Mountains and Mesas Priority Strategies

• Facilitate and engage in meaningful discussions with land managers and conservation organizations around sustainable outdoor recreation management to understand issues, identify outreach and educational opportunities, and help foster an ethic of stewardship.
• Engage tourism stakeholders in identifying problematic visitor behaviors and needed stewardship messaging.
• Develop a region-wide, Western Slope stewardship campaign that builds on Do Colorado Right and invites visitors to adopt stewardship values most relevant to the region through the following steps:
• Expand on Do Colorado Right and Care for Colorado Leave No Trace Principles, incorporating guidelines for responsible backcountry vehicle use, backcountry travel etiquette, wildlife respect, and voluntourism. Create incentives for participation such as merchandise or discounts at local businesses,
• Promote stewardship as a shared value and cultural ethic of the region,
• Create a campaign toolkit and encourage businesses and municipalities to share the messaging widely with residents and visitors, and
• Engage local artists to help with creative campaign promotions, merchandise and outreach.
• Develop customized responsible-use Do Colorado Right campaigns for communities with unique visitor behavior concerns. When applicable, utilize similar messaging from Do Lake City Right, Do Palisade Right, and Do Ouray Right.
• Incorporate backcountry safety education and information, such as trailhead signage for avalanche safety.
• Incorporate Stay the Trail and responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) and backcountry vehicle use into stewardship messaging.
• Optimize arrival stewardship messaging by incorporating Do Colorado Right signage in airports as well as on shuttles and public transportation.
• Establish partnerships with local businesses and equip them with a communication toolkit to effectively share Do Colorado Right messaging and other stewardship campaigns throughout the community.
• Increase visitor awareness about wildfire prevention and campfire safety.
• Recruit volunteers and promote participation in habitat restoration projects, trail maintenance events, and voluntourism opportunities.
• Promote guided recreation experiences and encourage visitors to choose these options for added insights on habitat, wildlife, and backcountry travel etiquette.
• Partner with guides and associations to encourage Do Colorado Right messaging and the utilization of the CTO or local DMO’s creative assets.
• Advocate for appropriate permits on public lands while building capacity within land management agencies to issue and manage additional permits effectively.
• Advocate for increased funding for infrastructure needed to support Do Colorado Right messaging and stewardship campaigns such as restrooms, trash cans, and seasonal stewardship corps.
• Amplify calls for action and opportunities to support local and regional conservation and wildlife projects.
• Champion public lands by informing visitors and residents about their value and the distinct roles of various land management agencies, building greater support and understanding.

• Do Palisade Right and Do Ouray Right
• Volunteer and voluntourism promotions at Visit Durango
• American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and Leave No Trace Partnership resources focused on sustainable tourism messaging
• CTO Destination Development programs
• CTO Competitive grants and co-ops
• CTO Do Colorado Right campaign
• Care for Colorado Coalition

The following case studies illustrate examples of this strategy implemented in other communities:

• Do Lake City Right, Do Palisade Right, and Do Ouray Right are examples of customized Do Colorado Right campaigns that address specific, priority behaviors occurring both in destinations and on their surrounding public lands. Interviews with residents, land managers and tourism stakeholders were conducted to identify the visitor behaviors that warranted extra attention and information.
• Telluride and Mountain Village’s How to Visit Right is an example of a responsible use campaign specific to the destination.
• Visit Durango’s Responsible Tourism and Care for Durango pledge represents creative communications and tools for encouraging visitors to be more responsible and to adopt sustainable practices.
• Stay the Trail is a Colorado initiative to encourage responsible OHV use that includes resources for building local campaigns and spreading the message.
• Canyon of the Ancients National Monument has developed communications surrounding respectful visitation when traveling in archeological and culturally sensitive areas.

• Reach and impressions of stewardship campaigns
• Number of destinations joining the Care for Colorado Coalition
• Number of destinations working on customized Do Colorado Right campaigns
• Number of guiding permits issued on public lands
• Number of backcountry vehicle rental companies joining the Care for Colorado Coalition and distributing stewardship messaging
• Number of search and rescue calls and backcountry rescues

Participate in and promote educational campaigns reinforcing the importance of responsible visitation and respectful outdoor behavior among residents and visitors.

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Communities
• 4: Encourage Responsible Visitation in our Communities
• Outdoor Recreation
• • 1: Expand Do Colorado Right on Public Lands
  • 7: Promote Guided Recreation Opportunities
  • 8: Enhance Destination Stewardship through Strategic Partnerships with the Private Sector
  • 10: Provide Education on Responsible Backcountry Vehicle Use

• Collect annual information from CPW and land managers about seasonal closures, access restrictions, and other wildlife-related accommodations.
• Package and share this information with residents and visitors in a clear and accessible format.
• Incorporate Colorado wildlife information and the importance of habitat protection in tourism promotions.
• Showcase the work of land managers, conservation organizations, land trusts, ranchers, and others working to protect wildlife and biodiversity.
• Partner with CPW, homeowners associations (HOA), property managers, and lodging companies to ensure visitors, renters, and residents are aware of bear protocols and appropriate trash management.
• Disseminate consistent Bear Aware and Trash the Trash campaign information across the region.
• Partner with CPW and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and identify wildlife migration paths that cross roads and areas with frequent roadkill.
• Inform travelers, tourism stakeholders, and frontline workers about migration corridors and promote responsible travel in these areas.
• Work with CDOT to increase wildlife crossing signage and adjust speed limits where needed.
• Work with land managers and conservation organizations to promote volunteer habitat restoration projects and to recruit volunteers.
• Leverage the CTO Learning Labs to engage and train tourism professionals in wildlife conservation education while fostering advocacy and stewardship for frontline staff.

• CPW’s Human-Bear Conflict Reduction grant
• CTO Learning Lab online platform
• CPW’s Habitat Partnership program
• CPW’s Wildlife Rehabilitation grants program
• Colorado Wetland partnership
• CPW Ranching for Wildlife program
• Great Outdoors Colorado Grant programs
• Care for Colorado Coalition

The following case studies illustrate examples of this strategy implemented in other communities:

• Do Lake City Right is a customized Do Colorado Right campaign with an emphasis on respecting wildlife and their alpine habitats.
• Wintering Wildlife Conservation Initiative is a Colorado initiative and media toolkit focused on limiting impacts to wintering wildlife.

• Number of habitat restoration projects
• Value of investment in habitat protection and restoration
• Number of human-wildlife conflicts
• Number of wildlife and vehicle collisions
• Reach and impression of wildlife-focused communication campaigns

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Wildlife and Biodiversity
  • 3: Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflicts
  • 4: Champion Wildlife Habitat Protection and Restoration

• Collaborate with local historical societies, historians, Indigenous communities and museums to uncover and share a more comprehensive telling of the region’s cultural heritage.
• Coordinate with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Native American communities in the region to build relationships and partnerships that may lead to the exploration of potential projects.
• Convene a regional workshop with tribal representatives, DMOs, History Colorado, local historians, and land managers to explore opportunities to expand the interpretation and sharing of the region’s Native American culture and history
  
• Host listening sessions with land managers and Indigenous communities.
• Invite Native American guides to create tours and itineraries featuring the region’s cultural sights and natural areas, highlighting Indigenous culture’s relationship to the land and environment.
• Consider Indigenous-language signs for public land destinations and attractions.
• Create and share land acknowledgments.
• Identify and support Native American businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Offer tourism product development training and support to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Native American communities in the region.
• Acknowledge Western settlers’ impacts on the region’s culture and environment in interpretive media.
• Launch an expanded storytelling initiative that features new voices and new, broader perspectives on the Western Slope’s history, culture and people.
• Recruit a diverse range of storytellers, creatives and historians to collaborate with DMOs in sharing the region’s history.
• Work with cultural experts to develop interpretive materials, regional tours, and a traveling exhibit for the region’s visitor centers.
• Enhance visitor-facing websites and trip-planning resources by incorporating more cultural history.
• Identify locations to host Native American artisans interested in selling their wares and promote these Indigenous markets.
• Promote both native-made and locally crafted art and souvenirs.
• Support public art that speaks to the region’s cultural heritage.

• CPW’s Human-Bear Conflict Reduction grant
• CTO Learning Lab online platform
• CPW’s Habitat Partnership program
• CPW’s Wildlife Rehabilitation grants program
• Colorado Wetland partnership
• CPW Ranching for Wildlife program
• Great Outdoors Colorado Grant programs
• Care for Colorado Coalition

The following case studies illustrate examples of this strategy implemented in other communities:

• Do Lake City Right is a customized Do Colorado Right campaign with an emphasis on respecting wildlife and their alpine habitats.
• Wintering Wildlife Conservation Initiative is a Colorado initiative and media toolkit focused on limiting impacts to wintering wildlife.

• Reach and impressions of new, expanded storytelling strategy and other cultural heritage campaigns
• Number of cultural heritage awareness initiatives and projects
• Value of investment to support Native American tourism development and marketing

Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs (CCIA), History Colorado, DMOs, Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, local historic organizations, museums

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Cultural Heritage
• 1: Foster Inclusive Cultural Heritage Partnerships
• 2: Elevate Native American Heritage
• 4: Enhance Awareness of Diverse Cultural Heritage
• Arts and Creative Industries
• 6: Amplify Local Artisan Markets

• Convene a “stewardship and public art session” at the Creative Industries Summit to explore ways in which art can be a change agent, inspiring greater care for the region and state’s resources.

• Commission a local artist to develop a local stewardship icon or identity and associated merchandise. Sales revenue from these items can fund additional stewardship-inspired art.
• Sponsor a stewardship artist-in-residency program.
• Host and curate a Do Colorado Right art exhibit focused on stewardship.
• Develop a guide highlighting resource-based and stewardship-inspired public art and artists across the region.
• Include a stewardship theme or track in local art happenings such as film festivals, art shows, and music festivals.
• Facilitate discussions between conservation organizations and artist groups.
• Build a list of artists and art organizations in the region to share with visitors.
• Connect local environmental artists with destinations or public land managers looking for public art installations.
• Dedicate funding for arts and cultural offerings as a means to maintain local character, promote stewardship and develop unique tourism products.

• Colorado Creative Industries Colorado Creates grants
• Arts in Society grant
• CTO Destination Development programs 
• CTO Competitive grants and co-ops

• Art, Environment and Sustainability is an example of an artist-in-residency program in Paonia produced by Western University, Texas Tech and Elsewhere Studios. Artists are encouraged to explore how art can help foster greater care for the environment.
• North Fork Valley Creative Coalition is a nonprofit managing the Paonia creative district and fostering art and creative expression across three communities.
• Betty Ford Alpine Garden Vail and Denver Botanic Gardens are two locations exhibiting environmental art or art that addresses social and political issues relating to the natural and urban environment.

• Number of artist-led stewardship projects
• Number of arts, film and music festivals highlighting stewardship

Pursue partnerships with local artists and engage with arts-driven projects that creatively address stewardship challenges.

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Arts and Creative Industrie
• 4: Cultivate Artistic Approaches to Stewardship Challenges
• 10: Integrate Art into Outdoor Recreation

CCI, Creative Districts including Crested Butte, Durango Grand Junction, Gunnison, Mancos, Paonia, Ridgway, Telluride

• Showcase the different areas of agriculture, agritourism experiences, unique products, and culinary traditions by creating an illustrative regional agritourism map.

• Create a travel guide showcasing agritourism experiences and itineraries, highlighting local producers in each of the agricultural areas within the region.
• Advocate for statewide marketing of unique agritourism experiences, events, and local food and agricultural zones throughout the state.
• Promote local food sheds and the “eat local” movement by highlighting restaurants that feature locally sourced ingredients.
• Incorporate agritourism in destination marketing to highlight signature products, agricultural experience and events, agricultural history, and farmers markets.
• Host signature culinary events.
• Engage food content creators and food critics to highlight the region’s culinary scene.
• Work with local bike shops and cyclists to identify and promote gravel and road bike routes connecting multiple producers, agricultural operations, and agritourism experiences.
• Collaborate with agricultural producers to develop agritourism experiences and ensure they are visitor-ready.
• Create agritourism development workshops, training, and ongoing coaching for interested producers and agritourism entrepreneurs.
• Offer incentives and financial discounts for farmers to participate in tourism training, conferences, and networking events.
• Facilitate connections between local producers and restaurants interested in featuring local food.
• Develop a signage or wayfinding plan to clearly mark agritourism sites and experiences.
• Support AIANTA efforts to bolster food sovereignty through the cultivation of Indigenous agritourism.
• Leverage the CTO’s public relations team to generate earned media.

• CTO Destination Development programs
• CTO Competitive grants and co-ops
• CTO Learning Lab
• OEDIT’s Small Business Accelerated Growth Program grants
• Colorado Agritourism Association
• Colorado State University Extension
• AIANTA

• Local’s First | Eat Local Month is a business alliance made up of 260+ La Plata County businesses and nonprofit organizations that encourage support for local businesses including local agricultural operators and growers. The alliance sponsors an Eat Local Month and features local restaurants that support the region’s agricultural producers. The month concludes with a fall feast, the Harvest Dinner.
• Palisade Fruit and Wine Byway is an agritourism route and map created by Visit Palisade that links wineries, orchards, farms and other agricultural operations. The Byway features three different routes of varying lengths and visitors are encouraged to travel via bike, vehicle, or to take a tour.
• Valley Organic Growers Association (VOGA) is a nonprofit that represents local growers and promotes agriculture. VOGA maintains a website as well as a physical guide with listings and information on all of its members. The organization also hosts workshops, classes, and tours.

Good Food Collective is a Durango nonprofit dedicated to bolstering the regional food system and food economy of southwestern Colorado. The organization compiles and shares information on local food and agricultural operations. The Good Food Collective is dedicated to strengthening the regional food system of southwest Colorado and addresses food security, food justice and equity.

• Reach and impressions of agritourism marketing campaigns

• Number of pageviews on Colorado.com and DMO websites related to agritourism and Colorado cuisine
• Number of agricultural operations supported
• Increase in agritourism visits
• Number of communities developing agritourism guides
• Number of new agritourism offerings

Promote agritourism and culinary tourism experiences while empowering more agricultural operators to welcome visitors and showcase their products.

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Agriculture, Food, and Liquid Arts

• 8: Promote Agritourism Offerings
• Cultural Heritage
• 10: Highlight Colorado’s Agricultural and Culinary Heritage
• 6: Advance the Development of Agritourism

Colorado Agritourism Association, DMOs

• Develop partnerships and increase collaboration between DMOs, tourism businesses, and local education institutions to support training and entrepreneurship.

• Showcase careers in tourism and share the stories and experiences of local entrepreneurs.
• Recognize the achievements of tourism professionals with annual awards.
• Develop tourism-based courses, curriculum, and programming with local colleges such as Fort Lewis and Western, led by professors and regional tourism champions.
• Foster career advancement for frontline staff workers through the CTO Learning Lab platforms.
• Encourage participation in the Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey to support professional development.
• Recruit tourism industry professionals to participate in job fairs.
• Host tourism field trips and speak in local schools.
• Host tourism entrepreneur networking events and facilitate discussions about regional needs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Host an annual “tourism tournament” modeled after Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to support their local economies and serve their community and visitors, with seed money provided to the winners.
• Work with CPW and other land managers to permit more entrepreneurial activity such as food trucks, equipment rental, guides, and shuttles on state parks and public lands. Build capacity within land management agencies to enable the issuance of additional permits.
• Bolster entrepreneurship and local business by creating a regional or state-wide listing of locally-owned businesses, highlighting their products, services and stories.

• CTO Destination Development programs
• CTO Competitive grants and co-ops
• Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for localized programming
• CTO Learning Lab platforms
• CTO’s Tourism Leadership Journey

• ICELab is Gunnison’s business resource center that serves as a collaboration between Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism and Prosperity Partnership and Western Colorado University to support local entrepreneurship.
• Denver’s Startup Week is a celebration of everything entrepreneurial in Denver to help build a culture of innovation.
• Visit Denver’s Tourism Pays campaign has effectively shown how tourism spending positively impacts businesses and the quality of life for residents throughout the state.

• Number of tourism businesses participating in workforce development programs

• Number of schools and non-profit organizations promoting tourism as a career path
• Number of colleges/universities working with the tourism industry

Foster innovation and collaboration in the tourism sector, bolster tourism entrepreneurs, and showcase the merits of careers in tourism.

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Workforce

• 1: Develop Industry Focused Workforce Strategies
• 8: Promote and Integrate Tourism Career Education in Schools
• 9: Build the Brand of Working in Tourism

Colorado SBDC, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC)

• Advocate for a statewide fund and technical assistance to address the workforce housing crisis.

• Incentivize employers to find or create affordable housing for their employees.
• Create a system and incentives for second-homeowners and short-term rental owners to offer their property as workforce housing.
• Develop a platform that displays affordable housing options for employees including information on housing lotteries.
• Work with local banks to offer regional down payment loan assistance programs.
• Create incentives for private companies to build more workforce housing.
• Convene land managers (BLM, USFS, NPS) and municipalities to look for opportunities to house federal employees and seasonal workers.
• Provide resources and best practices in short-term rental policies.
• Create mechanisms for broader sharing of housing resources from the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) and other community clearinghouses and resource sites for housing inventory.
• Share examples and explore grant and funding opportunities for repurposing underused or unused community infrastructure into housing solutions.

• Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Division of Housing provides housing development specialists, gap funding for acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction projects
• Homeshare is an online home-sharing platform that matches compatible home providers and renters
• Colorado Association of Ski Towns
• 2023 Workforce Housing Report
• Colorado Mountain Housing Coalition partner programs
• Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA)

• Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority, Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County, and NoCo Housing Now are three examples of regional housing organizations working to address housing challenges and increase the supply of affordable housing.
• The Colorado Mountain Housing Coalition collaborates with banks for down payment loan assistance and other housing programs.
• Aspen Skiing Company’s Tenants for Turns program provides ski passes to homeowners who offer rooms or rental properties to the company’s employees.

• Number of new affordable housing solutions aimed at supporting the tourism workforce

• Percentage of the workforce living inside the community in which they work
• Reduced workforce turnover or increased retention rates

Collaborate with local governments and housing authorities to advocate for and support the development of affordable housing solutions

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Tourism Workforce

• 3: Share Solutions to Support Workforce Housing Challenges
• 4: Implement Employer-Assisted Housing Programs

DOLA Division of Housing, local housing authorities

• Promote public transportation and other eco-friendly transportation methods as enjoyable and convenient choices.

• Expand electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging infrastructure to encourage increased use of EVs.
• Assess how visitors move through destinations and evaluate the degree to which they are utilizing bike and pedestrian infrastructure, public transit options, and other modes instead of driving.
• Create car-free guides featuring bike rental shops, shuttle operators, and other alternative transportation options such as trolleys, rickshaws, bike sharing, and carpooling. Include a map of bike paths and lanes, bus schedules, and tips for exploring and enjoying the area on foot or by bike.
• Incorporate alternative transportation modes and car-free experiences into trip-planning resources and marketing materials.
• Provide recommendations for exploring destinations without a car, highlighting sites and experiences easily accessed by bike, on foot, or by public transit.
• Highlight the walkability of towns in destination promotions.
• Incorporate a carbon travel calculator on DMO websites and provide information on offsetting the impacts of travel.
• Promote a full range of multi-modal transportation options for getting to and from regional airports to destinations.
• Explore bike-sharing programs and incentivize lodging providers to provide guests with loaner bikes.
• Create a series of bike tours or routes.
• Promote and celebrate bike culture across the region.
• Engage local trail and cyclist groups in exploring opportunities for bike infrastructure upgrades and linkages.
• Look for opportunities to connect outlying trail systems with towns via bike paths, buses, or shuttles.
• Incentivize travelers to use eco-friendly transportation methods with discounts at local businesses and restaurants.
• Initiate a carpooling system for residents and visitors to access outlying trailheads and other destinations.

• 5 Ways to Travel Without Your Car
• CDOT Office of Innovative Mobility grants
• CTO Destination Development programs
• CTO Competitive grants and co-ops
• Colorado Energy Office (CEO)
• Bicycle Colorado
• OEDIT’s Small Business Accelerated Growth Program Grants to support transportation-related entrepreneurs

• Durango’s River Trail and Colorado Riverfront Trail (Fruita-Palisade) are two examples of recreation paths that facilitate increased bike travel.
• Visit Durango’s Transportation Sustainability Practices suggests ways in which a visitor can embrace greener transport and get around town using eco-minded transportation options.
• Carbon Offset Credits make it convenient for visitors to reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offset credits. Visit Durango features the local carbon offset provider 4Core Carbon Offset Fund.

• Traffic counts on bike paths

• Number of people renting bikes
• Number of people using CDOT’s Bustang Services
• Number of pedestrian and bike pathway infrastructure projects
• Number of carpool programs established
• Number of EV charging stations installed

Support the enhancement of bike and pedestrian infrastructure and promote alternative transportation options to visitors.

This regional strategy aligns closely with the following strategies from the statewide plan:

• Transportation

• 3: Raise Awareness and Ridership of Bustang, Snowstang, and Pegasus Services
• 5: Upgrade Pedestrian and Bike Pathways
• 6: Promote Carpooling for Tourism

CDOT, CEO, Bicycle Colorado, DMOs