To guide this effort, GVORC has partnered with Community Builders, a Colorado nonprofit dedicated to helping communities create more vibrant, resilient, and sustainable places. Their team works alongside local partners to identify opportunities, build consensus, and develop practical strategies that reflect community values and local priorities.
Purpose
Key Outcomes
- Inventory existing recreation assets and infrastructure
Analyze recreation patterns through mobile data, heat mapping, and economic analysis - Identify gaps, opportunities, and future investment priorities
- Establish a shared vision and guiding principles to inform future recreation planning and stewardship
- Complete the county’s first outdoor recreation feasibility study in more than 25 years
- Develop a prioritized project pipeline and long-term funding strategy
- Support outdoor recreation businesses, workforce development, and economic vitality
- Strengthen regional collaboration and community engagement
- Promote long-term sustainability, stewardship, and resilience
Why It Matters
- $484 million contributed to Mesa County’s economy (2022)
- 7.2% of local GDP generated by outdoor recreation
- 11% of county jobs tied to the outdoor recreation economy
- 80% of residents say outdoor access is a primary reason they choose to live here
Project Timeline
Phase 1: Groundwork (Mayo–Junio)
- Develop project branding, communications, and engagement strategy
- Finalize project approach with the GVORC Board
- Convene the True West Steering Committee
Phase 2: Assess (Mayo–Julio)
- Review existing plans, studies, and recreation data
- Launch the community survey
- Host an Industry Roundtable
- Conduct stakeholder interviews
- Prepare an assessment summary
Phase 3: Envision (Agosto–Septiembre)
- Facilitate Steering Committee Meeting #2
- Conduct facilitator training
- Host Campfire Session #1 (User-Group Workshops)
- Host Campfire Session #2 (Visioning Workshops)
- Conduct an infrastructure audit
- Develop a shared community vision
Phase 4: Strategize (Octubre)
- Draft goals, strategies, and guiding principles
- Host Campfire Session #3 (Strategies Workshops)
- Refine priorities and strategic direction
Industry Summit (Noviembre)
- Present key findings, recommended strategies, and the preliminary project pipeline while gathering final community feedback.
Assess Summary
After months of listening, learning, and digging into the data, we’re excited to share the True West Assess Phase Summary—a comprehensive look at what we heard, what the data tells us, and where opportunities and challenges are emerging for the future of outdoor recreation in Mesa County.
The summary brings together insights from extensive community and stakeholder engagement, existing regional and state plans, infrastructure analysis, and quantitative data to establish a shared understanding of where we are today. Most importantly, these findings now provide the foundation for the next phases of True West as we move from assessment to action—developing a shared vision, goals, priorities, and strategies for the future.
Get Involved
This is a community-led effort—and your voice matters.
- Completing the Community Survey
- Attending a Campfire Session (User-Group & Envisioning Workshops)
- Joining us at the West Slope Outdoor Recreation Industry Summit
- Subscribing to The ORC Connector
- Becoming a Friend of GVORC
- Hosting a Lunch & Learn with your organization or business
Your Voice Matters
Help turn the True West vision into action. Join us at the 2nd Annual West Slope Outdoor Recreation Industry Summit to take part in our True West Small Group Strategy Discussions. Choose the topic that matters most to you, weigh in on emerging strategies, and bring your own ideas to the table. Whether your passion is recreation, stewardship, healthy lands, economic opportunity, community access, or maintaining the places we love, your perspective will directly help shape the priorities and strategies guiding the future of outdoor recreation in Mesa County. Purchase tickets below.
