Project Highlights

Supporting Conservation and Recreation Across the Roaring Fork Watershed

Collaborative Projects Across the Roaring Fork Watershed

The Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition brings together land management partners from across the Roaring Fork Watershed to align conservation and recreation planning, ensuring that decisions made today support both ecological integrity and meaningful outdoor experiences for future generations.


To turn shared priorities into action, the Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition identifies and supports conservation and recreation infrastructure projects that are meaningfully connected to our community values and well-positioned to produce tangible outcomes. Projects are nominated by the Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition Executive Committee, then evaluated using the resources in the Coalition's Toolkit. 


The Toolkit provides a spatial view of where ecological priorities and recreation opportunities intersect across the watershed, helping the Coalition make informed, transparent decisions about where investment will have the greatest impact. 2026 marks the Coalition's first year using this structured, data-driven approach to project selection. 

2026 Project Highlights

Visitor Information Services

When people have questions about recreating on U.S. Forest Service lands (where to go, how to get a permit, how to stay safe), there's now someone to ask. The Coalition is supporting a dedicated staff position at the U.S. Forest Service building in Carbondale to provide in-person visitor information services. This role fills a critical gap in access to trip-planning resources, permit guidance, and information on responsible recreation for our region.



Partners: U.S. Forest Service, Forest Conservancy, National Forest Foundation, Roaring Fork Stewardship Fund, City of Aspen, Eagle County Open Space and Natural Resources, Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, and Carbondale Tourism

Two people work in a forest using a red manual tool to remove a small tree in roaring fork valley
A partly frozen alpine lake set in a golden, grassy landscape under a bright, cloudy blue sky with distant snow-capped hills in colorado

Roaring Fork Public Lands Campaign

Public lands and waters are at the heart of life in the Roaring Fork Watershed, and they're facing growing pressure. This regional campaign raises awareness of those pressures, promotes responsible recreation practices, and encourages community members to speak up for the protection of the federal lands and waterways they depend on. The Coalition is proud to help advance this effort alongside its project partners.


Funding Partners: Pitkin County, City of Aspen, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), Gates Family Foundation – Colorado Natural Resources Grants 

Trail Restoration and Maintenance

Award: $63,000

Healthy trails don't maintain themselves. Across multiple locations in the Roaring Fork Watershed, the Coalition is supporting a coordinated set of trail improvement and maintenance projects to keep trails safe, sustainable, and enjoyable for all users. Work includes drainage installation, tread stabilization, erosion control, and improved wayfinding. In some areas, invasive species management is also part of the work, helping to protect native plant communities along heavily used corridors.


Locations: Light Hill, Thomas Lakes, Red Hill, Town of Basalt access to Basalt Mountain, and other U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management locations as needs arise 

Partners: Town of Basalt, Town of Carbondale, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, Aspen Valley Land Trust, Red Hill Trail Council

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Two people cycle along a paved path bordered by autumn trees with bright yellow leaves under a cloudy sky in roaring fork colorado

Invasive Vegetation Control

Award: $40,000

Invasive plant species threaten the native plant communities that make the Roaring Fork Watershed's open spaces and trail corridors so ecologically rich. Left unchecked, these species spread along trail networks and into sensitive wetlands and riparian areas. This project supports targeted treatment across more than a dozen high-priority sites throughout the watershed, helping land managers get ahead of infestations that would otherwise go unaddressed in 2026. Some of the species to be addressed in our region include reed canary grass, poison hemlock, spotted knapweed, cheatgrass, cattails, thistle, orange hawkweed, oxeye, kochia, and houndstongue.


Locations: Coffman Ranch (Carbondale), North Mesa and Rim Trail (Snowmass Village), Dinkle Lake, Sunnyside (Aspen), Ashcroft, Castle Creek, Basalt Mountain, Cattle Creek (Basalt), Maroon Bells, Hunter Creek (Aspen), Smuggler Mountain (Aspen), Red Hill (Carbondale), Riverfront Park (Carbondale), Marble Wetlands, Independence Pass, Frying Pan, Four Mile, and U.S. Forest Service campgrounds 

Partners: U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Town of Snowmass Village, Town of Carbondale, Trust for Public Land

Public Restroom Access and Maintenance at Independence Pass

Award: $22,000

Protecting the sensitive alpine environment of Independence Pass starts with the basics: proper disposal of human waste and trash. As federal funding for restroom maintenance has declined, the Independence Pass Foundation has stepped in to ensure these facilities remain operational and that visitors can recreate responsibly in one of Colorado's most treasured high-alpine landscapes. The Coalition is proud to support this essential stewardship work.



Location: Independence Pass 

Partners: Independence Pass Foundation, U.S. Forest Service

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