Why We Need Outdoor Equity Programs

Colorado has some of the best access to beautiful landscapes of any of the states in the West. 

It's home to four National Parks, nine National Monuments, 44 Wilderness Areas, 14.5 million acres of National Forest and Grassland, and over 637 peaks above 13,000ft. 

And these landscapes sustain a thriving outdoor recreation economy and culture. According to a Park's and Wildlife Study, Colorado's landscapes generate over 65 billion dollars annually.

These lands are public and belong to all of us to enjoy, and we all deserve to reap the benefits of time spent outdoors. The issue is not everyone has the same access. 

Due to a variety of socio-economic factors, many people from underserved communities don't enjoy equal access. Natural spaces can be far away and time consuming to get to, gear can be expensive, and some outdoor spaces can feel unwelcoming or intimidating. 

Historically, many low-income and rural communities, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities have faced significant barriers in accessing the wild spaces in Colorado and all over the West.

Everyone should have access to these benefits. 

In 2025 state legislatures have a chance to make that happen.  

In 2021, Colorado created the Outdoor Equity Grant program to help underserved youth access the state’s vast open spaces, and this year WRA, alongside a coalition of supporters and grant recipients, is looking to expand funding for this wildly successful program.  

Since 2021, Colorado has awarded more than $8.5 million to programs that provide outdoor education and recreation opportunities to underserved youth and their families. To date, these grants have supported meaningful outdoor experiences for more than 65,000 Colorado youth in 51 out of 64 counties. 

On today’s episode of 2 Degrees Out West, learn what Colorado has been doing to help get kids outside, and how we could do even more

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

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Chapters

• 2:55 Intro
• 3:12 Ad: First Bank
• 3:38 Jared Bynum Explains Outdoor Equity
• 7:09 Kriste Peoples Intro
• 9:12 Jack Curry Intro
• 11:24 Who Receives Funding?
• 17:53 How Does the Program Work?
• 22:53 The Many Benefits
• 33:21 How Outdoor Equity Makes Advocates
• 38:04 The Next Step for Outdoor Equity
• 45:28 Outro

Transcript

Papineau (Host): Colorado has some of the best access to beautiful landscapes of any of the states in our region. It's home to 4 national parks, 9 national monuments, 44 wilderness areas, and 14. 5 million acres of national forests and grassland, as well as 637 peaks above 13, 000 feet. These landscapes sustain a thriving outdoor recreation economy and culture.

[00:00:25] According to a Parks and Wildlife study, Colorado's landscapes generate over 65 billion dollars annually. These lands are public and belong to all of us to enjoy. We all deserve to reap the benefits of time spent outdoors. The issue is, not everyone has the same access. Due to a variety of socio economic factors, many people from underserved communities don't enjoy equal access.

[00:00:50] Natural spaces can be far away and time consuming to get to, gear can be expensive, and for some families, outdoor spaces can feel unwelcoming and intimidating. [00:01:00] Especially for families with children, outdoor recreation is expensive. Historically, many low income and rural communities, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA community, And people with disabilities have faced significant barriers in accessing the wild spaces in Colorado and all over the West.

[00:01:18] This is a major issue because we know that spending time in nature has many mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits. For example, children that have more access to green space tend to be more curious, innovative, playful, and experience less stress and anxiety. Everyone should have access to these benefits.

[00:01:35] And in 2025, state legislatures have the chance to make that happen. In 2021, Colorado created the Outdoor Equity Grant Program to help underserved youth access to state's vast open spaces. And this year, WRA, alongside a coalition of supporters and grant recipients, is looking to expand funding for this wildly successful program.

[00:01:55] Since 2021, Colorado has been awarded more than 8. 5 million to programs that [00:02:00] provide outdoor education and recreation opportunities to underserved youth and their families. To date, these grants have supported meaningful outdoor experiences for more than 65, 000 Colorado youth in 51 out of Colorado's 64 counties.

[00:02:14] On today's episode of Two Degrees Out West, learn what Colorado has been doing to get kids outside, and how we could do even more.

[00:02:26] Welcome to Two Degrees Out West, a podcast for advocates and decision makers seeking solutions to climate change and its impacts around the West. On True Degrees Out West, we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you the stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

[00:02:42] Today’s episode, Outdoor Equity in Colorado.

[00:02:59] [00:03:00] But first, a word from our sponsor. First Bank puts banking for good into action with its many environmental initiatives. Since 2021, First Bank has planted over 110, 000 trees across the Southwest, helping to improve air quality, preserve wildlife habitats, and conserve water. First Bank uses recovered ocean bound plastic to help reduce ocean waste and provides digital banking options to reduce paper usage.

[00:03:23] Additionally, First Bank employees receive two full days of volunteer time off to support nonprofits, many of which support habitat conservation, wildlife preservation, and biodiversity protection. To learn more, visit efirstbank. com.

[00:03:47] This is Jared Bynum. 

[00:03:48] Jared Bynum: I grew up just east of Denver in Aurora, and I've been an avid, uh, outdoorsman, outdoors kid, I guess, for as long as I can remember. 

[00:03:56] Dave Papineau (Host): His enthusiasm for Colorado's landscapes is infectious. He's [00:04:00] spent his whole life exploring Colorado. 

[00:04:01] Jared Bynum: Uh, from horseback riding and four wheeling at my grandparents old ranch in Montana, uh, camping, rafting, and skiing as a Boy Scout to hiking, backpacking, and now birdwatching as an adult.

[00:04:12] Uh, it's really hard to think of an outdoor activity I haven't tried in love. 

[00:04:16] Dave Papineau (Host): He's one of the people leading the charge in getting more Colorado youth outside. 

[00:04:20] Jared Bynum: I describe myself as an environmental justice advocate, and I work with community members, policy experts, and lawmakers to craft solutions to some of our most pressing environmental challenges.

[00:04:30] Dave Papineau (Host): Jared has spent lots of time adventuring, but he takes that excitement one step further. 

[00:04:35] Jared Bynum: I've spent about the last six or so years of my career in and around the Colorado State Capitol building working with various environmental organizations and advocating for bills that increase public lands protections, clean up our air and water, and expand access to the outdoors.

[00:04:49] Before this, I really found my passion for campaigning when I started in an environmental club at my high school. And later, I became a community organizer who worked on a variety of issues, including things like [00:05:00] healthcare advocacy, criminal justice reform, and advancing protections for LGBTQ Coloradans.

[00:05:04] Today, my focus is on building coalitions of environmental organizations and outdoor recreation and education program providers. And working with the Colorado State Government to advocate for expanding the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Program. 

[00:05:18] Dave Papineau (Host): One of the biggest barriers to getting more people outdoors, and the one that Jared is explaining, is funding.

[00:05:23] This is where the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant does its work. 

[00:05:27] Jared Bynum: So, the idea behind the Outdoor Equity Grant Program really came out of years of deliberations across the Mountain West about ways to most effectively expand youth access to the outdoors. Ultimately, around 2019 2020, states like New Mexico and California created early versions of what are called Outdoor Equity Funds, or Outdoor Opportunity Grant Programs.

[00:05:48] These are state and private donor sponsored grant making entities that are usually tied to the state parks, wildlife, or recreation agencies that aim to provide smaller, minimally restrictive [00:06:00] grants to outdoor recreation and education organizations that work with underserved youth. In about 2020, Colorado founded our own Outdoor Equity Coalition as part of a larger organization called The Next 100 Colorado, which is a group founded on the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, whose mission is to racially diversify conservation and recreation and to expand opportunities for careers in the outdoors over the next 100 years.

[00:06:27] Although the basic idea of what we were creating was clear from the get go getting the structure of the program, right? Required a new way of thinking for a lot of the folks on our team, starting from around a dozen individuals and organizations, the outdoor equity coalition quickly grew to over 100 partners and stakeholders, including big name, national environmental groups.

[00:06:46] Some of Colorado's leading policy organizations, environmental education experts, school districts, and of course, dozens of organizations from across the state who specialize in outdoor education and recreation programs for low income youth, [00:07:00] Black, Latino, and Native youth, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabilities.

[00:07:08] Dave Papineau (Host): To learn more about some of the benefits on the ground, I had a conversation with two of the grantees who have received funds from the Outdoor Equity Grant Program. 

[00:07:17] Kriste Peoples: So, I help to ensure that our programming, um, is where it needs to be and is reaching the audience that we want to be reaching. 

[00:07:29] Dave Papineau (Host): Christy Peoples serves as the Executive Director of Women's Wilderness in Boulder, Colorado.

[00:07:34] Kriste Peoples: And I will share also that Women's Wilderness has been around since 1998. eight. So we turned 27 this year and our mission is to lower barriers to access for women and girls and gender expansive youth and adults. 

[00:07:53] Dave Papineau (Host): She went into some of the thought behind the work her organization does on a daily basis.

[00:07:58] Kriste Peoples: While it is [00:08:00] all about nature engagement and outdoor education, everything that we do from for everyone that we serve ages eight through 88. And if we have anybody beyond 88, I haven't seen them yet, but they're welcome to, um, it is informed by. Hmm, what we call conscious choice, which is the understanding that everyone has their right to, to choose how they are going to approach, um, our activities and our opportunities to connect in the outdoors, it means that we have.

[00:08:46] The right or the participants have the right to say, you know, hey, I want to do this, but not that I changed my mind or, you know, this. This far is far enough and not anymore. We respect [00:09:00] everybody's sense of agency and engagement and adventure.

[00:09:09] Dave Papineau (Host): Jack Curry is another person who works to implement outdoor equity funding. 

[00:09:14] Jack Curry: I, I grew up in, you know, the outdoors is something that's really core to who, who I am as 

[00:09:18] Dave Papineau (Host): a person. Jack Curry is the Executive Director of Riverside Education Centers, or REC, in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

[00:09:26] Jack Curry: Um, and I think I had such wonderful opportunities at a young age in a community of, of people.

[00:09:31] I didn't, I didn't grow up here in a similar way, so I'm, uh, also a transplant off the East Coast. I grew up in New Jersey. 

[00:09:38] Dave Papineau (Host): Jack's passion and experience with the outdoors drives his desire to provide quality after school programming centered on outside experiences. 

[00:09:46] Jack Curry: Um, you know, overnight kayaking trips in the Pine Barrens or, uh, hiking up the, the biggest peak we could find, which was, uh, you know, 1100 feet, uh, Mount Tammany, uh, up at the Delaware, uh, Water Gap.[00:10:00] 

[00:10:00] But, uh, very, very quickly, uh, you know, through, through some opportunities, I had to do some, some guiding work, uh, recognize that, yeah, getting, getting people outside that didn't have that, that don't just inherently have that opportunity, don't inherently have that desire, uh, was, was going to be a major driver.

[00:10:17] Uh, yeah, I, I, I work now at an organization that, Uh, we're, we're an afterschool program, right? Is is the core of, of what we do. So we served, uh, just over 1400 students, uh, last year across Mesa County.

[00:10:34] You know, rec, rec is what I'll call it, you know, an acronym. Riverside Education Centers, um, really grew up out of this. idea that, uh, that a strong and structured academic after school program can help bridge that gap and just be that extra shot of equity for kids that, um, do due to no fault of their own, go home to different circumstances, right?

[00:10:57] Uh, you know, our public education system in so many [00:11:00] ways is supposed to be this great driver of equity that you're entitled to the same level of education regardless of the household that you come from. Uh, there's a lot of reasons that we don't necessarily meet that mark all the time, but, uh, but certainly, uh, you know, rec, rec started because we had a, a teacher here in the valley.

[00:11:16] Uh, saw that, you know, she had a group of specifically Latino students in her classroom that were, were falling behind, not because they weren't just as smart, not just as capable, but because they went home to different circumstances than, than other students.

[00:11:35] Dave Papineau (Host): Jared said the Outdoor Equity Grant Program is designed for organizations exactly like Women's Wilderness and Riverside Education Center. 

[00:11:43] Jared Bynum: So, organizations that are eligible to receive grants are, uh, government, uh, government institutions like schools, uh, existing, uh, state partner organizations, non profits that are doing this work, directly getting kids outside, uh, businesses like Outdoor [00:12:00] Recreation Outfitters, uh, who can expand their work to include, uh, more youth of color, uh, more youth who historically haven't had those opportunities.

[00:12:09] Dave Papineau (Host): And indeed, both Jack and Christie's organizations have benefited immensely from outdoor equity funding provided by the state of Colorado. They shared some of their experiences of how the funding has improved their programs, or in some cases made the programs possible in the first place. 

[00:12:23] Kriste Peoples: It helps us really connect to youth in ways that not only encourage more participation in school and self confidence and team building and body confidence, but it also helps It also helps girls connect to each other.

[00:12:47] So one of our programs that is primarily funded, or largely funded, through the Outdoor Equity Grant is Outdoor Girls. And that program works with newcomers, [00:13:00] uh, to the United States, and it helps them really accl acclimate in a way that is affirmative, meaning that it Again, meets them where they are. The outdoor equity grant really helps us, uh, provide opportunities for them to speak in their, um, in their first language.

[00:13:23] So that might mean we can, uh, bring in translators also allows for us to provide them with snacks. For after school programming, um, some of our programming happens during the school hours. And so that means that all the work that we have done through this programming to reach out to newcomer girls means that we have.

[00:13:52] built, really trusting relationships with the schools that we serve. The grant funding has allowed us [00:14:00] to really spend time cultivating those relationships, because it's not just about going and saying, hey, I have this program, we're gonna, we're gonna inflict this program on the girls, and it's like locked and loaded, and we're just gonna go do it.

[00:14:16] Having funding that allowed us to really set it up, build trust, and Uh, activate these relationships with school officials and teachers has been a tremendous part of our success. It's also giving, giving the teachers, uh, a fair amount of support. To have a place where we can have nature engagement, also the social, emotional, um, skill sets that we're, that we're also teaching through these programs and having the backing of the [00:15:00] administrations, um, at these different places of learning.

[00:15:04] It's, it's huge. 

[00:15:07] Jack Curry: It, uh, you know, something that you say, Christy, that really resonated with me was this idea of. You know, they're being this upstart period to build trust and build community with schools and educators. Um, and I, and I feel like that is, has been one of the great strengths of, of rec, right?

[00:15:23] Being around since 2006, uh, you know, our, our program model is K 12, right? So if we're in a high needs high school, we want to be in all those high needs, middle schools that feed that high school. And then all those high needs elementary. So we have a number of students that have been with us. Um, you know, since they were second and third graders introduced these things that are now, you know, seniors in high school or even in college.

[00:15:45] And, um, you know, one of the things that we've always done is we have these little pop up opportunities, right? That, oh, you know, somebody's grandma's aunt has a property. We can go for a hike on there or, oh, somebody has an [00:16:00] interest to take us out on, on the river for the day and let's go out rafting, right?

[00:16:04] And so, so we've always had these little pop up opportunities to do that. But. You know, based on, we're, we're a free program, right? So we fundraise every, every dollar. This is, you know, an opportunity for our kids and families that they don't, you know, is no cost to them. Um, and so we're always prioritizing, right?

[00:16:20] If, if what's really core to our mission is the academic success of kids and making sure, because that is the best avenue for their social mobility, is to make sure they make it through. Uh, high school with a post secondary plan and some options ahead of them. That's always where we're going to prioritize.

[00:16:35] And so some of this outdoor stuff that we knew in its own right, had incredible, incredible value from a mental health perspective, from a physical health perspective, from a sense of place, from community building, all these awesome things just kind of got left to opportunity based. It's cool in the years we can do it.

[00:16:49] It's, it's not going to happen on the years that we have to make sure we're there to make, you know, to get kids homework done. So what Outdoor Equity has done for us is allowed us to take some of these things that we've [00:17:00] piloted over the years. We, you know, we got to set a cross country skis donated from a really generous donor.

[00:17:06] Um, but you know, then you got to have the meals and the staff time and the busing and all those things to get kids up there. Um, and, and so what it's allowing us to do is to take some of these things that have worked in isolation and now take them system wide for us. Right. So now instead of, you know, three or four different trips up onto the Grand Mesa National Forest to go cross country skiing, we're going to do 12 or 15, you know, now, instead of doing one of our, one of the components of our program or family engagement events, so we'll get all the families together, maybe 100 or 120 people for a dinner.

[00:17:39] It might be a picnic outside. Um, you know, well now we're going to be able to provide transportation over one of the state parks along the Colorado River and make that a fishing day, right? So, and you know, that work two years ago was fantastic and now we get to sort of scale that across our system.

[00:17:53] Dave Papineau (Host): Dedicated funding for these programs ensures they're not only durable but effective and collaborative. 

[00:17:58] Kriste Peoples: And [00:18:00] one of the things that we are very excited about in our programming is that. We get to collaborate with the participants to find out what they want. Where do you want to go? What do you want to be learning?

[00:18:15] And that helps to deepen not only their engagement in our programming, but it also helps to provide A channel for them to keep coming back, um, through the programming. So maybe they, they age out after they go through middle school or they get into high school and they come back maybe as mentors supporting other people who are coming up through the program.

[00:18:44] So out the Outdoor Equity Fund has allowed us to provide a little bit of a stipend for Those participants who are coming back to support the work that supported them through their early years here. And so that's a wonderful [00:19:00] outcome for this grant funding. It allows us to identify a need. pilot a program and really get the buy in from the participants so that it can grow organically.

[00:19:14] Dave Papineau (Host): Jared explains some of the design goals behind delivering funds to organizations like Jack and Christie's. 

[00:19:19] Jared Bynum: The goal behind supporting these types of programs is twofold. First, we are equipping the next generation of Colorado recreationists, conservationists, and sportsmen and women with the kinds of experiences that can foster a lifelong love of the outdoors.

[00:19:33] Second, by being inclusive of not only youth, but their families as well, grant recipient organizations can expand their offerings to parents and siblings. 

[00:19:41] Dave Papineau (Host): He highlighted the need to build accessibility in the outdoors, but also to build sustainable Long term access to the outdoors. These strategies include parental buy in and family engagement.

[00:19:51] Jared Bynum: So they are just as informed about trail etiquette, edible plants, cold weather clothing, permit reservations, how to find the best parking, and every [00:20:00] other tip and trick you can think of. This whole family approach ensures that even after the year or two of grant funding wraps up, these kids can go home to a household that is equipped to keep taking them outside.

[00:20:12] Dave Papineau (Host): He says family engagement and family buy in is one of the biggest barriers these programs see when expanding beyond just a one time outdoor experience. 

[00:20:21] Jared Bynum: A really big challenge in this space, uh, is that if you talk to, you know, any kid from Colorado who had the privilege of, you know, doing a, a weekend camping trip or other sort of like guided outdoor activity at school, uh, oftentimes one of the reasons that they'll tell you they didn't end up staying outside or getting back outside later on, uh, is because their families weren't taking them.

[00:20:42] Right? If you're a fourth grader, you don't have a car, you're not going to Rocky Mountain National Park. It really does require, like, that interest in your family, uh, the understanding of how to get there, uh, and a real investment in, you know, wanting to spend that time together. Uh, we were really thinking that as part of this program, if we could be [00:21:00] intentional about how we're building that lifelong kind of like longitudinal engagement, that's really where the effective work is going to happen.

[00:21:06] And that's really how we're going to meet some of these, uh, some of these needs in these underserved communities. 

[00:21:12] Dave Papineau (Host): Christy highlighted her own experiences with that growing up. 

[00:21:15] Kriste Peoples: For me, my mom would like, what are you going, why, who are you going with? What are you doing? Why are you out there in the woods?

[00:21:23] You know, but if mom understands, Then she's going to start, you know, participating in the, in the car pool in like getting the events set up. Maybe she's going to plan a camping weekend for the family and for me and my friends and it changes everything. And that is. a reduction in barriers to nature engagement, just having more awareness.

[00:21:53] Dave Papineau (Host): Christie's program in particular, really met this objective to build programming that includes caretakers and parents. Christy [00:22:00] explained how she sees that in action. 

[00:22:03] Kriste Peoples: Maybe let's say they buy a multi pack of those plastic water bottles. You know, they get more involved in the outdoors and they see what plastics are doing and they see the littering and all that stuff.

[00:22:15] You know what, we're going to buy the. We're going to get one of those big containers and we're going to go refill it at the grocery store where it's filtered and it's, you know, and then I'm going to tell my extended family and you just see how it ripples out exponentially when, when the whole family is involved.

[00:22:36] I'm, I'm. So excited for youth to be interested and engaged, but you get those parents involved, cultivating the education and the excitement for it. It's a whole different game. 

[00:22:53] Dave Papineau (Host): There are numerous benefits from the Outdoor Equity Programs. Some of them we've already discussed, and some of them are a bit more nuanced.

[00:22:59] [00:23:00] Jack said some of the less discussed benefits are developmental. By going outside, often children and students have the opportunity to learn life lessons that are not taught in the classroom. 

[00:23:11] Jack Curry: You know, if you're, if you're camping in You're going to insist on keeping the rain tarp off or not, you know, tuck in the rain tarp on the side or any of those, uh, any of those little things and then you wake up in the morning and your feet are wet and cold.

[00:23:24] Like, yeah, we're fine. We're next to the car. You got extra socks. It's not a big deal, but, but, but that cause and effect, um, and making sure, you know, giving, giving safe opportunities. Um, but you know, I think the, the outdoors does such a good job at, um, at offering, you know, At least in the way that, that, that we're sort of talking about it and breaking down barriers and allowing people to access nature under their own terms.

[00:23:49] Um, it offers so many sort of safe environments to, to learn that cause and effect, um, and to be in your challenge zone in a, in a, in a really nice way. 

[00:23:58] Kriste Peoples: For any of us, if [00:24:00] we're traveling in a group, if we're going out in a group, if we're camping, if we're backpacking, if we're running, if we're doing anything, one of the first things we know is that we have to rely on each other.

[00:24:11] Right? Like that's just, that's just it. It's a great leveler. Nature doesn't care how much education you have, how much money you have. Doesn't matter what language you speak. And Nature has a lot to teach us now people coming from different lived experiences like I just spoke about, you know, coming from the East Coast coming from, you know, being a flat lander relocating to Colorado, it was a whole new thing outdoor recreation meant something entirely different than what I was used to.

[00:24:46] And now we have people coming from entirely different. Cultures coming in to, you know, climb a 14 or coming in to take a hike, you know, at Red Rocks [00:25:00] or whatever, they are coming with very different lived experiences. I'll give you an example. So we had, um, we have a program called, uh, outdoor women, which is newcomer women, um, who also, um, want to have an outdoor experience.

[00:25:19] So we were, we had our leaders taking them out on a hike and our leaders started to point out the different flora and fauna, uh, on the trail. And they started sharing about the names that they called the plants and what the medicinal purposes were and what it was known for in their home countries. And so that right there.

[00:25:42] is a huge learning opportunity for us all. Hey, we know, we know a lot and you also know a lot and we can benefit from that shared experience of being out together, moving in these spaces [00:26:00] that are so, that are familiar to us, but unfamiliar to others and so we get to see it through fresh eyes. We get to come back with new information and and new skills.

[00:26:10] And so it's not just something that we're doing for them. We also get to learn alongside them. And that's another, that's another aspect of just the way that we do things at Women's Wilderness. Learning from each other rather than thinking we are the ones to impose all the learning on other people. The other thing is that learning from People who are different than us is all, it's always beneficial because it rounds out our education.

[00:26:43] It gives us something more to think about and build on that we didn't have before.

[00:26:52] Dave Papineau (Host): Even as an adult, I can think of numerous lessons landscapes have taught me that I was forced to pay attention to. Christie also talked about how those lessons can [00:27:00] run deeper and provide students with the tools they need to navigate complex issues like body positivity and self confidence. 

[00:27:07] Kriste Peoples: You know, for one of our programs, it's Girls Lead for Life, and it's a rock climbing program.

[00:27:13] And we hear from the participants after they go through this program, like 10 to 13 weeks. They learned about body confidence. They learned that you know, instead of being, um, reactive to what other people thought about them or what they thought about themselves or their bodies or whatever, they learned that they can rely on themselves.

[00:27:43] They learn that they can. Use their voice because in rock climbing, you have to use your voice. If you're speaking to your belayer, if you're, you know, yelling down those commands or yelling them, yelling up those commands, you have to be in communication. And we also hear a lot of [00:28:00] times from the caregivers and parents.

[00:28:02] Well, now, you know, she has a lot more patience for her. siblings. She is speaking up and doing a lot better in school. She is more confident. 

[00:28:14] Dave Papineau (Host): The outdoors offer an opportunity to learn life skills holistically and intuitively. Those experiences are the ones that might be taken for granted, but are foundational for setting up students for success.

[00:28:25] Jack also pointed out a few more benefits he sees as an educator. 

[00:28:30] Jack Curry: I work and live in a school district that is sort of spearheading the cell phone policies like a uniform cell phone policy for schools. But this idea of like long focus and the important of staying focused on something over time, um, is is one of the things that I find such value in in the outdoors, right?

[00:28:51] If if you're trail running or you're mountain biking and you take your eyes off that trail for a Second, um, you can put yourself in a bad way pretty [00:29:00] quickly. Same thing with skiing, same thing with climbing, same thing with so many of these things. And, um, and I think being in those environments that demand your attention and demand your focus over a long period of time does, does, massages my brain in a beautiful way.

[00:29:14] And I love seeing that, um, in our, in our kids as well as, right, you get kids that have a really hard time staying focused in the classroom and you put them in these environments that really require their attention for more than six years. You know, a six second snippet. Um, and they just, they thrive. 

[00:29:31] Kriste Peoples: I think it also benefits us by expanding the conversation and learning more about the land and how we can, how we can really access, uh, our, our right to be on it and.

[00:29:56] Recreate in ways that [00:30:00] honor the lands and and learn more about the traditions of people who have been here before us understand how we can take care of it so that so that it's here for future generations. I think that, that absolutely benefits all Coloradans. We learn about different ways to engage as well.

[00:30:20] And again, nature is a great equalizer. You know, um, it's a great way to come together and to, to learn about, um, new ways to engage as well. So I think You know, even though it seems like most people or a lot of people already understand and you know, recreate on the lands and engage in all these deep ways, being new to Colorado, it might seem like everybody's doing it, but everybody's Not doing it.

[00:30:56] And so through programs like through [00:31:00] grant programs like this, it allows more people a chance to participate and share in the ways that maybe they grew up doing it. And that helps other people learn about it. Like I said, with outdoor women from other countries coming in, teaching us how they did it. I think that just that bodes well for everybody because we get to learn and grow together.

[00:31:26] And it, and it also opens up the creativity for us all to learn how, learn new ways of caring for these places that we'd love to.

[00:31:39] Dave Papineau (Host): On top of those qualitative benefits, Jared had some quantitative numbers to back up the positive impacts of outdoor equity programming. He says outdoor equity has awesome impacts on the culture of outdoor spaces, but it's also just good for business. 

[00:31:54] Jared Bynum: But when we're talking about getting more people into Colorado's outdoors, when we're talking about equality, equipping [00:32:00] more youth to become lifelong, uh, you know, folks who are spending their time in the outdoors, who are contributing to our outdoor recreation economy, uh, we're seeing big impactful numbers, uh, in the state.

[00:32:12] To quote the, uh, Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office webpage, uh, our outdoor economy contributes to a higher quality of life, uh, making people and communities happier and healthier. Colorado hosts 22 million acres of public land, over 105, 000 miles of rivers, 690 peaks over 13, 000 feet, and expansive vistas of prairies, mountain valleys, desert canyons, and these spaces are central to Colorado's lifestyle, heritage, identity, and world class recreation.

[00:32:42] And I have to say, the economic figures themselves show just how valuable it is to get Coloradans outside. A recent report released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2023 indicates that Colorado's outdoor rec economy contributed to over 400, 000 jobs, representing about 12 percent of the [00:33:00] state's total employment, over 11 billion in tax revenue.

[00:33:04] 22 billion in salaries and wages, and a total economic impact of about 66 billion. These jobs and these dollars aren't just a critical component of Colorado's statewide economy either. Much of these benefits are distributed around the state, with much of it going into rural and frontier communities who can gain the most out of these kinds of local economic drivers.

[00:33:26] Dave Papineau (Host): One of the biggest reasons to build diverse outdoor communities isn't as obvious on the surface. But it's quite important. 

[00:33:33] Jack Curry: You know, you care about the things that you touch. You care about the things you spend time in. And, you know, our joint public opinion and uh, you know, a lot of these decisions about the future of these resources are going to be made through the ballot box, you know, good, bad, or otherwise, and so right, and so making sure that a critical mass of our population has real hands on experience and understanding of the benefit of these spaces.

[00:33:59] Um, [00:34:00] is, is really, really important for, for all of us.

[00:34:07] Dave Papineau (Host): Outdoor equity can also raise awareness for the value of public lands and why we need to work so hard to protect them. 

[00:34:16] Kriste Peoples: Let's say being in nature together, um, provides you with new ways of understanding what it means to care for the planet, what it means to protect, defend, serve, steward, our open spaces in ways that maybe haven't occurred to you before.

[00:34:39] That means that you're going to be a different kind of participant in the outdoor space. Now being a participant who cares a lot about the outdoors. means that you do want to do, you do want to serve it. You do want [00:35:00] to understand more about how you can protect it and how you can be engaged in that conversation.

[00:35:07] Now, if you're not engaged in that conversation and there are There are other interests that would say, you know, the land, you know, protecting the land isn't so important. We need to extract the resources out of it. There's less, there's less pushback, there's less resistance to that because these voices are not engaged in the conversation, you know, and if you're living in a place where resources are being depleted, there are health, negative health impacts to where you live because of the way certain businesses are behaving.

[00:35:49] The more you learn about how to respond to that and how to get that fixed means it's going to cause a problem from, for somebody who was benefiting from [00:36:00] polluting the land or from, uh, not. Cleaning up behind themselves, you know, so eliminating barriers to nature engagement means that we have a more informed society.

[00:36:14] We have more people who understand what it means to grow. Protect the earth. We have more people who are engaged in the conservation conversation. We have more people who have access to working in those fields. 

[00:36:33] Jack Curry: Something that jumps out to me with this particular topic and something that we talk about often, um, in, in Grand Junction is this idea of a sticky community, right?

[00:36:43] And a sticky education system. And I think one of the things that, um, outdoor equity and experiences in nature provide is a, is a pride and a sense of place. Um, you know, we're, we're four hours from the nearest metropolitan [00:37:00] center, and there's a lot of desert to the west of us, and there's, you know, lots of mountains to the, to the east of us that can, that can feel like a huge barrier and feel really, really isolating.

[00:37:10] Um, and so what we see, you know, so often is, right, once, you know, kids grow up that do have options. Or go to Salt Lake City or they go to Vegas or they go to Denver, right? Like they're moving out of this county, um, because they, they don't necessarily have an appreciation for how beautiful the places that they live.

[00:37:28] And so, um, you know, that, that's one of those things that has a, a, a very clear economic benefit to me for these communities that are able to use some of these funds. Mesa County Grand Junction being one of those, um, is, is building a sense of, a sense of place in our, in our young people. 

[00:37:46] Dave Papineau (Host): When we open up the outdoors to a wider range of people, there's more people who can see the depth of our dependence on our landscapes and why it's so critical that we protect them.

[00:37:57] Jack Curry: You know, yeah, we live just a few miles away from a [00:38:00] national monument, right? And uh, and yeah, I mean, Black Canyon, just two hours, there's a lot of incredible, incredible outdoor activities. A lot of things to be really proud of here. Um, but yeah, in some of our neighborhoods, that's just isn't, that isn't super apparent to you if you're not able to get in those.

[00:38:17] Dave Papineau (Host): How do we keep this important work going? Well, Jared had some answers on that work happening behind the scenes to make sure the Outdoor Equity programs have a long and bright future.

[00:38:29] Jared Bynum: So back in 2021, before we knew just how massive of a success the OEGP would be, we worked with leaders of the Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to initially establish a fairly small program. that would start low and ramp up for a couple of years to an annual cap of three million dollars worth of grants year over year.

[00:38:50] This modest level of funding would provide grants to maybe 30 to 50 organizations annually and would provide the coalition and Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the [00:39:00] needed data to evaluate the efficacy of the program. Like with any new idea for a government grant making program, And starting small is critical.

[00:39:09] If the fund is underutilized, it could attract attention from curious legislators or other agencies during tough budget years who are looking for a quick buck. Especially for new programs, all eyes are on the board and the grant recipients to see just how valuable the impact would be. Ooh, and oh man, have we been blown away by how insanely popular this program has been.

[00:39:31] In the first couple of years since the first grants went out the door, the OEGP has provided 141 grants, resourcing 111 organizations in 51 of Colorado's 64 counties, and has gotten over 43, 000 youth and family members out into nature. Since its inception, more than 40 million in grant requests have been submitted to the board, with the vast majority of applications meeting the eligibility criteria and receiving really high scores for the program [00:40:00] efficacy and scope.

[00:40:01] But despite this success and high demand, only about 8. 5 million dollars in grants have gone out the door. With the most recent grant cycle only funding roughly 14 percent of the total requests demanded, we believe that it's time to right size the grant program, and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission agrees.

[00:40:20] In a recent commission meeting, they correctly observed that another wildly popular CPW grant program funded by the Habitat Stamp Committee distributes funding for about 50 percent of its total grant requests. So, this year, we're fighting to unlock the additional funding necessary to right size the Outdoor Equity Grant Program, and to ensure that more grant applications are funded, supporting programs that make it so that more kids than ever before can get outside and experience the mountains.

[00:40:46] Forests, dunes, slopes, and canyons that make Colorado so quintessentially Colorado. 

[00:40:53] Dave Papineau (Host): Some more good news is that Colorado isn't the only state with the opportunity to build out funding to empower outdoor equity initiatives. [00:41:00] Nevada and New Mexico also have outdoor equity funding bills going through the legislature in 2025.

[00:41:09] As families grow more disconnected from nature, it's more important than ever to get children outside to ensure they reap nature's benefits. 

[00:41:17] Jared Bynum: What's great is that not only does this funding already exist, but it exists in a place within the state constitution and state statute that requires it to be used for a narrow set of conservation, wildlife, state park, and outdoor recreation purposes, just like the Outdoor Equity Grant Program.

[00:41:32] And more good news! Over the past several years since the program was created, three new state laws benefiting Colorado Parks and Wildlife have increased their operating budget by a projected hundred million dollars year over year through a new and innovative state parks pass program alongside new fees on oil and gas production.

[00:41:52] Altogether, these massive revenue spikes leave considerable wiggle room to free up the necessary cash in order to meet the demand for outdoor [00:42:00] equity grants without pulling funding from other critical state conservation work.

[00:42:09] Dave Papineau (Host): We think these initiatives are important, not just for the inherent value of strengthening the outdoor culture of the West, and opening gateways for youth to get outside, but for empowering the next generation of leaders and advocates. 

[00:42:22] Jared Bynum: And a big part of the idea here is that by being inclusive of a wide variety of entities, we can make sure that these grants were deployed directly where they were needed the most, and directly to the organizations that were doing this work the best.

[00:42:37] Um, a lot of groups maybe don't have a super formal, uh, you know, large structured, uh, non profit organizations or other types of businesses. Especially if you're looking at, say, like an after school program, um, you know, at an elementary school that's hosted by a teacher. Uh, when we're reducing the paperwork burden, when we're reducing You know, a lot of the formal requirements here [00:43:00] and focusing really on the impact of the program that ensures that, you know, the entire spectrum of folks who are doing their best to get kids outside, uh, can access these resources.

[00:43:13] Dave Papineau (Host): The more people that know about and connect to these landscapes, that know about the threats they face, and what solutions are available, the more voices there are to speak out and protect them. 

[00:43:23] Kriste Peoples: There's a lot of fear right now, and You know, with these various grant programs and funding, um, you know, we don't know from one moment to the next what's going to happen, um, who holds the fate of our programs and our jobs and our organizations, who holds it in their hands, but I would say that one thing that's inspiring me right now is The communities and the people that we serve.

[00:43:59] We [00:44:00] know that our work makes an impact. And we are seeing support from our community. That aspect of the community supporting each other really inspires, inspires us. Somebody's got to do the work. I think it's up, it's up to us. And I am increasingly encouraged by What I am seeing from the people that we serve.

[00:44:30] Jack Curry: Yeah, I'll jump in with a similar message. You know, I feel, and Christy, this is kind of what you're saying, is like, I feel so fortunate. Um, to be able to feel like the work that I do on a day to day basis is, is working in the direction of a world I want to see and I want my kids to see. Um, and so, you know, I'll throw a, a small call to action out there, right?

[00:44:52] For anybody that's listening to this is, you know, go into your communities. Every one of these communities has some great organizations doing, doing great [00:45:00] work. We need bike mechanics, right? Go find, you know, go find something similar in, in your community where, you know, you're able to, that, that old anecdote, right?

[00:45:11] You know, action is the cure to anxiety, right? And so, so find an opportunity to, um, you know, give, give yourself some long focus, right? Get off of social media and, uh, and, and find a, a place and a vessel for, for some of that energy and

[00:45:36] Dave Papineau (Host): We can't let kids miss out on the power of the outdoors. To empower more youth to know the landscapes of the West is to empower the next generation of climate advocates. If you'd like to learn more or support the work that Jack and Christy do, you can find more about their organizations, Riverside Education Centers and Women's Wilderness, respectively, in the show notes.

[00:45:59] [00:46:00] You can also learn about Jared's work with Next 100 Colorado in the show notes. If you want to track our progress on the funding in the outdoor equity programs, and want updates on what the state legislatures in the West are doing, Especially in a time when state level action is a pretty important method of action, you can join our email list.

[00:46:20] We'll be sending you updates and opportunities for you to support key initiatives throughout the legislative session.

[00:46:36] Did you like what you've heard? Bring others into the conversation. Share our show with friends, family, and group chats alike. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and LinkedIn to get the latest climate news from the West and hear about upcoming episodes.

[00:46:52] You can find all of our show notes. A full transcription of this episode and further resources to learn about outdoor equity in the West at [00:47:00] westernresourceadvocates. org. Lastly, WRA would like to thank our sponsors who make this work possible. Our Impact Sponsor is First Bank. Our Premier Sponsor is Vision Ridge Partners.

[00:47:11] Our Supporting Sponsors are BSW Wealth Partners, GoCo, Group 14 Engineering, Jones Co, Meridian Public Affairs, and Solup. Thank you for listening.