Okay, where did summer go?! Fortunately, there's a silver lining for students at three schools - they'll have new playgrounds to enjoy on their first day back. We also had three land conservation properties close (just like buying a house...there's a lot to do after you committ the funding!) and saw the completion of flood recovery,  habitat restoration, and trail construction projects. Keep scrolling (or play around in the new interactive map feature!) to see what $1.5 million in Colorado Lottery revenues look like:

Bradley International School partnered with the City and County of Denver to receive a $51,200 School Yard Initiative grant to transform a 1950s track into an obstacle course. The project also created shade for an outdoor classroom to help students enjoy time outside.

Christianson Vineyards - Fruitlands Forever Initiative

With its southern boundary bordering the Palisade Fruit and Wine Byway, Christianson Vineyards serves as the gateway to Palisade. This Fruitlands Forever Initiative project will not only support agriculture that sustains the local economy, but will also protect important river habitat for wildlife. Mesa Land Trust invested nearly $400,000 of GOCO funding to bring the project to fruition.

Dedisse Park Trail and Restoration Project

Denver received a $23,400 GOCO grant to improve one of its mountain parks with the help of crews from the Colorado Youth Corps Association.

Crews went to work connecting the Pioneer Trail to the Alderfer/Three Sisters Open Space. GOCO funding also helped close and restore approximately 6,000 acres of user-created trails. Grants to the CYCA help employ hundreds of youth every year across the state. Read more about GOCO’s CYCA grants.

Harlan Wolf Park Flood Restoration and Park Improvement

After the September 2013 floods damaged nearly 30% of Colorado Springs parks, the city received just under $100,000 from GOCO to restore Harlan Wolf Park. GOCO flood recovery funding was put to work clearing debris and installing a new outdoor classroom. Read about other GOCO-funded flood projects.

Kyffin Playground Project

Foothills Park and Recreation District partnered with Kyffin Elementary School in Golden to help the school revamp its playground with a $69,257 School Yard Initiative grant. GOCO funding helped build a sandpit with climbing boulders and stumps, an outdoor classroom, new playground structures, and a jogging path around the entire playground.

Manzanola Recreation Facility

In the rural southeastern town of Manzanola, the local high school’s recreational facilities serve as a community gathering place. Otero County received more than $200,000 from GOCO to install safe bleachers, improve access with a new parking lot and walkways, and resurface the athletic fields.

Mill Creek Ranch

A $400,000 GOCO grant helped Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy and Colorado Open Lands conserve 248 acres of Mill Creek Ranch. The ranch is located northwest of Gunnison, and this project protects productive agricultural land, wildlife habitat, and scenic views for outdoor recreationists and others driving through the Ohio Creek Valley.

Ridgway Elementary School Playground Renovation

A third School Yard Initiative project wrapped up in Ridgway, where the town and local elementary school teamed up to receive a $100,000 GOCO grant. GOCO funding helped install a recreation field, preschool playground, solar system-themed basketball court, climbing wall, climbing logs and boulders, and WeatherBug station.

Riparian Restoration on the North Fork of the Gunnison

The Delta Conservation District, Western Slope Conservation Center, Colorado Open Lands, and Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC) partnered on an important restoration project to improve riparian (or river) habitat on private, protected ranchland in Delta County.

Youth corps crews from WCCC treated 30 acres along the North Fork of the Gunnison River, removing hundreds of Russian olive and tamarisk trees – invasive plant species notorious for excessive water consumption – thereby relieving  stress on Colorado’s much-demanded water supply. A $25,000 GOCO grant helped get the job done.

South Republican River Riparian Enhancement Project

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) invested nearly $25,000 of GOCO funding to restore the Republican River’s health in northeastern Colorado. With help from the local Future Farmers of America chapter, CPW eradicated Russian olive and tamarisk from 135 acres of habitat, replacing the thirsty trees with native vegetation. The project helps secure Colorado’s water supply while improving habitat for a diversity of wildlife including deer, turkey, quail, and fish.

Swallowtail and Ringtail Trail Corridor

Douglas County received a $22,500 GOCO grant to employ youth corps crews in Nelson Ranch and Pike Hill open spaces. The project cleared approximately 10 miles of trails to control erosion.

Dove Creek Land Conservation

Through CPW’s wildlife habitat protection program, GOCO invested just under $120,000 to help Montezuma Land Conservancy conserve a 1,361-acre property atop the Dolores Rim in southwestern Colorado. The ranch provides critical habitat for the Gunnison sage grouse and numerous big game species like elk, deer, and bear. The project creates a protected network of wildlife habitat thanks to surrounding BLM land.