Castlewood Canyon Becomes Gold Standard Site, Joins Elite List Of 12 Parks Nationwide

DENVER (CBS4) - Castlewood Canyon State Park, located just outside of Castle Rock in Doulgas County, recently received a prestigious designation from The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. They became the 12th park of any kind in the United States to be deemed a Gold Standard Site.

Becoming a Gold Standard Site is no easy task. It requires a strong commitment to promoting "Leave No Trace" outdoor skills, ethics and stewardship in order to preserve and protect our lands for years to come.

"A huge thanks for this to volunteers Bev Finamore, Mike Thomas, the Friends of Castlewood Canyon and volunteers at Roxborough for making this happen," said Castlewood Canyon Park Manager Brent Lounsbury.

In order to be named a Gold Standard Site a park must meet the following criteria...

• a history of successfully implementing Leave No Trace Outdoor skills and ethics into management, programming, outreach and education efforts at the site
• staff formally trained in Leave No Trace
• Leave No Trace signage throughout trailheads, visitor centers and campgrounds as well as Leave No Trace language and messaging included in pamphlets, maps and other distributed materials for visitors
• Leave No Trace interpretative programs including ranger talks, campfire events and trail outings for visitors

Castlewood Canyon is now the second state park in Colorado to earn the Gold Standard designation. The other is Roxborough State Park in the northwest part of Douglas County. Colorado joins Washington as the only state with two sites on the elite list below.

1. San Juan Islands National Monument – Lopez Island, Wash.
2. Knob Noster State Park – Knob Noster, Mo.
3. New River Gorge National River – Glen Jean, W. Va.
4. Isle Royale National Park – Houghton, Mich.
5. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area – Sandy Springs, Ga.
6. Coconino National Forest – Flagstaff, Ariz.
7. Cheaha State Park – Delta, Ala.
8. Olympic National Park – Port Angeles, Wash.
9. Shenandoah National Park – Luray, Va.
10. Acadia National Park – Bar Harbor, Maine
11. Roxborough State Park – Roxborough, Colo.
12. Castlewood Canyon State Park - Franktown, Colo.

Several other state parks in Colorado are working toward receiving Gold Standard status, including Eleven Mile, Barr Lake and Staunton State Parks.