Colorado Lottery Conservation Month Celebrates 40 Years and $4 Billion Back to the State in Proceeds Benefiting Colorado’s Outdoors

Pueblo, CO (October 4, 2023) — Gov. Jared Polis has proclaimed October 2023 Colorado Lottery Conservation Month to celebrate the Lottery’s impact on conservation, stewardship, protection, and growth of the places Coloradans play. To help drive awareness about the Lottery’s impact on Colorado’s outdoors, the Lottery has partnered with organizations throughout the month to promote conservation volunteer events.

On Oct. 7, the Lottery will host its 5th annual Runyon to the Res Arkansas river cleanup in Pueblo. Hosted along with partners, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the City of Pueblo Parks and Recreation, and the Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center in Pueblo, volunteers will help clean up garbage and debris along the popular river.

In September, the Lottery also sponsored an opportunity to work with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado to help with the Perimeter Trail Restoration Project in Ouray. For this two-day project, there were cool temperatures and even cooler views. Working in partnership with the City of Ouray, Ouray Trail Group, and the U.S. Forest Service Ouray Ranger District, approximately 45 volunteers performed critical maintenance tasks on the heavily used Perimeter Trail.

The Lottery has a long history of supporting projects around Ouray. Great Outdoors Colorado awarded the county of Ouray more than $17,000 of Lottery funds to improve these perimeter trails that make this an iconic destination for nature lovers. The 5.6-mile Perimeter Trail is home to four waterfalls, unique terrains, and gorgeous scenery. The Lottery has also supported the Ouray Ice Park, the Our Water Our Future water shortage initiative, and the Ouray playground restoration over the years.

“As an organization, the Lottery excitedly anticipates October every year as a time to get outside and be active stewards of projects around our state,” said Colorado Lottery director Tom Seaver. “We look forward to rolling up our sleeves to support these conservation and restoration events.”

As of today, the Lottery has returned more than $4 billion to parks, recreation, conservation projects and schools; in fiscal year 2023, the Lottery gave more than $195 million to its partners.

About Colorado Lottery 

Since 1983, the Colorado Lottery has returned more than $4 billion to outdoor projects through Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservation Trust Fund, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife Association and to schools through Building Excellent Schools Today. Proceeds from sales of Colorado Lottery games – Scratch, Powerball, Mega Millions, Colorado Lotto+, Lucky for Life, Cash 5, and Pick 3 – enhance, protect, improve parks, trails, and open space in Colorado. For more information, visit coloradolottery.com

SOURCE: Colorado Lottery.