Project Presentation and Financial Information The proposed Backcountry Outdoor Center project includes a building at Backcountry Base Camp: the Environmental Education Center. The building will be the launchpad for our community to engage with and learn in the outdoors. From a licensed nature preschool and staff offices to flexible indoor/outdoor spaces that will morph from gathering places to a weather shelter, the Environmental Education Center is the next great HRCA amenity. Once our staff's HQ is the Environmental Education Center, Base Camp will be open for more public hours to enjoy walking on our new interpretive trail and visiting our barnyard animals.

1. HRCA Backcountry
Wilderness Area

2. Backcountry Outdoor
Center
“5th Rec Center”
Environmental Ed.
Center
(Preschool, Offices,
Camps,
Event/Gathering Space)
and
Equine Learning Center

3. BACKCOUNTRY
OUTDOOR
CENTER:
CONCEPTUAL
PLAN and
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
PROCESS
TIMELINE
2021 Budget
• Conceptual Plan
MARCH 2022
• Conceptual Plan
Presented to the
Delegates, Board and
Finance Committee
BUSINESS PLAN
• Presented to the
Delegates and Board:
April 2022
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
PROCESS
• May Vote, June Public
Meeting, July Final Vote
CONTINUE WITH
PROJECT AND
COUNTY
APPROVALS

5. Highlands Ranch is
known for…

7. 1/3 of Highlands Ranch

8. 13 square miles…

9. Development Stops;
Conservation Begins

10. Our Management Focuses On…

16. Investments and
Decisions to make
HRCA what it is today

17. Backcountry
Wilderness
Area: Similar
continuous
investments…
Similar Model of Investments Over
Time…
Wildcat Trails: 2006
Highlands Point Trails: 2009 and
2014
Base Camp and Horse Corrals: 2016
Archery Ranges: 2018

18. The Next
Investment:
Our “5th Rec Center”
Another
investment to
separate HR from
other
communities
Like our rec
centers:
Here for the long
term
Benefit to the
community for the
next 40 years and
beyond
Unique to
Highlands Ranch
Unique to the
Front Range,
State, Nation

19. LOCATION
IS KEY:
Areas in
Yellow Are
Proposed
Sites.

21. How Did We
Get Here?
HRCA conveyed property in
2006 and 2009
Extra Layers of Protection
1988 OSCA
Agreement
2000 OSCA
Plan
2002 HRCA
Management
Plan
Property protected initially
1980 Conservation Easement

22. A Decade of
Growth and
Experience
2009:
Total conveyance
2010:
Archery Range
Horse Trail Rides
Hunting
2011:
Elk Banquet
Haunted Forest
2012:
Licensed youth
camps
20 kids ½ day
2014:
Beginnings of Base
Camp
Horse Camps WC
2015:
Full Day Camps
2016:
Base Camp
Horse Corrals
2017:
501c3 Established
Purchased 1st Trail
Horses
2018:
Archery Range
Opens
Ponies
2019:
Goats/Donkey Sold
Bella and Buster
2020/21:
Focus on Product
Improvement
2022:
Preschool License
Horse Leasing

23. Program Revenue
Growth

24. Number of Kids
in Camp
108
2015
480
2016
700
2017
800
2018
900
2019
800*
2020
1300
(Absolute
Capacity)
2021
1500
(preschool
and Mini-
Camp)
2022

25. Full Time Staff
1 FT in 2006
2006
7 FT in 2020
2020
9 FT in 2022
• 6 Programs
• 1 Property
• 1 501c3/Marketing/Outreach
2022

26. Current
Backcountry
Funding
(2022):
Expenses: $1,413,000
Revenues: $970,000
Assessments: $450,000
• For comparison, Operating
Budget for the four rec
centers is approximately 6
million.

27. 2020 501c3 of
the Year

28. Base Camp: 2022

35. Horse Corrals: 2022

40. DECADE OF GROWTH

41. Why is a building necessary?

42. Law Enforcement
Training Facility

43. Additional
Reasons for a
Building Camp is completely full with
waitlists
Not serving biggest demographic:
3-6 year olds.
• License type does not allow it
Community, Senior, School
Programs almost non-existent
Lack of year around programs;
80% of revenue June-September
Off-site offices, lack of office space

44. Office Space: 2022

45. Horse Corrals…
Camp Expansion
Right now have to
shuttle kids to
emergency shelter via
van/vehicle…limiting
factor
Program expansion: lessons,
private lessons, leases, senior
programs, therapeutic riding
Year Around: very seasonal right
now; Lose clients each year
Extended times: evenings/lights

46. INVESTMENTS

47. Investing in…

48. "In the end we will conserve only what
we love; we will love only what we
understand; and we will understand
only what we are taught."
-Baba Dioum

49. Investing in…

52. Investing In…

54. Research Shows…
• NATURE ENHANCES A CHILD’S HEALTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
o Enhancing brain development
o Improving academic performance
o Enhancing communication
o Promoting socio-emotional development
o Promoting emotional resilience and self-regulation
o Promoting executive function
o Providing mental health benefits
o Reducing symptoms of ADHD
o Promoting physical activity

55. Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods
• "Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it
travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save
environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered
indicator species: the child in nature."
• "Playtime—especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play—is
increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child
development."

56. • A growing body of evidence that direct exposure to
nature is essential for healthy childhood
development and for the physical and emotional
health of children and adults.
• “Access to nature—and the benefits that
come with it—are a necessity, not a nicety.”
Amber Fyfe-Johnson, the study's lead author and an assistant professor with WSU's
Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) and the
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

57. Business Plan

59. Camp Expansion

60. Equine Expansion

61. Preschool

62. Important…

63. OPERATING
COSTS
No Assessment
Increase Due to
this Project

64. 2022 Revenue vs 2025 Revenue
Rev Exp PT
Lab
FT
Lab
Ttl.
Exp
Net
Rev
Rev Exp PT
Lab
FT
Lab
Ttl.
Exp
Net
Rev
Horse 350k 82k 105k 162k 349k 1k 365k 84k 108k 170k 362k 3k
Camps 385k 30k 75k 278k 383k 2k 645k 78k 162k 340k 580k 65k
Preschool 35k 2.5k 7k 25k 34.5k .5k 1,260k 220k 521k 260k 1,001k 259k
Community 10k 1k 4k 5k 10k 0 100k 15k 50k 25k 90k 10k
Archery 120k 36k 10k 25k 71k 49k 120k 36k 10k 25k 71k 49k
Elk Hunt 14k 2.5k 0 5k 7.5k 6.5k 15k 2.5k 0 5k 7.5k 7.5k
TOTAL 914k 154k 201k 500k 830k 59k 2,505k 436k 851k 805k 2,091k 393k

65. 2022 Operating vs 2025 Operating

66. OPERATING
COSTS WITH
BUILDING:
No Special
Assessment or
Assessment
Increase
TOTAL REVENUE: 2,683,700
TOTAL EXPENSE: 3,320,125
TOTAL FUNDING: 636,425
$20/household/year of the total HRCA
annual assessment
• Donors, Local Businesses, Grants, Partnerships
501c3 Potential
Incredible Benefit to the Community

67. CAPITAL COSTS
NO DEBT
NECESSARY!

68. Capital Funding

69. Phases
Phase
2-3:
Horse Arena, Maintenance
Building, Play Structures,
Shade Structures
Phase
1
What is Necessary
Independence from LETF,
Onsite Offices, Preschool and
the revenue that comes with it

70. Uncapped
Potential Nothing Like It
We’ll Keep Pushing for Excellence
Striving to be THE Place for
Environmental Education, Equine
Learning, and a Model of Conservation
Success Will Build on Success: 501c3

71. Community Involvement Process

72. Public Outreach Since the Start

73. Public Outreach in 2022

74. Community Involvement Process

75. VOTE #2

76. VOTE #2

77. VOTE #2

78. VOTE #2

79. VOTE #2

80. Community Meetings

81. Planning Areas/Allowed Uses

82. Planning Areas/Allowed Uses

83. Planning Areas/Allowed Uses

85. Planning Areas/Allowed Uses

86. Amendment to
the PD Planning Area Swap
Planning Area E (272 acres)
Move 30-40 of those acres to
our proposed sites
Define our proposed uses

87. Planning Areas/Allowed Uses

88. Amendment to
the PD Planning Area Swap
Planning Area E (272 acres)
Move 30-40 of those acres to
our proposed sites
Define our proposed uses

89. Amendment to
the PD Application (Cost: $1,300)
Approximately 6 month process
Courtesy notifications to surrounding
community (unknown until submit application)
Public hearings
Decision

90. Benefits of Amending the PD

91. Community
Involvement
Process(CIP)
Timeline
June 14: CIP
Public Meeting
June 21: Delegate
Presentation
• PD Amendment
Application/Details
July 19: Delegate
Vote #2
Completed CIP:
Acts as a
recommendation for
the PD Application

92. Project
Timeline
With PD
Amendment
…
Jan. 2023
PD Amendment
Complete
Feb.–Sep.
2023
DC Process
Oct. 2023 –
June 2024
Construction
Documents,
Bidding,
Contract Award
Aug. 2024
Construction
Start

93. PROJECT WEB-SITE

94. PROJECT TIMELINE

95. Conservation
Education
Recreation