Our Stewardship Programs
Our stewardship work involves completing high-quality trail and restoration projects with community stewardship volunteers, youth conservation corps crews, and RMFI's own Stewardship Crew. We complete projects all over Southern Colorado and only work on public lands to ensure our work impacts as many people as possible.
Community Engagement
Community Volunteer Opportunities
The primary way that RMFI completes its on-the-ground stewardship work is by engaging community volunteers. We believe that the protection and restoration of our public lands relies on cultivating an ethic of public stewardship, environmental responsibility, and action. For this reason, RMFI runs hundreds of stewardship days each year for folks of varying skill levels and interests, including youth, adults, and even youth/school groups and corporate groups!
RMFI also employs a professional field staff technically trained in trail and restoration techniques. The RMFI Stewardship Crew, or "Stew Crew", is frequently deployed in teams of 5-7, working nearly year-round maintaining the trails and natural areas in our favorite local parks and open spaces. The Stew Crew helps fill gaps when we're not contracting with a youth corps crew or working with stewardship volunteers so that we can maximize our field season.
Training the next generation
Youth Corps Engagement
RMFI also partners with various Conservation and Youth Work Corps organizations, including Mile High Youth Corps and Southwest Conservation Corps, to educate and provide technical training to the next generation of environmental stewards. These young men and women work with RMFI on extended work hitches, often completely immersed in the backcountry, and help us to complete impressive on-the-ground work results.
RMFI is a vital partner and resource in our trail building and reconstruction projects. Their expertise is invaluable.
NEW TRAIL CONSTRUCTION
RMFI constructs new trails to help facilitate sustainable and multi-use outdoor recreation opportunities for the public.
TRAIL MAINTENANCE
RMFI complete maintenance on existing trails to help improve off-trail drainage and enhance their intended function.
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
RMFI completes a wide variety of ecological restoration activities designed to improve habitat and enhance the health and function of watersheds and riparian areas.
WILDFIRE RESTORATION
RMFI completes post-fire restoration activities to stabilize hill slopes, mitigate erosion and sedimentation, and re-establish native vegetation communities.
RMFI is a leader in completing environmental restoration and watershed projects in Southern Colorado. Land management agencies at the local, state, and federal level seek us out for our innovative trail and restoration solutions and our ability to leverage dwindling financial resources and rally community stewardship volunteers to accomplish the work. While we work throughout Southern Colorado and the Colorado Plateau, we focus the majority of our efforts in the Pikes Peak region.
Each year, we work at about 20-25 project locations all over Southern Colorado. We only work on lands that are publicly owned, which includes everything from parks and open spaces within the City of Colorado Springs all the way to 14,000+ foot peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Find out more about our diverse project locations here.
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Like any nonprofit, RMFI receives revenue from a variety of different sources including individuals, private foundation, government (municipal, county, state, federal), corporations, and other organizations. Check out our latest annual report and 990 form here for more information.