50th Anniversary of El Paso County Parks

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

In 2021, El Paso County Parks celebrated their 50th Anniversary. El Paso County Parks began as an answer to a community need to provide increased access to outdoor recreation opportunities and open spaces for citizens of all ages and backgrounds throughout the County. Since then, the park system has grown to 8,000 acres of parks and open space, 130 miles of trails, two award winning nature centers, and over 1,000 environmental education and recreation programs. While the numbers are impressive, if the residents of the county do not know about their local parks and open spaces they will not be utilized. The goal of celebrating for the parks 50th anniversary was to educate the community about the services county parks have to offer its residents. There were many programs and elements utilized to elevate awareness of these county resources. From hikes to treasure hunts to a grand marketing campaign, El Paso County was successful in obtaining its goal of increasing citizen engagement, awareness, and understanding of the county parks system to thousands of county residents. Innovation was used to turn an anniversary into a program that enriched the public’s understanding about what County Parks has to offer them.