Public Lands

Colorado Outdoor Strategy

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

SE Group collaborated with Keystone Policy Center, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program to support the State of Colorado in developing the Colorado Outdoors Strategy (COS). This effort provided the analytical foundation for a unified 10-year statewide strategy that integrates recreation, conservation, and climate resilience goals. The project team analyzed more than 530 planning documents from agencies at all levels to identify shared priorities, gaps, and opportunities for coordinated action across Colorado’s diverse landscapes and communities.

Why This Project Matters

The Colorado Outdoors Strategy marks the first time the state has developed a cohesive, data-informed roadmap for managing the intersection of outdoor recreation, conservation, and climate adaptation. The project brings together agencies, organizations, and residents under a shared vision that ensures Colorado’s people, landscapes, and outdoor traditions thrive for generations. It also emphasizes equitable access to the outdoors and the importance of Tribal and community engagement in shaping sustainable, inclusive management practices.

The Challenge

Colorado’s outdoor resources are managed through hundreds of separate plans and programs that historically operated without a unifying framework. The challenge was to organize, interpret, and synthesize this vast information to identify trends, gaps, and inequities in planning across rural, urban, and underserved areas. The analysis needed to clarify how recreation, conservation, and climate strategies could work together while addressing geographic and demographic disparities in access and investment.

SE Group’s Role

SE Group led the recreation and spatial analysis components that informed the statewide strategy. The team developed a structured research framework to evaluate plans, coded and analyzed their content, and worked closely with partners to connect data-driven insights with actionable recommendations. SE Group’s work helped shape the foundation for key strategy elements, including the Data, Information, and Knowledge Roadmap and the Colorado Outdoors Strategy Resource Hub, which provide interactive mapping, data tools, and templates for regional planning.

Deliverables

Analysis of 532 planning documents across state, regional, and local levels
Identification of key data gaps and regional disparities
Recommendations for statewide coordination and data integration
Framework for the Resource Hub and Knowledge Roadmap
Summary of strategies to advance equitable and resilient outdoor systems

The Impact

This project directly informed the 2025 Colorado Outdoors Strategy, establishing a clear structure for collaboration among CPW, GOCO, DNR, and partner agencies. The Strategy now guides investments, policy alignment, and cross-agency planning, with a focus on shared data, regional partnerships, and inclusive participation. SE Group’s analysis helped set a precedent for how statewide outdoor planning can balance recreation, conservation, and climate goals through an evidence-based and community-centered approach.