Agriculture is crucial to quality of life on the West Slope.
Increasing Awareness
West Slope Outdoors Alliance has partnered with the AgriWest Initiative and Colorado State University Extension to install signs across the West Slope answering the question: Why is there grazing on this public land? And: What should I do if I encounter livestock while recreating? With funding from the CSU Food Systems program, the Agriwest Initiative started this project in 2025 and installed three signs on public land across Mesa County. In 2026, with funding from Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, additional signs will be installed in Delta and Montrose counties.
Decreasing Unintentional Harms
In West Slope Outdoors Alliance’s 2025 survey, gates left open was a commonly cited example of recreation negatively impacting agriculture. To negate this, West Slope Outdoors Alliance will work with the Bureau of Land Management to install two rollover gates in 2026 with funding from Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.