CDR guides agencies and organizations through public lands challenges by meaningfully engaging across user groups and building long-lasting coalitions.

The CDR team engages communities on a broad spectrum of issues related to the management, use, and conservation of public lands. We work closely with federal and state agencies, regional collaboratives, and local municipalities—including in both rural and urban settings.

CDR provides impartial process support by designing engagement strategies based on the interests and capacity of stakeholders. This allows participants to contribute input in a constructive manner.

Our staff are leaders in applying innovative facilitation and collaborative problem-solving techniques to diverse strategic partnerships. We help others understand alignment and divergence in the interests of various user groups, including around recreation, conservation, agriculture, urban development, economic, education, and aesthetic uses.

The CDR team delivers:

  • Interagency collaboration around complex jurisdictional management and decision-making challenges;
  • Inclusive engagement and outreach strategies that tie feedback into final outcomes;
  • Strong coalitions between agencies, jurisdictions, managers, and user groups;
  • Strategic plans that promote organizational resilience and adaptability; and
  • Grant development and management to connect projects with sustainable funding streams.

Examples of our public lands work: 

  1. Regional Partnerships

    CDR has a rich history of designing and facilitating high-impact engagement and decision-making processes in Colorado. Currently, we are supporting facilitation and strategic planning of two Colorado Regional Partnerships: Spanish Peaks Outdoor Coalition (SPOC) of Las Animas & Huerfano Counties and the Summit County Outdoor Coalition (SCOC). Beyond facilitation, we have successfully helped these organizations secure critical funding, including fully funded Regional Partnerships Initiative Plan Development Grants from the 2024 RPI Grant Cycle.

  2. Fisher’s Peak Master Plan Facilitation

    CDR Associates facilitated the master planning process of one of Colorado’s newest state parks, Fisher’s Peak. The 30-square-mile Fisher’s Peak ranch, located outside the city of Trinidad, spans from the New Mexico border north along the east side of I-25 to the south of Trinidad. The property’s iconic peak and diverse landscape of grasslands, forests, rugged mountain, and vast meadows long attracted significant attention for its potential. CDR facilitated internal collaboration and decision-making for a diverse partnership including Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Trust for Public Land, the Nature Conservancy, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and the City of Trinidad. CDR led broader community engagement locally and across the state, connecting with preservation and recreation stakeholders and constituencies.

  3. Eagle County Open Space Plan

    In 2024, CDR led community engagement to assist the development of Eagle County’s first Open Space Plan. The Plan strives to balance stakeholder and County interests of wildlife conservation and recreation while ensuring a sustainable long-term strategic vision for the Eagle County Open Space Program.

  4. Clear Creek Trail Strategic Planning

    The CDR Team coordinated and facilitated collaboration among 19 Colorado agencies involved in the Peaks to Plains Collaborative to establish a strategic plan for the 16-mile Plains Segment of the Clear Creek Trail. This Plan has been used to leverage collaborative funding opportunities and to coordinate projects among partners.

  5. Colorado Wildlife & Transportation Alliance

    CDR provides facilitation and coalition-building services for the Colorado Wildlife and Transportation Alliance Steering Committee and Technical Teams. The initiative began following the statewide Wildlife and Transportation Summit in 2017, aimed at identifying Wildlife Crossing projects, mitigation, and science as part of CPW and CDOT’s cooperation strategy. The Steering Committee is charged with increasing public understanding of wildlife and transportation issues and securing funding for both internal coordination as well as external project development. CDR works with initiative leads, CDOT and CPW, to identify the Alliance’s priorities, timeline, and goals. CDR facilitates Committee and Technical Team meetings and ensures the initiative is on track to hit important education, outreach, and funding milestones. CDR has established a process for the statewide partnership model to succeed, including bringing a number of players to the table. Members and partners include state and federal agencies, sportsmen’s groups, nonprofits, researchers, engineers, and academic institutions.

Learn more:

Melissa Bade
Public Lands Practice Lead
mbade@cdrassociates.org