The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Program was established by state law in 1992 (Article XVIII, Section 2) to authorize the preservation, protection, enhancement, and management of the state’s wildlife, park, river, trail and open space culture. The State of Colorado established that the net proceeds from every state-supervised lottery game would be allocated to the GOCO Program. The GOCO administers grants to county and local jurisdictions to achieve this on the local level. The grants include wildlife grants, developing educational and informational programs, and protecting and acquiring land for protecting wildlife habitat. For more information about the GOCO Program, check out the website at http://www.goco.org/.

The PuebloGOCO Inspire Initiative is an effort aligned with the goals and values of the state program, but is focused in reaching out to the City of Pueblo’s youth to encourage them to explore and appreciate the outdoors, and is designed to facilitate the engagement of youth in the extraordinary outdoor amenities and experiences that the city has to offer. The initiative strives to reach the youth of today to inform and educate them on the benefits of participating in outdoor activities in hopes of it maturing into a bigger desire to protect their local outdoor resources and experiences, their “back yard,” for future generations. For more information, check out the GOCO Inspire Initiative website at http://www.goco.org/grants/apply/inspire-initiative.