GOCO awards $558,000 to two Mesa County projects

By Charles Ashby
Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Great Outdoors Colorado awarded $558,025 in GOCO Lottery funds to two Mesa County projects, the GOCO board announced Thursday.

The money will go to a $484,840 grant to the Mesa Land Trust to help preserve more than 78 acres in Palisade’s Grand Valley, and a $73,185 grant to Palisade for improvements to Peach Bowl Park.

With the GOCO grant, Mesa Land Trust will acquire conservation easements over four non-contiguous properties in the Grand Valley, preserving them in perpetuity.

Protection of these properties, which together total more than 78 acres, is part of the land trust’s Fruitlands Forever Initiative, an effort to preserve 500 acres of prime farmland within five years. One hundred and fifteen acres have already been protected.

GOCO has awarded $552,200 in previous grants to Mesa Land Trust to help fund the initiative. The latest four properties to be preserved produce numerous varieties of peaches, wine grapes and preserve valuable wildlife habitat.