Wildlife in Chaffee County may also be celebrating after Chaffee County was recognized by the Colorado chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) for its new land use code. APA Colorado selected Chaffee County as one of its 2025 Merit Award winners for the wildlife habitat protections incorporated into the Chaffee County Land Use Code.
The Chaffee County Land Use Code (CCLUC) rewrite project received the 2025 APA Colorado Merit Award in the category of Resilience, Sustainability, and Environmental Design. The award was presented to the County on October 23, 2025 at the APA Colorado annual conference in Grand Junction.
Specifically, APA Colorado award noted the CCLUC’s habitat protection policies including natural resource setbacks, habitat connectivity and road ecology standards, and required mitigation actions to protect critical wildlife from the impacts of development. The award also cited the County’s adoption of the Planning for Wildlife map as a regulatory tool and noted how Chaffee County’s efforts are already serving as a guide for other communities.
Chaffee County Commissioner P.T. Wood shared, “This was really an award for our entire community, because time and again the people of Chaffee County make it clear that protecting our wildlife and our natural environment is key to what makes Chaffee County special. I was proud to accept this award and I am proud of the work we are doing to keep Chaffee County’s ecosystems intact.”
The award bookends a series of connected County planning processes – the Together Chaffee County Comprehensive Plan similarly won an APA Colorado Merit Award in 2020 for its community engagement efforts. For more information on the Chaffee County Land Use Code or the 2020 Together Chaffee County Comprehensive Plan, visit the Community Planning & Natural Resources Department at chaffeecounty.org/community_planning_natural_resources.
Community Planning & Natural Resources Director Miles Cottom and Commissioner P.T. Wood accepting the APA Colorado Merit Award for the Chaffee County Land Use Code Rewrite Project.
Photo courtesy of Abbey Aguirre, APA Colorado.
