Colorado is poised to christen its 43rd state park, with the recently acquired land in northeastern Garfield County set to boast a feature none of its fellow public lands in Colorado can claim.

Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday announced the federally owned land around Sweetwater Lake will not only become the latest state park, but is also set to become the first-of-its-kind state-federal partnership.

“[W]e look forward to working with our partners and Coloradans with the ultimate goal of adding Sweetwater Lake to Colorado’s world-class state park system for fun, conservation, education, and to support job growth for the region,” Polis said in a statement after the announcement.

According to a release, the partners “are now working to develop a long-term management plan to improve recreational facilities and maintain the unique character of the area.”

The White River National Forest in August completed the acquisition of the 488-acre Sweetwater Lake Ranch near the Garfield-Eagle county line from environmental nonprofit The Conservation Fund. The organization originally purchased the land in 2020 through a loan from Great Outdoors Colorado and a fundraising campaign put on by the Eagle Valley Land Trust “to prevent any potential development” while the U.S. Forest Service waited for federal funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“Sweetwater Lake has been cherished in this region for decades,” said White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams in a release after the acquisition. “We are thrilled to expand the public access to this area and very grateful for all the local support we received for this acquisition.”

In that release, Fitzwilliams indicated he would work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the EVLT “to develop a long-term management plan for Sweetwater Lake.” Nearly two months later, those partnerships are bearing fruit.

CPW Director Dan Prenzlow in a statement indicated his agency is “excited to modernize facilities, and provide updated and sustainable recreational services through this partnership.”

“Our main priority is to conserve the unique character of the area while improving access to this incredible property,” Prenzlow said.

Jessica Foulis, EVLT’s executive director, added the announcement represents “the realization of a community vision decades in the making.”

“EVLT is looking forward to closely coordinating with the Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife as we move forward with plans for Sweetwater Lake,” she said.

The announcement also featured speeches from Jacque Buchanan, a Forest Service deputy regional forester; Dan Gibbs, executive director of the state Department of Natural Resources; Eagle County Commissioner Jeannie McQueeney; and state Reps. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, and Perry Will, R-New Castle.

The state park at Sweetwater Lake is set to be the second created by the Polis administration, following Fishers Peak in Trinidad, which opened nearly a year ago.