Outdoor Pikes Peak Initiative · Article 3 of 24
On October 30, 2020, Governor Polis signed an executive order creating the Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative. It is funded jointly by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado. The stated purpose is to keep Colorado a world-class outdoor recreation destination while preserving land, water, wildlife, and quality of life.
The regional-partnership goal, in the plan’s words: “working to ensure that Colorado’s public and private lands, waters, wildlife and communities thrive while providing for equitable access and quality outdoor recreation experiences.” GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller is quoted directly: “Ensuring a future for Colorado’s outdoors requires the expertise of communities across our great state, who have a deep understanding of critical natural resources and recreation opportunities in the regions they call home.” At the time the Vision Plan was adopted, 21 regional partnerships had been declared. PPORA is number 12 on the statewide map.
PPORA, selected in 2021
The Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance was selected in 2021 as one of the first four Outdoor Regional Partnerships. It was founded in 2015. The plan quotes its charge: “PPORA is a collaborative of outdoor businesses, nonprofits, government entities, and individuals who recognize the value of our region’s natural and recreation assets to our community both as an economic driver and for our health and well-being and the strength found in working together. PPORA’s mission is to strengthen the outdoor recreation industry for the Pikes Peak region through leadership and collaboration.”
The work, the plan says, is mostly behind the scenes: uniting outdoor stakeholders, collaborating on the outdoor infrastructure of public lands, advocating for access and for stewardship, managing recreational impacts, and educating users. The three counties loosely defined as the Pikes Peak region — and used as the Vision Plan boundary — are El Paso, Fremont, and Teller.
Five pillars
PPORA’s ongoing work sits on five pillars, which the Vision Plan prints in full: Grow responsible recreation in the Pikes Peak region. Inspire greater participation in outdoor recreation. Strengthen the region’s outdoor recreation industry. Steward outdoor environments. Advocate for the outdoors at the local, state, and national levels.
OPPI is the planning initiative that partnership was asked to carry. The brand itself was not imported. It emerged in Phase 1, after logo options were tested, because the selected mark was judged inclusive of land types, uses, and colors. The Vision Plan is the document that brand now has to live up to.
Source: Outdoor Pikes Peak Initiative Vision Plan 2025, prepared through the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance as the local Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnership, with support from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado. Project team: PPORA, Trails and Open Space Coalition, N.E.S. Inc., Bachman PR, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Geography Department. The plan was written across a four-year process and released in 2025; some statistics reflect a point in time before publication. Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative and PPORA, pages 23–27; Phase 1 summary, page 42.
