(1) In order to provide for the greatly increasing outdoor needs of a rapidly expanding Colorado population for public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the out-of-doors areas of Colorado and for the conservation, development, and use of natural resources against fire and other natural and geological hazards, it is hereby declared to be the public policy of this state and among the purposes of this article to: Increase the accessibility and encourage the use of such natural resources by the residents of this state and by nonresidents; provide opportunity for the development of public and private facilities for persons visiting and utilizing the natural resources of this state; encourage an increase in riding, hiking, bicycling, and other compatible recreational activities as influences for the improvement of the health and welfare of the people; and to provide for the needs of specialized recreational motor vehicles. It is recognized that joint simultaneous trail use by motorized and nonmotorized interests may at times be incompatible, and it is the intent of this article to provide separate trails and facilities for each of such motorized and nonmotorized interests, when feasible. (2) To implement the provisions of subsection (1) of this section and as additional purposes of this article, the state may: Establish and maintain trails on a statewide basis to connect, when feasible and practical, the units of the parks and outdoor recreation system, federal recreational lands, and other trails systems; perpetuate and provide the use of and access to regions and trails of special or historic interest within the state; assist local governments in serving the requirements of the urban and other population centers of the state; encourage the multiple use of public rights-of-way and utilize to the fullest extent the existing and future scenic roads, highways, parkways, and federally administered trails where feasible as recreational trails; encourage the development and maintenance of recreational trails by counties, cities, and special improvement districts and assist in such development and maintenance by all means available; coordinate trail plans and development among legal jurisdictions and with the state and federal governments; encourage, when possible, the development of trails on federal lands by the federal government; and promote at all levels of government a more complete use of all or any portion of public property for recreational purposes. (3) A further purpose of this article is to promote the establishment and operation of a statewide network of trails, to be known as the "Colorado greenway trails system", along and between the state's lakes, streams, or reservoirs linking cities, towns, communities, and river basins. The Colorado greenway trails system shall be established and operated in a manner that promotes recreational opportunities along lakes, streams, or reservoirs, that provides access to and is a part of an integrated trail system, that protects water rights and real property rights, and that minimizes conflicts between recreationists and others to minimize adverse impacts on natural features and sensitive habitats.
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