Since 1994 -- when GOCO awarded its first grants -- through FY 2007, GOCO has committed $570 million for more than 2,800 projects throughout the state. GOCO dollars are helping to:
- protect more than 590,000 acres of open space in perpetuity: Land along river corridors and in mountain valleys; land for wildlife habitat; agricultural lands; land in the heart of cities; land that separates communities; and land that buffers state and local parks from encroaching development.
- create or enhance 1,000 community park and outdoor recreation areas -- skateparks, ballfields and playgrounds. This includes 358 grants to small communities to assist them with projects costing $45,000 or less.
- assist the Colorado Division of Wildlife in its efforts to improve the status of species with the ultimate goal of delisting or preventing them from being listed under the federal threatened and endangered species program. These include the boreal toad, Gunnison sage grouse, black-footed ferret, Colorado River cutthroat trout and the lynx.
- build or restore more than 669 miles of trail.
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help Colorado State Parks improve or expand campgrounds and add new visitor centers at state parks like Sylvan Lake in Eagle County, John Martin in southeast Colorado, Golden Gate Canyon in Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, Lory in Larimer County and Cheyenne Mountain State Park in El Paso County.
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enable 5,380 young people to participate in the Colorado Youth Corps Association.
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provide funds to conduct Colorado's first inventory of open space, which offers consistent, current and comprehensive information about the status and trends of open space lands throughout the state. Additionally, the inventory provides detailed maps with a comprehensive set of attributes for each parcel of land.
GOCO continues to keep administrative expenses low. These include operating expenses, Board expenses and capital investments. Through GOCO's first 14 fiscal years, these expenses totaled 3.6% of total revenues, substantially less than interest earned on cash balances.