Nearly ten years ago, local business owners and individuals in the outdoor industry in Mesa County organized themselves as the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition (GVORC). Their aim was to speak with a more unified voice to promote the Grand Valley as a hub for outdoor activities. Despite being an all-volunteer organization, GVORC has put the Grand Valley “on the map” as an outdoor destination. It is one of thirteen coalitions of its kind across the state that works in partnership with Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

The coalition recently unveiled a new strategic plan that incorporated survey feedback from 1,300 local residents, and 64 community and business leaders who participated in roundtable discussions. These surveys revealed that 80% of people who live in the Grand Valley do so because of the access to outdoor recreation amenities. Additionally, feedback from the public led to GVORC updating its mission statement to better reflect the people who live and work here: GVORC works to promote and support the development of a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive outdoor recreation industry, contributing to the Grand Valley’s identity as a world-class place to live, work and play.

The strategic planning process also led to the coalition hiring its first-ever Executive Director, Chandler Smith. Chandler, who was born and raised in Colorado, has been involved in the Colorado cycling industry for close to two decades, running iconic races like Ride the Rockies and Pedal the Plains for many years. He and his wife, Renee, relocated to the Grand Valley because of its many outdoor amenities in 2018 and are currently raising two nature-loving girls.

Learn more about the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition here. 

The city of Grand Junction’s Sustainability Office was recently selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to participate in Heat Watch, a program that supports communities to map urban heat islands. Since 2017, Heat Watch has supported more than 60 communities across the US to “execute a volunteer-based community science field campaign that builds upon local partnerships, engages residents in a scientific study to map and understand how heat is distributed in their communities, and produces high-quality outputs that have been used in city sustainability plans, public health practices, urban forestry, research projects, and other engagement activities.”

The city is looking for volunteers for its first day data-gathering on July 20. You can register for the event and learn more here. 

West Slope Outdoor Volunteers

Collaborative Lands Significant State Funding 

Led by Colorado Canyons Association, in tandem with six founding non-profit partners, West Slope Outdoor Volunteers (WSOV) is a stewardship collaborative dedicated to addressing the increasing need for public and private land stewardship in our region. The group recently received over $50,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado to expand volunteer training efforts and support collaborative projects.

Our Community Foundation provided the initial seed funding several years ago that launched the collaborative. To sign-up for volunteer activities that include everything from Gunnison River clean-up days to bullfrog surveys, visit WSOV website here.