Outdoor-coalition planners seek local input; commissioners warn of outside influence

Keystone Policy Center representatives told commissioners on Feb. 11 that the Northwest Colorado Outdoor Coalition — a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regional partnerships grantee — will spend much of 2025 on listening sessions and a draft recreation and conservation vision for Moffat and Rio Blanco counties.

Keystone staff Kallie King Newman and Christine Zettle described the coalition’s origins (the group began in 2022 with a capacity grant), its recent strategic-planning grant from CPW and an outreach plan that lists listening sessions for recreation users (river, motorized, non-motorized), land use and economic development stakeholders, indigenous and youth groups, and local governments. Keystone said the planning work aims to produce a consensus vision that federal and state funders can use when awarding projects under new regional partnership implementation funds.

Commissioners and residents pressed Keystone and coalition organizers on representation and local control. Commissioner Doug Overton and other local speakers warned that regional partnerships can be driven by outside interests and state agencies, rather than the priorities of Rio Blanco residents. Overton argued the county has already experienced overlapping and competing initiatives and said the coalition must prioritize local voices. Keystone staff said they recognized the concern, noted a gap in Rio Blanco participant representation, and outlined a plan to expand outreach and recruit community “connectors” to ensure local participation in listening sessions.

Keystone noted: the coalition currently meets bimonthly, maintains a steering panel, and intends a year-long public-engagement schedule (listening sessions beginning in spring and continuing through summer/fall 2025) that will inform a draft plan to be finalized in early 2026. The group said it will coordinate in-person site visits, provide community connectors to reach harder-to-reach voices, and pursue implementation grant opportunities for projects identified by the coalition.

Why commissioners objected Commissioners described skepticism that state-directed or state-funded efforts can substitute for locally driven land-use choices. At least one commissioner said the state and outside coalitions have effectively shaped prior outcomes (including public-lands policy and funding priorities) in ways that did not reflect local preferences, and urged coalition leaders to prioritize county residents’ voices first.

Next steps Keystone scheduled listening sessions around the region; commissioners and staff asked Keystone to ensure the coalition holds targeted outreach across both ends of the county and to coordinate with local institutions and organizations for additional in-person meetings.

Why it matters Regional partnerships can influence which projects receive state and foundation money. Commissioners said they welcomed outreach — but asked for guarantees that local needs and priorities, not out-of-area interests, will guide any proposed projects or funding requests that affect Rio Blanco County.