Annex 1: Abbreviations and Acronyms

  • ACVB: Alamosa Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • BLM: Bureau of Land Management
  • CCI: Colorado Creative Industries
  • CEO: Colorado Energy Office
  • CFEA: Colorado Festivals and Events Association
  • CO-OP: Colorado Outdoor Partnership
  • CPW: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  • CTO: Colorado Tourism Office
  • DMO: Destination Management/Marketing organization
  • GOCO: Great Outdoors Colorado
  • GRSA: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
  • HORC: Huerfano County Outdoor Recreation Coalition
  • OEDIT: Office of Economic Development and International Trade
  • RTAP: Rural Technical Assistance Program
  • SBDC: Colorado Small Business Development Center Network
  • ScSEED: Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development
  • SCTC: Saguache County Tourism Council
  • SLCVEC: San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council
  • SLV: San Luis Valley
  • SLV GO!: San Luis Valley Great Outdoors
  • SLVTA: San Luis Valley Tourism Association
  • USFS: United States Forest Service

    Annex 2: Destination Stewardship Partners

    Government Agencies

    Colorado benefits from vast expanses of public lands, including those within the Mystic San Luis Valley region. Leading efforts to protect natural and cultural resources and promote responsible recreation on these lands are state and federal land management agencies.

    • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
    • Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)
    • National Park Service (Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve)
    • U.S. Forest Service (USFS) (Rio Grande/ Saguache Ranger District)

    Regional Municipalities and Counties

    The Mystic San Luis Valley travel region is comprised of the following cities and counties:

    • Cities: Alamosa, Antonito, Blanca, Conejos, Creede, Crestone, Cuchara, Del Norte, Fort Garland, La Veta, Moffat, Monte Vista, Mosca, Saguache, San Luis, South Fork, Villa Grove, Walsenburg
    • Counties: Conejos, Costilla, Huerfano, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Mineral, Saguache.

    Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative

    Several Colorado Regional Partnerships are active in the region, each with varying missions and project scopes. These collaborations bring together land managers, conservation organizations, and recreation user groups, all committed to protecting, restoring, and stewarding habitats.

    • San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!) was originally formed in 2013 as a coalition by a group of citizens, educators, and community leaders who recognized the opportunity to enhance recreational experiences, improve wellness, and connect the communities across the six-county region of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. SLVGO! works collectively with nonprofits, businesses, federal agencies, and municipalities to improve health and quality of life via trails and outdoor recreation in the San Luis Valley.
    • Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition – builds on the collaborative efforts to create Fishers Peak State Park.
    • San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council (SLCVEC) fosters an understanding of complex ecosystems and the constructive interplay between human cultures and the natural world. SLVEC embraces and promotes the preservation of beauty, biodiversity, and the health of the San Luis Valley and upper Rio Grande region. SLVEC provides education, stewardship practices, community investment, and public policy advocacy efforts.

    DMOs and Local Tourism-Related Organizations

    The Mystic San Luis Valley region boasts a diverse array of organizations and initiatives focused on advancing destination stewardship. Many of these organizations work locally and often partner with municipal governments. This list is not exhaustive, as numerous emerging efforts involve collaboration among multiple DMOs, local and county governments, state and federal land managers, and other non-profit organizations.

    Alamosa Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) drives visitor demand through marketing and tourism management activities. ACVB or “Visit Alamosa” is funded by a county-collected lodging tax of 2% as well as a marketing district tax.

    Bureau of Land Management San Luis Valley Field Office manages nearly 500,000 acres of public land in Colorado’s Rio Grande Basin. The public lands managed by the BLM’s San Luis Valley Field Office present myriad ecosystems; from alpine desert to the majestic Sangre de Cristo Wilderness on the eastern side of the Valley.

    Conejos County Tourism promotes the southwestern corner of the region as the last frontier of Colorado. This effort is funded by county lodging tax with oversight from a county-appointed board.

    Creede/ Mineral County Chamber of Commerce represents over 100 members (including businesses, individuals, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and associations) that have come together to develop the economy of Mineral County while working to preserve those community and environmental features.

    Creede and Mineral County Lodging Tax Panel provides oversight and coordination of tourism promotions including distribution of lodging tax for marketing opportunities and operates as a county commissioner-appointed board of volunteers.

    Creede and Mineral County Tourism/Visitor Center The Creede/Mineral County Chamber of Commerce is an organization representing over 100 members—businesses, individuals, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and associations—which have come together to develop the economy of Mineral County while working to preserve those community and environmental features.. The Chamber oversees the visitor center.

    Cuchara Mountain Park is a community-based, nonprofit-operated outdoor recreation area created through grassroots efforts to renew a special area that was left abandoned in the year 2000.

    Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (GRSA) protects over 100,000 acres in the Sangre de Cristo mountains within the San Luis Valley of Colorado. It was originally designated a national monument in 1932 to protect its dunes from gold mining and sand extraction for cement, but for millennia before the designation, Indigenous communities have viewed the sand dunes as a sacred place. The park contains the tallest dunes in North America at over 750 feet tall. The rugged mountain range provides a dramatic backdrop to the dunes with peaks soaring to over 14,000 feet.

    Highway of Legends Scenic Byway Committee is a volunteer board that provides oversight for the 82-mile National Scenic Byway, National Forest Scenic Byway, and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Huerfano and Las Animas counties.

    Huerfano County Tourism Board markets the county as a tourism destination and supports the quality of life for residents by bringing visitors to the county, having a positive impact on the local economy while preserving the environment and culture. The county is promoted as Spanish Peaks Country.

    La Veta Creative District is a designated Colorado Creative Industries creative district that operates with the mission to inspire and cultivate the diverse rural community through the development of the arts and creative industries.

    Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic Byway Committee is a volunteer stakeholder board providing oversight to the 129-mile byway that explores the wide and flat expanse of the valley floor that served as a gateway into Colorado for Spanish explorers arriving from the south. As a result, the state’s oldest communities are found here.

    Rio Grande Country Tourism provides oversight of the county lodging tax tourism fund. The purposes of the funding are restricted to advertising and promoting tourism for the benefit of those unincorporated areas and municipalities from which the lodging tax originated. The Rio Grande County Tourism Board is composed of members involved in the tourism industry representing Monte Vista, Del Norte and South Fork and their surrounding areas, and meets monthly to develop and implement strategies to market Rio Grande County as a tourist destination.

    Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development (ScSEED) supports community efforts in Saguache County, Colorado. Founded in 1999, ScSEED’s mission is to build a strong community, protect the environment, and develop a sustainable economy.

    Saguache County Tourism Council (SCTC) operates as the destination marketing and management organization for Saguache County, funded with a 1.9% lodging tax collected by the county.

    South Fork Visitor’s Center is a department of the Town of South Fork providing visitor information resources and the coordination of destination marketing.

    San Luis Valley Tourism Association (SLVTA) fosters greater collaboration for the region as a partnership of industry tourism organizations and private businesses.

    Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Coalition aims to help local municipalities and county governments with adopting strong new lighting ordinances and encouraging responsible lighting practices throughout the region. The coalition partners, led by SLV GO!, also provide dark sky education and outreach to inspire people to connect to the night sky and increase engagement in night sky preservation.

    Silver Thread Scenic Byway Committee provides oversight of the scenic byway that follows State Hwy 149 from South Fork at the southern end through Creede, Lake City and ends at US Hwy.50 just west of Gunnison.

    Huerfano County Tourism Board follows the mission to enhance the quality of life for residents by bringing visitors to the county, positively impacting the economy while preserving the environment and culture. The tourism board promotes the county as Spanish Peaks Country.

    NGOs, Academia and Community Entities

    Below is a list of other groups, organizations and entities in the Mystic San Luis Valley travel region currently engaged in resource stewardship at a community or county level. It is important to note there are many other public and private sector individuals and organizations supporting the work of the listed entities as well as championing other initiatives.

    • Adams State University
    • Creede Arts Council
    • Crestone Artists
    • Fox Theatre Walsenburg
    • Heart of Saguache
    • La Veta Creative District
    • Museum of Friends
    • Mystic Valley Arts Council
    • Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development (ScCEED)
    • Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area
    • San Luis Valley Development Resource Group and Council of Governments
    • San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District
    • South Fork Music Association
    • Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition
    • Spanish Peaks Arts Council
    • The Range, Saguache
    • Valley Roots Food Hub
    • Valley Roots Local Food Coalition