Grant awarded to Red Mountain, Soapstone trails

Two open space projects in Larimer County have received $550,000 in Lottery funds from a competitive grant awarded by the Great Outdoors Colorado Board.

Larimer County and Fort Collins will use the money for part of the $1.3 million Laramie Foothills Trails Development Project, which is building 42 miles of trails and three trailheads at Red Mountain Open Space and Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. Combined, the trails will provide access to 27,000 acres of open space not open to the public previously.

"This was one of our highest ranking projects this grant cycle," said GOCO Board vice chair and former senator Peggy Reeves, a Fort Collins resident. "Larimer County has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and this means that many of our trails and outdoor recreation areas are overcrowded. Development of the Laramie Foothills Trails will fill a crucial need and provide a truly exceptional outdoor experience."

Red Mountain Open Space and the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area were purchased in 2004 as part of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project, a joint effort of Larimer County, Fort Collins, The Nature Conservancy and the Legacy Land Trust to create a mountains-to-plains conservation zone totaling roughly 140,000 acres over 22 miles in the Laramie Foothills and surrounding areas.

In addition to new trails and access to open space for hikers, bikers and equestrians, the Red Mountain and Soapstone areas boast diverse geology that includes rock buttes and formations, grassland vistas, red rock walls, stone circles, and bison jumps and wallows. Additionally, Soapstone provides access to the Lindenmeier Archaeological Site, which was declared a national historic landmark in 1961. Because of the area's rich historic and geologic resources, the city and county secured grants from the State Historic Fund and have studied and inventoried the sites extensively since purchasing them in 2004.

The joint county-city grant application, which earned top ranking, was one of 25 requests adding up to $10 million. GOCO was able to award $3.5 million to seven projects.

Great Outdoors Colorado is the result of a citizens' initiative passed by Colorado voters in 1992. GOCO receives about $53 million annually from Lottery proceeds and directs those funds to projects that protect and enhance Colorado's parks, wildlife, trails, rivers and open space. Since 1994, projects in Larimer County have been awarded more than $30.7 million in GOCO grants.