessible picnic area complete with a covered shelter, tables, benches, and recycling facilities, as well as for the development of bilingual signage to be installed at key areas around the park.

Project planners expect that free and easy access to river recreation will help several outdoor education programs in the San Luis Valley thrive, and children in the afterschool and summer programs will have a wide range of hands-on environmental education opportunities. Students from Adams State University will have a venue to obtain safety certifications, and the community at large will be able to fish, boat, and recreate along the enhanced riverfront.

The Riverfront Project has been underway since August 2017. Phase two of the project will begin in fall 2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for summer 2020.

To date, GOCO has invested more than $10 million in projects in Rio Grande County and has conserved more than 9,000 acres of land there. GOCO funding has supported the Ski-Hi Rodeo Arena and Grandstand renovation, Del Norte Trails, Rio Grande County Community Fields, the City of Monte Vista’s Skatepark, and the Natural Wonders of the San Luis Valley Play Park, among other projects.

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 5,200 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.