14ERS CENTENNIAL VISIONING February 2023 Statewide Forum Report FORUM PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES
PROJECT MISSION The 14ers Centennial Visioning Project aims to create a lasting statewide coalition that works together on:
Over one hundred participants gathered on February 21, 2023, for
• Developing a shared, statewide
a half-day online workshop to explore ways to ensure Colorado’s
vision for meeting trail sustainability,
14ers remain healthy, accessible, and carefully sustained. Hosted by the National Forest Foundation and Envision Chaffee County, and facilitated by the Civic Canopy, the forum allowed diverse
resource protection, and outdoor recreation access goals at the most popular 14ers.
stakeholders from across Colorado to assess and revise a draft
• Supporting locally focused
vision statement and engage in deeper dialogue on the tensions
approaches to implementing that
and gaps that stand in the way of bringing that vision to life. Emily Olsen from the National Forest Foundation welcomed participants to the day and explained that the purpose for the Forum is to provide an opportunity to weave together the many
vision through concrete plans that balance competing needs. • Securing long-term, sustainable funding to care for Colorado’s 14ers.
existing related efforts into a shared vision and a common framework for identifying solutions. Steve Lohr, Deputy Regional Forester for the US Forest Service, thanked the many organizations
Attendees by Sector
who have built successful partnerships working on the 14ers in Colorado, and pledged the Forest Service’s continued commitment to leverage this visioning process that funding from GOCO has made possible.
RESPONDING TO THE VISION The participants were presented with a draft vision statement
Trails & Wilderness (40%)
created by a core planning team and divided into breakout rooms
Forest Service/BLM (38%)
to provide feedback and assess what resonated, what was missing
Regioinal Wildlife Management (7%)
and what could be improved. The draft vision statement presented at the Forum included the following elements:
Outdoor Equity (4%) Alpine Resources (4%)
•
Peak appropriate, sustainable trails
•
Equitable access
•
Beneficial relationship with host communities
•
Enjoyable peak appropriate experiences
•
Thriving wildlife, healthy alpine plants, clean waters
Youth Perspectives (3%) Search and Rescue (3%) Indigineous Perspectives (1%)
In general, participants appreciated the emphasis on seeing each 14er as unique; affirmed the emphasis on equitable access; underscored the interconnectedness of the mountains, people 1|Page