Committee questions NFF proposal to use anonymized cell data for visitor‑fundraising; recommends removing $70,000 line item

National Forest Foundation representatives presented April 16 on an amendment to an existing All Lands camping project that would use part of a $70,000 line item to pay for anonymized cell‑phone data and a marketing effort intended to solicit voluntary visitor contributions to a restricted Chaffee County stewardship fund.

Laura (NFF senior director) and Christina Wolf (NFF GIS program lead) explained the proposal’s components: a two‑year pilot that would use a third‑party provider (named in the presentation as Propulso) to analyze anonymized location data, identify visitor origin geographies and visitation patterns, and help NFF’s marketing team target messages to visitors. NFF said it had received a national grant that could be leveraged and proposed using the county line item to cover marketing and to establish a Chaffee‑specific restricted fund administered by NFF or a local foundation.

Committee members asked about privacy, donor cultivation, eligible uses of the restricted fund, and projected return on investment. Christina demonstrated examples from other geographies showing origin maps, visit counts, repeat visitation rates, and demographic aggregates. Laura and Jennifer (NFF) said the marketing would be targeted to non‑local visitors and that any donations would enter NFF’s donor system only if a visitor opted to give and to receive follow‑up communications.

Why it matters: The proposal would pivot county funds toward an experimental visitor‑fundraising approach rather than hiring a locally based development coordinator, which was the original line‑item purpose. Several committee members said they valued diversifying revenue streams but expressed concern that the marketing pilot would feel invasive to visitors, that the proposal differed substantially from the original scope, and that some of the work duplicates capacity other local partners are already building.

Outcome: After extended discussion, the committee reached consensus that the $70,000 line item as proposed was not aligned with the original purpose; members recommended removing that line item from the current grant amendment and returning the funds to the county fund. NFF representatives said they could continue to engage with the county and refine approaches; the committee asked staff to document next steps and ensure any future requests specify expected return metrics and governance of any restricted fund.

Ending: Staff will prepare language for an amendment to remove or reclassify the $70,000 line item and will present that recommendation to the commissioners for final action.