Colorado State Parks
Encyclopedia
Colorado State Parks manages the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 state parks system. The system administers 42 parks.

History

  • 1937. The state legislature appointed a land board to create the first State Parks Board.
  • 1951. The State Parks Board leased Cherry Creek
    Cherry Creek State Park
    Cherry Creek State Park is a state park located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park is in the city of Aurora. The park consists of a natural prairie environment with an reservoir at its center which is shared by powerboats, sailboats, and paddle craft. The Cherry Creek Marina...

     recreation area from the Army Corps of Engineers.
  • 1963. State Parks was merged with the Division of Wildlife.
  • 1971. The State Recreational Trails Program was created.
  • 1972. State Parks and the Division of Wildlife were separated.
  • 1977. State Parks was requested to manage the snowmobile program for the state.
  • 1984. State Parks became responsible for licensing river outfitters.
  • 1990. State parks began managing the off-highway vehicle program.


Currently there are forty-two State Parks open to the public. Staunton
Staunton State Park
Staunton State Park is a Colorado State Park under development in Park and Jefferson counties west of Conifer, Colorado. The site includes dramatic rock outcroppings, several streams and a waterfall. It is estimated that the park will be opened for public use in 2012....

 and Lone Mesa
Lone Mesa State Park
Lone Mesa State Park is a closed access state park in Colorado. It is currently undergoing development and planning. The only allowed use is limited hunting with special permits....

 will open in the coming years.

The Colorado State Parks Board is a layman's group of five members who are appointed by the Governor
Governor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...

with legislative approval. The Board is charged with representing various geographic regions of the state while providing oversight and setting agency policy in a democratic way to assure the agency is responsive to the citizens of Colorado. This board meets every other month to review and set policy.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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