Creating a shared vision for outdoor recreation in Mesa County
Mesa County, Colorado | In Progress
Project Details
The Challenge
Key Activities
Outcomes
Outdoor recreation is central to Mesa County’s identity, economy, and quality of life. Nearly 80% of residents report access to the outdoors as a major factor in their decision to live in the region, and the outdoor recreation economy generates nearly a half a billion dollars annually. Yet growing visitation and limited resources are placing increased pressure on the region’s public lands and outdoor recreation infrastructure.
True West is a call for coordinated action – a year-long effort to create a unified, regional vision for how outdoor recreation should responsibly grow, be managed, and remain sustainable for generations to come. The resulting outdoor recreation plan will seek to provide a roadmap that balances the opportunity for outdoor recreation as an economic driver with real impacts to the places where people live and play.
True West officially launched in June 2026 with a Steering Committee kickoff, an industry roundtable, a series of stakeholder interviews, and a community survey. During this initial phase of engagement, cross-sector stakeholders identified current barriers and opportunities, laying the groundwork for a shared visioning process grounded in local leadership and on-the-ground realities.
As the project moves forward, True West will seek to gather a wide range of perspectives from nonprofits, local governments, land managers, outdoor recreation businesses and industry partners, user groups, community members, youth, and other public and private partners, while building shared ownership and capacity across the region.
True West is ongoing! The project will culminate in 2027 with a shared vision and action plan for outdoor recreation in Mesa County grounded in regional voices, quality data, and actionable implementation strategies. The plan will provide a framework for moving the regional outdoor recreation industry from reactive decision-making to a coordinated, forward-looking approach that enhances quality of life, strengthens the regional economy, and protects the outdoor places and experiences that make Mesa County.