The city of Loveland and Larimer County Department of Natural Resources are among the Colorado government bodies recognized by the Colorado Lottery for recently completed conservation projects.
According to a release from the Colorado Lottery, the Starburst Award recognizes excellence in the use of Lottery funds for community and conservation projects. For fiscal year 2022, eight projects were chosen from across Colorado based on “the creativity of the project, economic and social impact on the community, and whether the project achieved its goal.” Lottery proceeds are distributed statewide through several grants, including the Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservation Trust Fund, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Building Excellent Schools Today,
Two of those eight projects came locally, according to the release, with the city of Loveland receiving recognition for the completion of the Loveland Recreation Trail — which finished out the final segment of the completed 21-mile trail circle around the city in the summer of 2021 and used $850,000 of the Conservation Trust Fund — and the county’s natural resources department receiving recognition for the completion of the Sky View Campground — which opened to the public in May as Larimer County’s first “group campsite” and used $500,000 of the Great Outdoors Colorado fund.
More than $6.4 million in Lottery funds were used across the eight recognized projects, the release added.
“The Lottery is committed to conservation through the distribution of Lottery revenue through our beneficiaries,” said Tom Seaver, director of the Colorado Lottery, in the release. “We are always so pleased to recognize the variety of projects these funds support – including wildlife conservation, protection of land and open space, and the creation and improvement of all kinds of outdoor recreation facilities. This year’s Starburst winners really demonstrate the many ways the Lottery funds help enrich our amazing state.”
Marilyn Hilgenberg, Loveland’s open lands and trails manager said she was happy to hear about the award but that the credit goes to the entire staff that put in a great deal of hard work over several years to complete the 21-mile connected trail.
“It was an incredible feat to finally get all those pieces and parts together,” she said, later adding “This is a perfect opportunity to recognize how we are putting those Colorado lottery dollars to use.”
Hilgenberg added that over the year that the trail has been completed, the parks department has seen more and more people coming out to enjoy the outdoors.
“It is really about health and wellness for us and getting outdoors,” she said.
