The Colorado Department of Agriculture was the only Colorado project selected to receive one of 55 grants awarded in the America the Beautiful Challenge. CDA will receive $4 million for this project, which will support dozens of agricultural and conservation partnerships and prioritize five major watershed areas of Colorado.
CDA’s projects will focus on restoring habitats and improving ecosystem and community resiliency across Colorado. The grant will fund multiple projects, in five main watershed areas of Colorado, with some larger projects crossing multiple watershed boundaries and touching all of Colorado’s major watersheds including the Arkansas, Colorado, Gunnison, San Juan/Dolores, North Platte, South Platte, Rio Grande, and the Yampa/White/Green.
On working lands, the project funds will help farmers and ranchers incorporate livestock modernization techniques such as virtual fencing and targeted grazing to increase habitat connectivity for wildlife and reduce invasive plant species.