CASPER, Wyo. — Over 40 people were in attendance for the first meeting of the Natrona County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative, part of an initiative through the state recreation office to identify issues, priorities, projects, and funding opportunities related to the outdoors.
Amy Crawford, a coordinator with the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation, said the group is not a nonprofit or a governmental entity, but a grassroots, volunteer-driven group of stakeholders, including city and county officials, business owners, and Platte River Trails Trust Board members.
“Our job really is to connect people with the funding possibilities that are out there that they may not know about,” Crawford told Oil City.
What those specific projects might be is still to be discussed. The first meeting was dedicated to laying out the collaborative’s purpose, defining member expectations, and identifying some existing challenges.
Crawford, a Casper resident, has also been a part of the Big Horn Basin, Park Basin, and Northeast Wyoming collaboratives.
These collaboratives bring together local community members, stakeholders, federal agencies, and state agencies. They were formed as part of then-governor Matt Mead’s Outdoor Recreation Task Force, formed in 2017.
Crawford said the group is still open to participation. The next meeting will be in April. More information can be found on the state website or on Facebook.
