Forest health improvements, outdoor recreation management and irrigation system improvements top awards list; restoration grant to support healthier watersheds

May 14, 2024 — The Board of County Commissioners approved $1,616,745 in grant awards to 16 recipients during the Spring 2024 Chaffee Common Ground funding cycle. Recommendations by the Citizens Advisory Committee were unanimously approved.

The grant funding package includes $747,526 for forest health and wildfire resilience, $333,000 to sustain rural landscapes, and $536,219 for recreation management that protects watersheds and landscapes in Chaffee County. Matching cash and in-kind funds total $5,703,011.

This marked the sixth funding cycle since the ballot measure generating Common Ground revenues passed in 2018. To date, $9.3 million has been awarded to 54 groups and partnerships for 86 programs and projects. Matching investments for these grants will bring $33.2 million in value to the community by 2027. Programs and projects by category:

Forest Health & Wildfire Resilience

Granite Forest Restoration Project — $350,000 over two years to the National Forest Foundation to partner with the Bureau of Land Management on a wildfire mitigation and forest health project in northern Chaffee County. The project reduces hazardous forest fuels, enhances wildlife habitat and protects the watershed by strategically removing trees in a 425-acre project area identified in the Chaffee County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

Mini-excavator, Field Supervisor & Crew Housing — $300,000 over three years to Colorado Firecamp for equipment, staff and crew housing for projects that reduce wildfire fuels on lands identified as high priority in the CWPP. Funding supports a Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) field supervisor position and housing assistance for SCC chainsaw crews for three seasons. Equipment includes a mini-excavator and a trailer. Colorado Firecamp trains about 900 students a year in wildland firefighting.

Multi-Benefit Wetland Restoration Projects — $52,546 over three years to Colorado Open Lands to develop beaver-wetland restoration projects, including an extension of the Fourmile Creek project started in 2023 by the U.S. Forest Service, EcoMetrics, Chaffee Rec Adopters and other community organizations. Multi-benefits involve wildfire risk reduction and riparian restoration to promote healthy watersheds. Funding adds six additional project sites, covering up to 8 stream miles in Chaffee County.

Chaffee Chips — $42,480 to Chaffee County Community Foundation to fund the Chaffee Chips slash haul away service in 2024. Program partners include Chaffee County Fire Protection District, Colorado State Forest Service and Envision Chaffee County.

Mycelium Use In Biowaste Reduction — $2,500 mini grant to Mushroom Love Co. of Buena Vista, to develop and test a locally sourced mushroom strain for bio-waste reduction, to determine if wood chips and slash resulting from forest treatments could break down more quickly and support wildlife and plant growth, as has been demonstrated at a lower elevation in Colorado. 

Sustainable Agriculture

Williams & Hamm Ditch Project — $100,000 over two years to the ditch company to modify the 149-year-old ditch inlet and allow use of the full water right allotment during low flows. Located southwest of Highway 291 and the Arkansas River and ending in Smeltertown, the ditch supports 856 acres of agricultural irrigation among 24 shareholders.

Pridemore Ranch Irrigation Enhancement — $83,000 to install an irrigation system for hay production, which will conserve water and improve crop production on the 392-acre ranch that sits between Highways 291 and 285 along the Arkansas River.

Agriculture Production Value Conservation Easement — $60,000 to the Kelly Ranch to support the cost of amending an existing conservation easement to further limit ranch land resale to production value (also known as Future Agricultural Limitation or FAV term). The ranch is located southwest of Buena Vista, encompassing nearly 400 acres at the base of Mount Princeton.

Bowen Ditch Silt & Tree Mitigation  — $45,000 to the Bowen Ditch Company to clear vegetation and debris, enlarge the ditch and shore up its banks to facilitate future maintenance, eliminate bank breaches and improve water flow. The Bowen Ditch provides water to shareholders in central Chaffee County.

Hands For Lands — $30,000 over three years to the Central Colorado Conservancy to support a staff position to manage the Hands For Lands volunteer program, which educates the community about the importance of working lands while linking volunteers with agricultural producers to implement on-the-ground stewardship projects such as irrigation ditch maintenance and reseeding rangeland. 

Fire Damaged Irrigated Pipe Replacement — $5,000 mini grant to the Kelly Ranch to replace irrigation pipe for three fields that was damaged in a fire.

Headwater Farms Main Line Electrical Installation — $5,000 mini grant to Headwater Farms to electrify the Buena Vista property and operate irrigation pumps, walk-in coolers, greenhouses and other infrastructure on Headwater Farms and Meadows Edge Farm. The farms grow fresh produce sold to families and local businesses.

McMurry Land & Livestock Watering System — $5,000 mini grant to the McMurry Land & Livestock Company to purchase a portable solar pump, storage tank and pipe to move water and service pastures during the grazing season.

Recreation Management

Sawatch Range Restoration — $125,000 to the National Forest Foundation (NFF) for the first year of a five-year project to address impacts of public lands visitation as outlined in the Chaffee County Outdoor Recreation Management Plan. The project encompasses the Sawatch Range, including Fourteener hiking and other backcountry experiences, as well as watershed and wildlife protections. A partnership among NFF, Envision Chaffee County, Chaffee Recreation Council, U.S. Forest Service and Great Outdoors Colorado, total recommending funding through 2027 is $499,999. 

Burmac Trailhead Transformation — $35,000 to Salida Mountain Trails to improve the Burmac recreation area south of Salida on Highway 50. Funding contributes to the cost of vault toilets to accompany newly designated camping, providing a solution to longstanding problems with human waste in a high-traffic recreation area adjacent to the river.

Dog Waste Management — $1,220 mini-grant to Salida Mountain Trails (SMT) to install three dog waste stations on Methodist Mountain at popular trailheads. SMT’s program includes an educational component to inform trail users of the consequences of unmanaged pet waste, as well as local business sponsorship of the stations and volunteer recruitment for a new “SMT Poo Crew.”

Jan. 15, 2024 — The Common Ground 2023 Annual Report is available for review, summarizing the program’s total investments and fifth funding cycle, during which nearly $1.5 million in grants were distributed. Awards included $450,451 for forest health and wildfire resilience, $588,077 to sustain rural landscapes, and $402,800 for recreation management that protects watersheds and landscapes in Chaffee County. Matching cash and in-kind funds totaled $835,616 in 2023.

To date, $7.6 million has been awarded by Common Ground to dozens of local groups and partnerships. Matching investments for these grants will bring $28 million in value to the community by 2026.

The report is the fifth installment of a commitment to accountability made during the 2018 ballot measure campaign that funded Common Ground through a 0.25% sales tax. 

Major investments in 2023 include support for ongoing forest treatments as planned and executed by the Envision Forest Health Council, which is now comprised of 60 leaders who work together to implement the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The plan’s top goal is to treat 30,000 priority acres by 2030 to improve wildfire resiliency and wildlife habitat. Grants support staff and equipment for firefighters and foresters as well a project that restores Fourmile Creek.

Common Ground continues to directly support agricultural sustainability by funding conservation easement opportunities, irrigation ditch maintenance projects, and additional programs such as virtual fencing that help keep ranches in operation during a time of fast-paced growth and development.

Investments in recreation management will protect watersheds and landscapes from the impacts of dispersed camping growth. A Colorado Parks and Wildlife project was supported to monitor elk by satellite — part of a Keep it Wild initiative outlined in the Chaffee County Outdoor Recreation Management Plan. Trails planning and backcountry campsite condition monitoring also were supported in 2023. Check the report for full investment details.

County program to allocate approximately $750,000 for conservation work

Jan. 9, 2024 — The Chaffee Common Ground Citizens Advisory Committee will open a grant cycle on Jan. 17.Approximately $750,000 will be available during this grant cycle for programs and projects that strengthen forest health and reduce wildfire danger; conserve and support agricultural lands and rural landscapes; and manage the impacts of growth in outdoor recreation.

Community organizations and others interested in applying for funds are encouraged to attend an Information Session from 9-11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 22 to learn about eligibility requirements and grant criteria. To participate in the Information Session, connect via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/4328290633 or call 1-669-900-6833 and entering meeting ID #432 829 0633. Contact Common Ground Administrator Ben Doon at ccg.cac@gmail.com for questions or more information about the Zoom session.

The pre-application deadline is Feb. 16 and the deadline for full applications is March 22.

Funding recommendations by the Citizens Advisory Committee are subject to approval by the Board of County Commissioners. Awards will be announced in May for funding in early June. Read about successful local programs and projects that have been supported by Common Ground funding, or go to the Grantee Info tab for application guidelines and links.

Created when voters approved a 0.25% sales tax increase in 2018, Common Ground supports locally based, collaborative programs and projects through a transparent grant process that leverages revenues to achieve the highest impact. To date, $7.7 million in grants awarded include matching funds and in-kind services that will bring $28 million in value to the community by 2026.