Writing an opinion piece definitely isn’t my natural default, but Commissioner Hadler’s recent “My View” raised a conversation too important to leave without balance or find opportunities to work together as a Commission to benefit our community.
First, I want to clear up a misconception. No one is suggesting the Trail Ambassador program should end. The question is how to structure it moving forward. Some commissioners, including myself, believe the Trail Ambassadors should transition to a nonprofit model — the same model that supports similar programs in other outdoor recreation and gateway communities, and the one that has long worked in Grand County to support public lands, parks, and visitors.
I value the Trail Ambassadors’ work and the education, stewardship, and visitor support they provide. That’s why we want to strengthen the program, not diminish it. In a nonprofit structure, the Ambassadors can access grants, donations, and partnerships with County, State, and Federal support. As a commissioner, I’m committed to supporting the Trail Ambassador program through matching funds, letters of support, collaboration with public land managers, and other resources that build long-term sustainability and growth for their work.
This isn’t about taking something away. It’s about restoring balance. A commission attempt to creatively stretch state law in funding “Responsible Recreation” earned Grand County an audit, censure, and an expensive requirement to repay misused funds that now needs to be absorbed into our budget. Elections reflected the community’s concern about imbalance. Now we have a chance to move forward differently and build a program that serves residents, visitors, and our environment without breaking rules, eroding trust, or compromising the health of our economy and residents’ ability to support themselves and their families.
Maintaining trails, collaborating with land managers, and providing visitor support are appropriate county functions, and we should continue to fund them. But programs rooted in education, stewardship, and outreach thrive best and most sustainably when they’re carried by nonprofits with strong government and private partnerships.
This is an opportunity for our commission to work together, to support what works, and to build a model that ensures the Ambassadors continue and expand their work into the future.
Melodie McCandless is a current Grand County Commissioner.
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