DENVER — As part of the largest-ever cycle of funding totaling over $117 million in grants, the board of GOCO (Great Outdoors Colorado) has awarded $100,000 to the Colorado Cattleman’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) to support the employment of a new regionally located staff member. The funding was allocated as part of GOCO’s Planning and Capacity program, which invests in projects that address opportunities, explore issues, engage communities, and examine outdoor trends.

According to Karina Puikkonen, media spokesperson for the organization, a new office was established in Del Norte last fall with a new staff member, Jocelyn Catterson, hired at that time. Puikkonen said Catterson, who is a resident of Del Norte, will serve as the organization's Conservation and Outreach Manager for the area. The GOCO grant will help with “onboarding, orientation and establishing the office”.

The position, also made possible with support from the Trinchera Blanca Foundation, was created to help enhance connections and relationships with communities, partners, and landowners in the San Luis Valley and surrounding regions of Southern Colorado. As part of her role, Catterson will also support the organization’s existing and future conservation services and easements in the region.

“The addition of a regional position based in the San Luis Valley will enable CCALT to serve our landowner partners better, engage in the communities of southern Colorado, and expand conservation opportunities for farm and ranch families,” said Executive Director Erik Glenn.

With this funding, the agricultural land trust expects to be able to significantly expand its conservation work in southern Colorado. The group's Agricultural Resiliency Fund will assist landowners in further leveraging the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program and other resources to advance restoration and enhancement projects and outcomes throughout southern Colorado. CCALT will be better positioned to become actively involved in water issues and other discussions important to southern Colorado communities.

The office complements CCALT’s headquarters in Denver and its Northwest Colorado regional office which opened in 2019 in Steamboat Springs. The Del Norte office enables the group to expand its ability to offer services to the southern part of the state where it has had a strong presence since 1998.

“Having a local person to serve the needs of the landowners and conservation community here in the San Luis Valley and Southern Colorado is incredibly important,” said Catterson. “I am excited to step into this new role and serve the regional needs of CCALT from a local perspective.”

Prior to starting with the group, Catterson was awarded the Colorado Art, Science + Environment Fellowship and has been working closely with conservation and water-related organizations throughout the San Luis Valley on an artistic and educational outreach project tied to groundwater. Through this fellowship, she developed strong relationships with farmers, ranchers, public agencies, and conservation organizations throughout the area.

The organization, which also has offices in Lakewood, Carbondale and Steamboat Springs, helps farming and ranching families conserve agricultural lands and their associated natural resources. For nearly 30 years, CCALT has partnered with more than 400 landowners to protect over 775,000 acres in Colorado. In southern Colorado, the agricultural land trust holds 251 conservation easements, including 54 in the San Luis Valley, totaling 175,272 acres.

The $117 million granted in funding reflects investments in partner-led conservation, recreation, and outdoor access efforts statewide, including $68 million that will go toward large-scale, once-in-a-generation Centennial Program projects that will create lasting impact for the state’s people, places, and wildlife.

As stated on its website, GOCO is funded by Colorado Lottery proceeds and receives zero dollars from general funds or taxpayers. Per the constitution, Lottery net proceeds are allocated according to this breakdown: 10% to Colorado state parks through Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW); 40% to the Colorado Conservation Trust Fund, which allocates funds to eligible local governments on a per capita basis; and up to 50% to GOCO against a constitutionally mandated cap adjusted for inflation each year. Once the cap is met, surplus funds go to Building Excellent Schools Today, the Colorado Department of Education’s school capital construction fund, and the Outdoor Equity Fund.