Great Outdoors Colorado board awarded $49,423 to Palmer Lake Parks and Trails on Dec. 9 for the Palmer Lake Riparian Restoration.

The Palmer Lake Parks and Trails Commission will partner with Mile High Youth Corps to complete riverbank restoration work. Over four weeks, MHYC crews will remove debris and improve the corridor along North Monument Creek and the nearby Creekside Trail and build a new trail along the creek.

This project will enhance the creek’s health and surrounding habitat while enhancing recreational access for residents and visitors, according to a press release. It will also build on past collaborative efforts with the United States Air Force Academy, which plans to add a new bridge crossing for safe passage over North Monument Creek.

“Our partnership with GOCO changes the lives of thousands of Coloradans for the better,” Colorado Youth Corps Association Executive Director Scott Segerstrom said in a press release. “This investment will employ hundreds of corps members to steward our iconic natural resources, including efforts that support healthy forests and wildlife habitats, expanding the outdoor recreation economy in rural communities, and restoring waterflow by removing invasive species. We are grateful to GOCO for helping us build the next generation of leaders.”

GOCO also awarded $87,217 to the town of Green Mountain Falls to redirect a portion of the American Discovery Trail.

The two grants are part of GOCO’s Conservation Service Corps program, administered in partnership with CYCA to help partners hire conservation service corps for outdoor recreation and stewardship projects. Conservation corps engage youth and veteran crews across the state to complete land and water conservation projects while gaining paid professional experience.