14ERS CENTENNIAL VISIONING Report Card
June 2023
VISION: Preserve and protect Colorado’s iconic wildlife, waters, and diverse mountain environments
Key Indicators
Camping Impact .....................................................
Human & Dog Waste ...............................................
Wilderness Standard Compliance ...........................
Natural Resource Health Perception ......................
Conversion of Social to Sustainably Designed Trails
Wildlife Impact ........................................................
VISION: Provide equitable opportunities to responsibly explore Colorado’s 14ers
Key Indicators Experience Quality ..................................................
Parking, Restrooms, and Trail Infrastructure ..........
14er Funding ............................................................
Safe Behaviors ........................................................
Access Equity ..........................................................
Responsible Behaviors ............................................
VISION: Support mutually beneficial relationships between visitors and communities
Key Indicators
Total Funding Available vs. Need ............................
State Economic Benefit .........................................
Local Business Patronization Programs .................
D
C D
D F F F D A C C D C D C B D D Resources For Community Concerns ..................... F
14ERS CENTENNIAL VISIONING Report Card
June 2023
A Shared Vision for Colorado’s 14ers
Colorado’s iconic 14ers are some of the world’s treasures, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to climb peaks, find solitude in the wilderness, and play in the waters, valleys, and landscapes surrounding them Preserving their beauty for generations to come has inspired a broad movement of stakeholders to come together to create a statewide vision for that desired future
Our vision is a 14er culture across Colorado that:
Preserves and protects iconic wildlife, waters, and diverse mountain environments; Provides equitable opportunities to responsibly explore Colorado’s 14ers; and Supports mutually beneficial relationships between visitors and communities
Why a Report Card?
There is an old saying what gets measured gets managed. The 14er Report Card was created to provide a sense of how the state is tracking compared to the shared vision for the 14ers in Colorado. The Report Card provides data on trends relative to the goals, from hard data (such as trail counters), the perspectives of land management professionals (such as District Rangers and wildlife professionals), and the perceptions of visitors. The data, which will improve over time, provides a catalyst for collective action among agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals. Even though there are signs of great progress in key areas progress on trail quality, increases in individual donations, etc. the Report Card helps shed light on the size of the challenge, and the need to increase our levels of collaboration to make the 14er vision a reality.
Barely Passing Grades
The bottom line from the Colorado 14er Vision Report Card indicates that we are not currently on track to make the vision a reality. Data indicate an increasing, cumulative impact on sensitive alpine environments, decreasing experience quality and friction with communities. The trends pose a grave threat to alpine habitats and experiences, given how sensitive these environments are. Vegetation is easily damaged (some alpine plants can die after being stepped on just 5 or so times) and takes a very long time (decades to centuries) to fully recover from damage. As 14er use increases, so does the risk of negative impacts on the environment, the experience, and even local economics as communities feel pressed to manage the issues. The Report Card indicates that we are not yet on the path to achieve the above visions, but offers opportunity to change the trajectory with new collaborative projects, programs, and management policies that build on current programs and address critical gaps.
How Measures Were Determined
After developing the vision with input from over 1,500 participants who filled out surveys and attended outreach meetings, the planning team (National Forest Foundation, Envision Chaffee County, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, and The Civic Canopy) assembled an array of measures that speak to the key elements of the vision. Data was collected through four surveys: the 14ers Visioning Survey, completed by 1,200 participants in Colorado and beyond; the Core Team Survey, completed by planning stakeholders; a Wildlife Professionals Survey; and a District Rangers Survey completed by U.S. Forest Service District Rangers managing 14ers in their districts. The responses provide a good starting point for assessing the trend data. Data also included numeric information, primarily from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative volunteer trail stewards and trail counters. Grades are based on the numeric trends, per the key below, and were reviewed and agreed upon by the planning team. The Report Card may be updated in future years to incorporate more or new data and to track changes in the trends over time and with increased action.
How Grades are Determined and What They Mean
Each indicator is graded based on how it is trending relative to the goal:
A - Improving
B - Stable
C - Some concern or negative trends up to 0.5% per year
D - Strong concern or negative trend of 1.5% to 5% per year
F - Serious concern or negative trend greater than 5% per year (50% loss per decade)
The key indicators are combined to provide overall grades mathematically. For survey data that is on a scale of greatly improving, slightly improving, same, slightly worse/more, greatly worse/more the following scale is used:
A: Improving
Majority (>55%) said the indicator was improving
B: Stable
Responses were about even (45-50% said improving and 45-50% said declining or about equal mix of improving, neutral, declining)
C: Some Concern
A clear majority (by at least 10%) said indicator trend was greatly/somewhat negative (e.g., 41% say declining experience, 24% say improving)
D: Strong Concern
Twice as many said indicator trend was greatly/somewhat negative vs. positive (clear and strong negative trend)
F: Serious Concern
3 out of 4 (>75%) said the indicator trend was greatly/somewhat negative
How This Will Be Used
The 14er Report Card is a call to action The current trends in the data will hopefully draw attention to the need for bold action and inspiring solutions that target the root causes To achieve our vision of thriving natural resources, amazing experiences for increasingly diverse 14er visitors, and ensuring local community support for future projects, fundamental changes in the system are needed to better care for and manage 14ers From funding, to infrastructure, to user behavior changes, strategies will need to be developed that involve engineering, enforcement, communication, financing, and effective education The 14ers Centennial Visioning Process provides the opportunity to identify new approaches, projects, and programs to change the trajectory for this generation and the next Going forward, the grades from this Report Card serve as a baseline as we monitor our collective progress on project implementation and program development across 14ers
Data Details
For more information on the report card grades and the data behind them, have a look at the detailed report cards by vision below.
