High Line Canal Conservancy: Equity in Action

We are prioritizing equity and inclusion in all aspects of our work

The Conservancy staff and Board of Directors is prioritizing equity and inclusion in all aspects of its work with the mission to preserve, protect and enhance all 71 miles of the High line Canal in partnership with the public. Through this mission, and as guided by the Strategic Plan 2019-2024, our goal is to support healthy lifestyles, improve the natural environment and enhance the  Canal’s infrastructure, ensuring that all people of our region – considering, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, economics, age, geography, ability, and sexual orientation – have access to a safe and welcoming outdoor space. As our region experiences rapid development and population growth, the Canal represents an opportunity to increase access to nature and improve recreational opportunities for generations of Coloradans while also building climate resilience.

WHY

We recognize and understand that to achieve this, we must help overcome inequities due to factors including:

  • Historical and current underinvestment of time and money to maintain the Canal and the trail in low-income neighborhoods and areas where Black, Latino and immigrant people live.
  • Barriers to access for low-income neighborhoods and people with disabilities.
  • Inadequate engagement of all residents impacted by the Canal in planning trail projects and community programs.

For a deeper understanding and sources regarding these inequities, click here.

We acknowledge that these historical and present-day inequities have resulted in significant differences in user experience and access to the Canal, especially in the Northeast sections of the trail in Denver and Aurora, where it has not yet fulfilled its potential to improve public health and the biodiversity upon which we all rely.

HOW

We are striving to achieve equity through these commitments:

  • Honor the full history of the land, people and labor by telling the history of the land before the Canal was built and honoring elders past, present and future who have stewarded this land. We acknowledge that the Canal sits on the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho Peoples.
  • Build systems and processes within the Conservancy that ensure all communities are meaningfully involved in decision-making and the development of programs and trail projects.
  • Host community programs along the Canal that are of, by and for the community and prioritize community partners, leaders and participation from local residents, especially Black, Latino and immigrant communities.
  • Prioritize Canal improvement projects in areas of greatest need to improve the health of people and the environment along the 71 miles, ensuring climate resilience and safe and easy access to the outdoors for a higher quality of life, especially benefiting Black, Latino and immigrant neighborhoods.

WHAT

To ensure everyone has easy and safe access to the Canal, our immediate actions include:

  • Lead over $11 million of investment into enhancing the Canal in the Northeast sections through a locally-led, locally-driven design process that centers equity, diversity and inclusion.
  • Increase leadership and participation by community members in all structural decision making to improve the Canal by ensuring our board and staff, committees and volunteer opportunities are inclusive of community members and dismantle economic barriers to participation. This requires ensuring sufficient paid opportunities to ensure socio-economic barriers to engagement are eliminated.
  • Develop practices and communications that honor the Canal’s full history and respect the Indigenous Peoples methods of caring for the land in collaboration with Indigenous and tribal representatives, organizations and governmental agencies.
  • Hire, develop, promote, and retain Conservancy leaders, staff and Board that represents all of the Canal communities.
  • Steward the Canal with the support of the Canal Conservation Corps by maintaining and growing stewardship programs, partnerships and volunteer opportunities; and measuring the impact of these programs to improve the ecological health of the Canal.

Equity in Action Highlights

It is important to stay accountable and ensure we are putting equity at the forefront of our work. Therefore, we will share quarterly highlights about how we are continuing our commitment to equity and inclusion.

Last updated: October 2024

Accessibility Audit

CU Boulder Masters of the Environment capstone students Taylor Flanagan, Lillian Sachitano, and Isabel Whitehead are working with the Conservancy to assess the accessibility of the entire trail, its trailheads, and amenities. They’re using the Americans with Disabilities Act and local standards to measure and document each section’s physical accessibility, ensuring everyone can enjoy the Canal. With input from experts in disability access and communication, the team developed a methodology to assess the trail’s grade, structures, signage and access points. They will deliver a final report to the Conservancy alongside recommendations to communicate this valuable information to trail users. 

Mile High Youth Corps

For the third year in a row, Mile High Youth Corps has helped us remove the invasive species Russian Olive from the Canal. Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) is a nonprofit social enterprise powered by a network of young adults, ages 18-24, who are justice-focused, comitted to creating sustainable communities and pursuing a meaningful path to career success. As a leader in positive youth development, workforce development and community-based service, our Youth Corps completes conservation, construction and healthcare projects across 23 Colorado counties. For over 30 years, our work is making a difference for communities today and building a stronger workforce for tomorrow.”

NE Community Advisory Committee

The NE Community Advisory Committee received the Nina B. Itin Volunteer Impact Award for their work over the past year to connect their communities to the Canal and gather community feedback on the Canal Improvement Zones being co-created along the Canal in the NE neighborhoods. Learn more >

GOCO Grant 

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) awarded a $7 million grant to the High Line Canal Conservancy, in partnership with the City and County of Denver, Arapahoe County and the City of Aurora, for improvements to 28 miles of the High Line Canal Trail. This grant is part of GOCO’s Centennial Program, which invests in high-value, once-in-a-generation visions and projects that will create lasting impacts on the Centennial state and future generations.

The GOCO funding will help the Conservancy and partners revitalize the trails’ 28-mile northeast segment, which runs through Denver, Adams and Arapahoe counties, and the city of Aurora. This section runs through some of the state’s most diverse and under-resourced communities who identified underinvestment, safety concerns, and difficult entry points as some of the main barriers to trail access.

Partnership with CCA

Community College of Aurora has been an amazing community partner and has supported the Conservancy’s efforts to connect the school community to the High Line Canal right behind the school. They have co-hosted the Unity Walk for the last 3 years and most recently supported our Dine for the High Line gala at CCA, which helped us raise vital funds for the long-term protection of the Canal. Thank you CCA!

Groundwork Denver

Groundwork Denver helped us maintain our first pilot prairie planting in Green Valley Ranch next to Marrama Elementary through stewardship of the garden. Groundwork Denver partners with youth and community to build a healthy, equitable, and sustainable environment.

Equity in Action History

CANAL AMBASSADORS AND PAID OPPORTUNITIES

These community members, both paid and volunteer, help to create deeper connections to the community, gather input on projects and help build awareness about the Canal. In 2020, the Conservancy received funding from Great Outdoors Colorado to open up paid opportunities for advancing community-led stewardship and outreach in the diverse and often under-resourced communities along the northeast sections of the Canal.

    • 14 Canal Ambassadors (including 8 youth) since 2020
    • 2 paid interns focused on community outreach in the Northeast since 2021

Learn about how to become a Canal Ambassador.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP: GROUNDWORK DENVER

In Summer 2022 we partnered with Groundwork Denver’s Aurora Green Team who worked with us to steward the Canal, learn about park planning and other career opportunities and engage in community outreach. Groundwork Denver offers paid opportunities for teens to work in various environmental roles within their community, including supporting the High Line Canal. The Green Team featured 10 youth environmentalists working with us for 7 weeks to accomplish:

    • Invasive weed removal
    • Litter removal
    • Conducting community outreach surveys

We also explored career development opportunities with the Green Team through through meeting park planners and touring local parks, connecting with many Conservancy staff to learn about topics from natural resources to outreach strategies and a fun biking tour of the Canal.

NORTHEAST ENGAGEMENT

The Conservancy is focused on implementing high-priority trail improvement projects as recommended in The Plan for the High Line Canal along the northern 27 miles of the Canal in partnership with local governments. Our goal is to engage all communities along the Canal to co-design enhancements to ensure the projects will sustain the Canal as a central part of each community’s park and recreational system. We are working to build deeper partnerships and relationships with communities, especially in Unincorporated Arapahoe County, Denver and Aurora (we define this area as the “Northeast”), in order to co-create future improvements through an equity- and community-centered approach. Learn more about our Northeast Engagement work and how you can get involved if you live or work in these areas!

FORMATION OF NE COMMITTEE

To implement priority improvement projects in 14 locations along the Northeast sections of the Canal with substantial community participation, the Conservancy launched the Northeast Advisory Committee (Committee) on December 19, 2022. The Committee consists of 7 community advisors and 2 board members with diverse identities, backgrounds and connections to the trail. The members represent the breadth of neighborhoods along the Canal in the Northeast and work to deeply engage and empower community members and local partners to scale the impact of trail improvements. Thanks to the funding from Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservancy is able to offer financial compensation for the hard work and time committed by Committee members.

NE FOCUS GROUPS AND REPORT

To inform the development and implementation of the projects in the Northeast, the Conservancy worked with Lacy Consulting Services (LCS) to facilitate community engagement with particular focus on Green Valley Ranch, East Denver, and Aurora. To accomplish this goal, LCS identified and conducted focus groups with diverse community members who agreed to voice their perceptions about the Canal Trail and necessary improvements.

  • Participants lived or spent considerable time in the neighborhoods along the trail and use either the Canal Trail or similar green spaces
  • Emphasis was placed on recruiting participants from marginalized or equity-deserving identities including immigrant, refugee, Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC), low income, living with a disability, and/or LGBTQIA+ communities.
  • 8 focus groups
  • 50 participants

This summary features the key takeaways from the community engagement focus groups.

Mile High Youth Corps

For the second year, the Conservancy is partnering with Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) to remove Russian olive, an invasive species, along the Canal. In 2022, the Conservancy worked with MHYC for eight weeks, during which crews inventoried and removed 392 Russian olives across 21 miles of Canal corridor. In 2023, MHYC will spend four weeks inventorying and removing Russian olive on the Canal. MHYC provides crews of young adults 18 – 24 that are focused on justice and creating sustainable communities. Learn more about MHYC.