Smokey Bear has been encouraging us all to care for our outdoor spaces since 1944. The charge has always been a sense of responsibility toward safety for ourselves, our communities, and our resources. As the longest running public service ad in U.S. history, the message is just as important today as it was 80 years ago.
Colorado Springs has long been defined by the beauty and benefits of its outdoor setting. Nestled at the foot of “America’s Mountain” we enjoy views and recreational opportunities that draw people from all around the world. Pikes Peak is our backyard and our involvement with it is symbiotic.
Colorado Springs has seen a steady population increase over the years. It is a beautiful place to live and with that, it attracts businesses, increasing workforce and residency as well as tourism. With the growth of our community comes growing pains and strains on our natural resources and surrounding habitats.
Recreational Opportunities
Becky and David Leinweber have always been outdoor enthusiasts. They have both worked in the outdoor field as well as being avid users of the outdoor recreational opportunities that Colorado has to offer. In 1991, they moved from northern Colorado to Colorado Springs, fell in love with the area and never looked back. At that time, Colorado Springs was experiencing an economic downturn. The Leinweber’s have had the opportunity to watch Colorado Springs grow and change over these past 30 years.
Of all of their outdoor passions, fly fishing is the one they turned into a business. In guiding anglers in the Colorado backcountry, they get to see Colorado Springs in many different capacities. Citizens of the community, parents, business owners and outdoorsmen. What they found was that there were plenty of entities focused on the different aspects that make Colorado Springs unique–but not everyone was coming to the same table and talking about how one decision affected the others.
Getting the Groups Together
In 2016, the Leinweber’s decided to bring the different groups to the same table. They created the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance.
“The Pikes Peak region loves our outdoors, but we weren’t seeing it being championed by anyone,” said Becky. “We are definitely a tourism related industry and we are attracting the visitors, but there was a gap in educating them on best practices once they got here.”
She goes on to explain how in their business they will see tourists setting off to hike the Peak in the afternoon or outfitted in Chacos or flip flops. They get the opportunity to help educate people about how long it will take to complete the hike and the terrain or weather they should anticipate to encounter on the way.
Once they started pulling the outdoor industry together, they found that with the goals of conservation, stewardship and accessibility, it became a big table really quickly. Each branch of the outdoorsmen is passionate about their industry and each branch needs the other to survive, but there needed to be a place to come together, break down the silos in order to achieve that same goal. “We don’t always agree,” says Becky, “but we always have common ground.”
Planning for the Future
In the years that have passed, the conversations continue to yield resources finding the gaps and planning for the future, embracing the growth and educating stakeholders on the importance of our ecosystem – both natural and economic to further the community’s goals. The data gathered throughout these efforts helps make informed decisions on better aligned applications for using land. It is developing better programs for future generations, as well as conservation efforts that align with military installments.
Pikespeakoutdoors.org is one of the resources that has been created in order to bring all of these ideas together and disseminate the information to the general public. The PPOA hosts outdoor industry job fairs as well as putting together family adventure guides for free resources in the area. They work with legislators and local businesses to develop incentives and policies around enjoying the outdoors responsibly.
Research has proven that being outdoors has visible health benefits that lead to lower healthcare costs. It has proven that outdoor activities also correlate with reduced crime rates, and improved educational outcomes all resulting in a stronger community. The outdoors is the great equalizer, everyone is able to enjoy it in their own way. PPORA is here to bring outdoor advocates together at the same table to collaboratively and respectively affect ethical outdoor behavior for our community.
Website: https://ppora.org/
Facebook: @PikesPeakOutdoorRecreationAlliance
Instagram: @PikesPeakOutdoorRecAlliance