Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership

In 2022, through our environmental education program called spark. Inspire. Embrace., we facilitated programs and activities for 2,006 youth in the northeast metro denver area. 98% of programs were at no cost to the schools or organizations, thanks to the generationwild grant from great outdoors Colorado. All spark. Inspire. Embrace. Programs and activities are designed to build pathways for youth from historically underserved communities to learn from and explore nature. The goals of our spark. Inspire. Embrace. Programs and activities are to empower youth to develop unique connections with nature, establish a keen understanding of the science behind the environment, and ultimately inspire them to be the next generation of inclusive and diverse environmental stewards. Throughout 2022, we worked with 13 educational partners to provide continuous instruction totaling in at least 3 or more programs with returning participants. Successfully working with returning youth participants creates the opportunity to foster a sense of appreciation and stewardship for the environment and give community members the knowledge and skills to independently explore the wilderness in their city. In addition, the scrgp collaborated with 25 other partners to provide one- or two-time programs focused on increasing equitable awareness, access, and engagement along the Greenway. The Sand Creek Regional Greenway hosts multiple volunteer and stewardship opportunities throughout the year. These volunteer opportunities take place along different portions of the trail and are in Partnership with our city partners (denver parks and recreation, city of aurora parks and open space, and commerce city parks and recreation). We engage with schools, neighborhood associations, youth groups, and other community organizations to create private volunteer events along the Greenway. Volunteer projects not related to trail construction include tree wrapping, weed removal, native seed spreading, tree, shrub, and forb planting, collecting macroinvertebrates, removing litter, monitoring pollinator gardens, and many other tasks related to the restoration, preservation, and enhancement of the Greenway, and Creek. In 2022, we hosted 21 volunteer events with 280 participants. During 2022 Sand Creek volunteers contributed 935 hours of service to the Sand Creek Regional Greenway- a volunteer value of 26,684.90. For many years, trail users have expressed a desire to have directional signage installed along the Greenway. In 2022, we finalized the design of wayfinding signs and contributed 54,725 to fabricating these signs. Working with our city partners, we will install over 20 posts offering multiple points of direction while on the trail. These signs will help increase safety and comfort while using the trail. In 2022, the Sand Creek Regional Greenway continued to enhance the Greenway and create a space where diverse members of the community can feel represented through art installations. In 2022, the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership funded the installation of a second mural on the Greenway. Installed by juls mendoza, the 2022 mural is an expression of juls mexican culture and heritage and offers an opportunity for individuals to learn more about their fellow community members.