MEEKER | From the Flat Tops to the wide-open country along the White River, Northwest Colorado’s landscape draws hunters, anglers, OHV riders, hikers and ranchers alike. Managing that balance is the mission behind the Colorado Regional Partnership Initiative, a statewide effort taking root in Rio Blanco and Moffat counties. Leading that work locally is Kari Brennan, the Rio Blanco County facilitator for Colorado Northwest Outdoors, alongside her Moffat County co-facilitator, Jon Miller. Together, they are helping communities define how outdoor recreation should grow—without losing the character, culture and working landscapes that make the region unique.
The program has been underway for several years, beginning as a small group in Craig. Miller, the Moffat County facilitator, explained how it first got started.
“There’s a BLM recreation guy and a lot of river boater community in the Craig community and I think they had heard that there was grant funding available for recreation type development from GOCO and they had applied for this funding,” Miller said.
“They had done quite a bit of good early work to identify opportunities in the community. When they wrote the grant they incorporated Rio Blanco County into that grant writing and I think in working class communities I’ve certainly found that it’s tough for people to have time and capacity to show up for endless meetings and see where it goes and I think that there was a bit of that part of why the group sort of fizzled out, but then the grant funding was approved and it was sent into our community and there were a few people from Meeker that were involved with some of the meetings as well but essentially it fell apart and got funded,” he said.
When the funding came through, the Keystone Policy Center—known for working on statewide projects—was brought in to help restart the effort.
“I got hired to do some graphic design scope of work, it’s in my toolbox, and that’s how I started to get involved in it again about a year, 14 months ago,” Miller said. “I was engaged with Keystone trying to help them plot the course, how to get this thing back on track. The spirit of the Regional Partnership Initiative grant funding is that it’s locally led, community driven, like grassroots from the ground up versus a top-down approach where the state is saying this is what we’re going to do in the community and you’ll be accepting it.”
“It’s more like the community coming together and saying this is what we want, this is what’s important to us and this is the type of projects that we would like to put grant funding toward,” he said.
Miller said he had a personal interest in the effort due to his recreation industry marketing background. A Craig native, he moved back in 2020 during the pandemic and saw “tons of opportunities” in the region—especially during the coal transition. He is now leading an effort to build a skatepark in Craig, with GOCO expected to be a major funder.
He said the process hasn’t always been smooth.
“The skatepark foundation that I started in 2021 and leading the Northwest Colorado Outdoors Initiative as we move forward, it’s kind of a long story of how we got here, but essentially it wasn’t in the spirit of the grant to be operating the way that it was,” Miller said. “I kind of was a part of helping Keystone communicate to Moffat and Rio Blanco County commissioners of what they were doing, how they were operating, and it was really the commissioners that came together and said wait, this isn’t right. This isn’t how we should be doing this.”
The counties pushed back, prompting state agencies to reconsider how the work should be governed.
The effort was eventually restructured. Miller helped lead the transition, and during the process he connected with Brennan, who stepped in as the Rio Blanco County representative.
A major support system came from the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, which took on administrative and fiscal duties, grant writing and statewide coordination.
Brennan said her involvement reflects her connection to the region and her belief in locally driven planning.
“The beauty of this is where it is local-led, and both of us have such deep roots in our community and we’ve grown up in these communities,” Brennan said. “We feel we have the background and the spirit of keeping it local at heart … it’s really made it easy to gather everyone at the table and keep it community led.”
Brennan said much of her responsibility involves gathering information, organizing public input and identifying themes across counties.
“My day-to-day role as the RBC project lead is researching past information and past ideas from our county entities,” she said. “I help develop agendas, meetings, surveys, etc. I’m working on developing our charter structuring based on our public meetings and survey feedback. I’m using AI to help sift through other documents and information to find commonalities and potential project ideas.”
Miller described his daily work as a mix of research, outreach and communication.
“My daily involvement consists of investigative curiosity of local history, community outreach, objectively listening to diverse members of the community and being a champion for what the people in the community want and care about,” he said. “And then finding pathways to report those insights and information out—so that city, county and state leaders understand and can get aligned and begin investing toward clear priorities.”
Brennan said early feedback has already revealed several common priorities across both counties.
“We are hearing already interest in upgrading signage for more multi-use education,” she said. “We are hearing desire for trail connectivity. We are hearing a strong presence from agriculture to continue to support and build up our local agricultural industry. We are hearing desires to enhance recreational activities and places for kids to explore, play sports and do outdoor activities.”
Miller said community interest spans both motorized and non-motorized uses.
“Trail connectivity and recreation opportunities for bicycles, scooters, skateboards, pedestrians and hikers around town is important for all members of our community in safely getting around and enhancing the quality of life for young people and families who live in and around Craig,” he said.
“Motorized recreation is also vitally important in the communities of both counties, and there is a fear of losing access to multiple use public lands that allow for year-round motorized access on our BLM and USFS lands,” he added. “Sustainability of these experiences must include awareness of responsibility and respectful riding practices … Trail maintenance and adequate trailheads are an area of investment that makes a lot of sense per the demand of the community.”
Miller said multiple use remains the region’s defining strength.
“You know this idea that we can go out and kind of get lost in the vastness of our BLM and Forest Service,” he said. “There’s a lot of other mountain communities that are more well known for their recreation assets and they’re much more densely populated and have a lot more commercial activity, real estate development.”
While other areas have more developed infrastructure, he said Northwest Colorado’s access is shaped by distance, space and solitude.
“In Northwest Colorado nobody’s walking to Browns Park — maybe they would,” Miller said. “It doesn’t matter what type of recreation activity you’re doing … you have to drive some sort of vehicle to get to some place.”
Brennan said many locals value the ability to explore the landscape without heavy crowds.
“You get to enjoy the land and what it has to offer,” she said. “That’s been a bonus for our area too.”
Brennan said she hopes the initiative will help the region maintain the balance that defines it.
“I hope to see this initiative succeed in supporting conservation, agriculture, and recreational activities in balance,” she said. “I hope this initiative can help sustain a vibrant Western Slope where we can enjoy the outdoors without a ton of overcrowding and overpopulation. I hope this initiative can help sustain and support our communities to keep our grassroots culture and rural lifestyle intact.”
Brennan said outdoor recreation shouldn’t reshape small communities—it should enhance them.
“I see recreation not shaping our future rather enhancing it,” she said. “We still want open spaces and stewardship to prevail but also provide opportunities to sustain economically.”
Both facilitators emphasized that community members—not the project team—will determine the region’s priorities.
“Jon and I aren’t here to give the ideas or make the plan,” Brennan said. “We want to have multi backgrounds and multi interests so that everybody has a voice at the table and nothing gets overrun.”
Projects could range from small improvements, such as signage, to major efforts like trail connections or new facilities.
The group recently launched a Facebook page, NWCO.outdoors, and is developing a website expected to go live in late March or mid-April. Public meetings continue across both counties.
Countywide surveys are underway, with a Dec. 15 deadline.
“Now is the time to be heard and raise your hand if you want to be part of it,” the facilitators said.
Brennan said her favorite outdoor activity reflects her background in local agriculture.
“My favorite outdoor activity is riding my horse and moving cows,” she said.
Miller said his outdoor life spans nearly every season.
“My favorite activities living in Craig and around NWCO include off road exploring, camping, fishing, hiking, kayaking, floating the river, snowmobiling and snowmobile-accessed backcountry snowboarding,” he said. “Skateboarding and snowboarding are also a lifelong pursuit that I hope to see more opportunities for in Craig in the future as well.”
The Northwest Colorado Outdoors group can be reached through its Facebook page or by email at:
Kari: [email protected]
Jon: [email protected]