Open Lands Rivers and Trails Advisory Committee

All meetings are open to the public, please click here to view the Advisory Committee meeting schedule.

Purpose of the Open Lands, Rivers and Trails Fund:

• Keeping water in the Colorado River and other rivers for agriculture, ranching and outdoor recreation.
• To the protection, conservation, and acquisition of agricultural lands, natural areas, scenic open lands, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and river access.
• To the maintenance of hiking and biking trails.

Click here to see a list of open lands, rivers, and trail projects awarded to date.

Click here to view a report of 2022 accomplishments.

Open Advisory Committee Positions:

• Open positions include: District 1, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Grand Lake representatives.
• To qualify, you must be a resident of Grand County, preferably residing in District 1, Hot Sulphur Springs, or Grand Lake.
• Submit questions, resume, and letter of interest to olrtac@co.grand.co.us by November 3rd.
• 4-year term starts January 2024.
• Members are not compensated for their services.

Eligible Grant Applicants:

• Grand County, incorporated municipalities located within Grand County, and qualified nonprofit land conservation organizations as defined at 26 U.S.C §170(h)(3) or as accredited to hold conservation easements by the Land Trust Alliance Commission may submit grant applications requesting funding for the following: less than fee interests in real property, fee simple or water rights acquisition.
• Grand County, incorporated municipalities located within Grand County, and nonprofit organizations may submit grant applications requesting funding for the maintenance of hiking and biking trails. Funding for trail maintenance purposes is capped at 15% of the funds available for grant awards.
• Partnerships with municipalities or County can also apply.

Please Read Before Applying:

To apply, please first review the Open Lands Rivers and Trails Bylaws dated December 4th, 2018. These bylaws include General Evaluation Criteria (Attachment II), which all grant applicants should review closely. In addition to reviewing the bylaws, please read the two Resolutions dated August 18th, 2016 and January 26th, 2017.

Grant match is not required but encouraged and considered in the grant ranking criteria.

Open Lands & Rivers Grants Information:

• Grant Ranking Criteria for Open Lands Grants
• Grant Ranking Criteria for River Grants
• Please review section VII.D. in the August 18, 2016 resolution carefully before applying.

Trail Grants Information:

• Please review the information sheet on Trails grants before applying, which can be accessed by clicking here. 
• Grant Ranking Criteria for Trails Grants

Grant Cycles

Spring 2023 Grant Cycle - CLOSED
February 6, 2023: Applications posted
March 10, 2023: Applications due
April 25, 2023: OLRTAC makes recommendations to Grand County BOCC

Fall 2023 Grant Cycle
August 14, 2023: Grant cycle opens
September 15, 2023: Applications due
October 24, 2023: OLRTAC makes recommendations to Grand County BOCC
>>> Fall 2023 grant application can be accessed by clicking here.

Grant Reporting

If you received a grant award you must submit a final grant report as determined by the MOU with Grand County to be considered eligible to apply for the next year's grant cycle.

Click here to download the Grant Report.

Questions?

Contact Anna Drexler-Dreis (Administrator): aldrexler@gmail.com or (970) 531-1171.
Please email completed application(s) and grant report(s) to the Open Lands, Rivers, and Trails Advisory Committee at olrtac@co.grand.co.us. Receive updates by following us on Facebook by clicking here.