FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/12/13

GOCO Youth Corps Grant Awarded to Del Norte for Connector Trail to Schools

Lookout Mountain Park – Del Norte Schools Connector Trail Project

On December 10th Great Outdoors Colorado announced its fall 2013 grant awards totaling $12,077,700.  The Town of Del Norte was a recipient of funds to build and complete a three-mile natural surface trail in Del Norte’s Lookout Mountain Park.  The trail will connect the Del Norte Schools to the existing Lookout Mountain trails system, providing safe access and recreational opportunities for school students and town residents via foot, bike, equestrian means.

This coming summer the Southwest Conservation Corps from Salida will send a team of eight youth from around the state with two adult leaders. The crew will camp out for two weeks and build this project. USFS and town representatives and staff will interact and share educational information.

The beautiful terrain where this trail is to be built rises above the high school before crossing a saddle and dropping into the small valley adjacent to Lookout Mountain.  The connector trail will also create a loop and incorporate some slick rock, watersheds, a variety of vertical ups and downs with switchbacks, and weave around spruce trees, yucca plants and multitudes of wild flowers.

The new trail has been laid out by Steve Brigham, the US Forest Snow Range and Recreation Specialist with the Divide Ranger District in Del Norte.  Brigham’s trail design has been checked with clinometers to ensure the level of difficulty is challenging yet not too extreme.  In addition, care was taken to insure trail sustainability, protect the environment, and mitigate landscape fragmentation.  Brigham says “the trail will be great,” and he plans to include a “half-pipe in the lower drainage to make things interesting.”

This section of trail within Del Norte’s 200 acre Lookout Mountain Park is part of the 2008 “Del Norte Trails Master Plan,” called The School Trail Plan.  This recreational asset will provide an alternative for after school activities, and opportunities for cross-country team training as well as science, biology and physical education classes.  There has been discussion of teaming with Adams State University to start a bike club/program at Del Norte Schools.

The trail project will be completed before the 2014-15 school year begins.

Funds for this project were awarded by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which receives a portion of lottery funds, to Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) for use by accredited youth corps.  The goal of the program is to employ youth and young adults (ages 14-25) throughout the state on critical outdoor recreation and land conservation projects in partnership with local governments and open space agencies. CYCA announced that 200 Colorado young people will get jobs this summer in 15 counties throughout the state.

Bonnie Asplin
719-657-2827
blasplin@asplinandassociates.com