Environmental Actions Weekly Round-Up

Weekly round-up of environmental events/actions/educational and recreational opportunities and volunteer projects.

Click the sections below to view the specific information:

• Events happening in-person
• Events happening online
• Citizen Science
• Jobs & Internships
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Actions & Action Resources

Below, we have things you can do for Black Lives Matter, environmental activities you can do safely from home, and resources if you are being negatively impacted by coronavirus.

If you have something you would like included in the next round-up, please email Chris at chris@rockymountainwild.org.

Stay informed, engaged, and educated!

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Black Lives Matter

For those looking for ways in which to stand up and demand an immediate end to police brutality and defend Black life, here are some resources:

Measures to support in Denver/Colorado:

1. UPDATE: This has passed! In Colorado, tell your legislators you support SB 217 Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity. It’s best if you directly contact your legislators and explain why you support it in your own words, but if you find that difficult, you can also sign this petition (or both).
2. UPDATE: This passed unanimously! In Denver Public Schools, a resolution has been presented that would remove Denver Police officers from Denver Public Schools entirely. Tell the Board that you support this resolution.

Actions to take:

• Black Lives Matter petitions to sign

Groups to listen to, donate to, and follow the lead of:

• 8 to Abolition
• Black Lives Matter 5280 (Denver)
• Color of Change
• Communities United Against Police Brutality
• Communities United for Police Reform
• The Movement for Black Lives
• Reclaim the Block (direct actions are for Minneapolis, but their resources would apply anywhere)
• Showing Up for Racial Justice

Places to donate to:

• Direct aid to George’s Floyd’s family
• Direct aid to Ahmaud Arbery’s mother
• Direct aid to Breonna Taylor’s family
• Direct aid to Tony McDad’s family
• Direct aid to Iyanna Dior – CashApp $IyannaDIO. (Iyanna Dior was brutally attacked in St. Paul during a protest)
• Direct aid for David McAtee’s mother and family (David McAtee was fatally shot when the National Guard and police open fired on a crowd of people on June 1)
• The Okra Project Mental Health Funds in Honor of Tony McDade and Nina Pop (Tony McDade and Nina Pop were two Black transgender individuals who were murdered by police officers; the fund raises therapy sessions with a licensed Black therapist for Black transgender individuals)
• Colorado Freedom Fund. If you aren’t in Colorado, you can look up your local bail fund here.

Resources to learn more:

• Anti-racism resources
• Anti-racist parenting matrix by age
• Color of Change’s Bold Conversations
• National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Talking About Race
• Raising Race Conscious Children resources
• Scaffolded anti-racist resources
• Showing up for Racial Justice resources

How to protest safely and equitably:

• The Movement for Black Lives’ tips for maintaining safety and taking action in a pandemic
• The Cut’s guide to protest safely during a pandemic

Organizations working towards equity in the outdoors:

• GirlTrek: Healthy Black Women and Girls
• Diversify Outdoors
• Latino Outdoors
• Next 100 Coalition
• Outdoor Afro
• Sierra Club Outdoors for All
• The Venture Out Project

Environmental Activities to Do From Home

For those looking for educational things to do with their kids (or to do yourself; these are quite good things), here are some excellent resources:

• From Adler Planetarium: Let’s Do Science video series
• From Bay Nature: Connect with nature from your home, a social distancing-approved reading list and other indoor nature activities.
• From Captain Planet Foundation: Web-guided Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Wolf Quest (leads students on a learning journey to understand the wolf reintroduction).
• From Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Coloring book pages.
• From Colorado Raptors: Raptor watching in Colorado. Test and enhance your knowledge of Colorado’s most common diurnal raptors.
• From Conservation Colorado: Online action center of direct environmental actions to take.
• From Defenders of Wildlife: Stay Home Stay Wild list of things to do.
• From Denver Audubon: 50 birds to see in Denver, 50 birding hotspots in and around Denver, Native Plants for Birds, and how to create and certify an Audubon Habitat Hero Garden through Audubon Rockies.
• From Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Stay healthy, love science, and avoid boredom at home
• From Denver Zoo: Zoo to You Virtual Safari
• From Earthsky: Explore the universe from home: NASA’s online activities, e-books, podcasts, and other content.
• From Environment America: 50 Environmental activities kids can do at home and Greener Together list of ways to reconnect with nature and each other
• From Environmental Film Festival: Explore their collection of films available for streaming.
• From Fort Collins Museum of Discovery: black-footed ferret enclosure live camera and virtual museum tour
• From Global Space Education Foundation: Story Time from Space
• From Google: The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
• From Great Outdoors Colorado: Outside Everyday Challenge/Reto de Cada Día Afuera and Generation Wild
• From Mrs. Fahrney: 30 Virtual Field Trips
• From National Geographic: At-Home Education Resources, including an Earth Week safari, Nat Geo Family Camp, and How Kids Can Volunteer From Home
• From National Parks Conservation Association: 8 ways to enjoy National Parks safely from your home
• From National Wildlife Federation: Free access to curricula, activities, and projects for Eco-Schools Program
• From The Nature Conservancy: Youth Engagement Nature Lab
• From Patagonia: Patagonia documentary films
• From Ranger Rick: Free access to digital editions, activities, and resources through June. And for parents and guardians: Ranger Rick Educator’s Guides and Ranger Rick Jr. Parent Reading Guides (in English and Spanish).
• From The Revelator: Wildlife and nature livecams
• From Rocky Mountain Wolf Project: Kids corner (coloring books, wolf masks, wolf puppets, wolf origami)
• From Smithsonian Learning Lab: Distance learning resources, training, and support
• From Thorne Nature Experience: Outside Every Day Challenge/Reto de Cada Día Afuera
• From Wild & Scenic Film Festival: Films for social distancing
• From Wolf Conservation Center: Free distance learning programs about wolves and how your children can become a Certified WCC Junior Wolf Biologist
• From World Migratory Bird Day in the Americas: Story time, book club, training, and virtual festival
• From World Wildlife Fund: WWF’s Wild Classroom and Your Daily Dose of Nature
• From us: American pika coloring page, Bighorn sheep coloring page, Boreal toad coloring page, Canada lynx coloring page, Greater sage-grouse coloring page, Gunnison sage-grouse coloring page, Townsend’s big-eared bat coloring page, Wolf coloring page, and Wolverine coloring page.

Resources here in Colorado if you need some help right now:

Food Resources:

• Hunger Free Colorado’s COVID-19 Resources Page – includes links, information, and/or phone numbers for the Food Resources Hotline, SNAP, free grab and go meals for students under the age of 18, Meals on Wheels, WIC, and food pantries.
• Denver Public Schools Grab-and-Go Meal Pickup sites and information.
• Friends & Family Meal – to-go meals for unemployed hospitality workers.
• Operation Family Meal – nonprofit set up to feed Denver’s hospitality industry employees and their families.

Shelters and Housing:

• COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project – a community legal project to provide information and support to Coloradans unable to pay their rent during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Urban Peak – shelter for youth ages 15 through 20, LGBTIQA2+ safer space.
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless – housing for families, couples, and individuals as well as affordable housing resources.
• Denver Rescue Mission – National Western Complex to shelter up to 600 men.
• Saint Francis Center – refuge for adult men and women.

Unsafe Stay-At Home Situations:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – number, online chat function, and resources.
• Violence Free Colorado – resources including those specific to undocumented individuals, immigrant communities, LGBTIQA2+ people, people with disabilities, and more.

Mental Health Resources:

• Medicare coverage now includes telehealth visits, virtual check-ins, and e-visits.
• Mental Health Colorado – mental health resources, including crisis hotlines, virtual sobriety support, and more
• Alcoholics Anonymous – online meetings
• Betterhelp – online counseling service
• Talkspace – offering free online therapy for healthcare workers and discounted subscriptions for all during COVID-19
• Real – free online group therapy and digital events
• Validation Station – free text service that sends daily validation to trans people
• Headspace – mental health app for meditation
• Breathe2Relax – app to manage stress with breathing exercises

Knowledge About Bills and Executive Orders That Could Help:

• Unemployment claim payments have been expedited. As of April 20th, self-employed and gig workers can make unemployment claims.
• Federally-serviced student loan borrowers are allowed to defer payments until September 30th with no interest or penalty.

If you know of a resource that should be on this list but isn’t, please let me know.