The Outdoor Recreation Planning Assistance Program (ORPA) is a newly developed technical assistance service created to help your community define its outdoor recreation goals. Our program aims to help communities build capacity at the local level by providing planning assistance, stakeholder and community engagement, and defining a plan of action.

Eligible projects will work with the state recreation planner to collaborate on a scope of work to recognize shared responsibilities. This program is intended to help build capacity at the local level, not to replace consulting services.

Types of projects include:

Community visioning and stakeholder facilitation: With the assistance of the planner, a series of community workshops or meetings will help your community to define the look and feel of nearby outdoor recreation opportunities and create a document that will guide future plans.

Plan coordination and development: ORPA may help your community develop the scope of a plan, to producing the final document itself.

Outreach and community input strategies and execution: From online surveys to virtual or in-person public open houses, to social media and press releases. ORPA can help you engage your community in a meaningful way.

Trail counter deployment and visitor analysis: We can help you assess current visitor or use patterns and capture data to help inform your community’s decision-making.

Pre-DOR grant application coordination: Let’s think through next steps, ongoing maintenance needs, and other elements to make your grant project a success.

Field-data collection strategy and support: What you find in the field should inform your project and grant approach. ORPA can help you capture information from the great outdoors to best inform your outdoor recreation approach.

Conceptual trail design assistance: With ORPA support, we can help you think through the goals of a new trial system and help you conceptualize trail layout and design objectives.

How to Receive ORPA Support

ORPA offers ongoing mini-consultations to meet with your community. These meetings do not require an application and are available year-round, depending on availability, to provide guidance and support for your community’s outdoor recreation planning efforts. 

Mini-Consultations 

Mini-consultation meetings may include site visits or a series of meetings to help you think through your community’s next steps, connect you to planning or grant resources, or provide feedback on planning efforts or project goals. To schedule a meeting, please fill out the Mini-Consultation Request form below or contact Carly Lansche at clansche@utah.gov or 385-499-1216. You can also book a virtual appointment here.

ORPA Application Details

DEADLINE EXTENDED: The 2024 application cycle will be open until March 31st. Access the application via the button below.  All applicants are encouraged to coordinate before they submit their application with Carly Lansche. To schedule a meeting, please contact Carly Lansche at clansche@utah.gov or 385-499-1216 or book a virtual appointment here. 

Eligible applicants include:

• Municipal agencies
• Counties
• Tribal governments

Application requirements:

• Letter of support from a city, county, or tribal representative
• Coordination with the statewide recreation planner prior to application submission

Applicants will be broken into sections with scoring values and evaluated for:

• Community need and potential economic impact
• Recreational value and potential for improved access
• Overall benefit to the public