The City and County of Denver was awarded nearly half a million dollars in grants on Friday that will support two outdoor projects. 

Denver was awarded two grants that totaled $445,750 from Great Outdoors Colorado. The organization was established in 1992 by Colorado voters and invests a portion of the state’s lottery proceeds to support outdoor conservations efforts across the state.

“Each of these grants help support Game Plan for a Healthy City, Denver Parks and Recreation’s vision for parks, gathering places, and activities that are easily accessibly, well-maintained and equitable in every neighborhood,” said Happy Haynes, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation. 

The first grant awarded to the city totaled $300,000 and is apart of GOCO’s stewardship impact program that aims to help improvements to ecological and recreational amenities.

Funds will be used to grow Denver’s tree canopy that is current underplanted, threatened by invasive pests and inequitably distributed across the city, according to the release.

Tree canopy’s are intended to contribute to resident’s health and quality of life and the project will support growing the canopy in the lowest-canopy, lowest-income neighborhoods.

Individuals will plant and care for the trees thought the city’s Denver Digs Tree Program.

The project will also give residents a career path opportunity as funds will be used to pit an urban forestry workforce development program. The program will provide education, hand-on training, job-readiness training, supportive services, and job and apprenticeship placement in the field, according to GOCO.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to advance the powerful partnership work that will build our community’s capacity to steward one of our most important natural resources – our urban forest – and sport equity and opportunity in Denver as well,” said President of The Park People Laurie Chahbandour.

The City also received a $145,850 that will support the High Line Conservancy’s effort to improve the High Line Canal Trail. 

The funds will specifically be used for HLC’s High Line Canal Trail Copmletetion, Access and Activation program. This program is intended to make 71-mile trail more engaging for the communities in northeast Denver and Aurora that have historically been underused due to lack of investment and community engagement, according to COGO.

“Empowering community members to participate and guide enhancements to the Canal trail is critical to improving the greenway in a meaningful way to impact climate and community resiliency,” said Paula Herzmark, High Line Canal Conservancy Board Chair.

The conservancy and impacted residents will develop plans to upgrade the trail with tree plantings, signage, gathering areas, fitness station, and other amenities to make it more engaging.

Additionally, the funds will be used to increase public and private investments by more than $11 million to support future implementations. 

Since 1992, GOCO has funded more than 5,500 projects across Colorado. These include investments of more than $30.8 million for projects in Denver, according to GOCO.