Every week, we post ways that you can contribute to making our region a greener place, including events, community science projects, and direct actions. If you have something you would like included in the next round-up, please email us at info@rockymountainwild.org.
Featured Issue
Wilderness and Wildland are Under Attack
The Department of the Interior launched an effort to update its policies regarding designated wilderness, wilderness study areas, and lands with wilderness characteristics. Interior “is seeking recommendations on potential improvements to wilderness study area and lands with wilderness characteristics policies used by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service.”
On Monday, June 15, eight (!) notices related to wilderness quality lands were posted to the Federal Register starting a 60-day comment period that ends August 14. These notices appear to be part of a broader effort by the administration to weaken protections of our public lands.
Rocky Mountain Wild is part of a wide coalition of conservation organizations that are closely watching this issue. We will share more information soon on how you can most effectively engage,
Photo Credit: Bureau of Land Management Castle Peak Wilderness Study Area by John Wick (image cropped) (CC BY 2.0)
Oil and Gas Lease Sale Comment and Protest Periods
Help at risk black-footed ferrets, endangered fish, wilderness quality lands, and more in Utah!
Utah Bureau of Land Management’s proposed September 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with critical habitat for the ESA listed endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker, habitat for the ESA listed threatened Ute ladies’-tresses plant, management area for the ESA listed threatened black-footed ferret, priority habitat for greater sage-grouse, crucial habitat for big game, wilderness quality lands, and more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to protest the proposed parcels. Protest due June 22.
Photo: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS (CC BY 2.0)
Speak up for fossil area, Lesser Prairie Chicken, and Big Game in New Mexico!
New Mexico Bureau of Land Management’s proposed November 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Paige’s screen shows overlaps with the Betonnie Tsosie Fossil Area, habitat for lesser prairie-chicken, and priority area for big game. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Comments due June 22.
Photo: Flickr: Milky Way over Lybrook Badlands by John Fowler (near Betonnie Tsosie Fossil Area), (CC BY 2.0; photo cropped)
Greater Sage-Grouse, big game, and more in Montana need your help!
Montana Bureau of Land Management’s proposed July 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Paige’s screen shows overlaps with Mule Deer Winter Distribution Areas, the Canadian Border to Fort Peck Reservoir Big Game (Multi-Species) Corridor Priority Region, the Marias River State Habitat Management Area and the Hi Line Greater Sage-Grouse General Management Area. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Protest due July 1.
Photo Credit: Tom Koerner/USFWS, (Public Domain)
Demand protection for the Roan Plateau, bighorn sheep, rare plants, wilderness quality lands and more in Colorado!
Colorado Bureau of Land Management’s proposed December 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows parcels proposed in the Roan Plateau, overlaps with critical habitat and species ranges for threatened plants, high priority habitat for big game, greater sage-grouse habitat including priority habitat, lands with wilderness characteristics, and much more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcel. Comments are due July 9.
Photo credit: Milky Way over the Roan Cliffs by Bryce Bradford on Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Help Mexican spotted owl, at risk and endangered plants, wilderness quality lands, and more in Utah!
Utah Bureau of Land Management’s proposed December 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with critical habitat for the ESA listed threatened Mexican spotted owl, occurrences of ESA threatened Uinta Basin hookless cactus including populations in the Pariette Wetlands Area ACEC, crucial habitat for big game, wilderness quality lands, and more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to protest the proposed parcels. Protest due July 16.
Photo courtesy of Lincoln National Forest (Public Domain)
Other Featured Environmental Actions and Opportunities
The Endangered Species Act is at Risk!
This bipartisan law has protected wildlife for more than 50 years
For more than half a century, the Endangered Species Act has reflected a shared national commitment to preventing extinction and protecting the wildlife and wild places that define who we are. Passed in 1973 with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the ESA established a science-based framework to conserve species and the ecosystems they depend on. It has long stood as a reminder that caring for our natural heritage is a responsibility that crosses political lines.
That legacy is now at risk.
The ESA Amendments Act of 2025 (H.R. 1897) would weaken important provisions of the Endangered Species Act, making it harder for threatened and endangered species to receive the protections they need to survive. Rolling back these safeguards puts decades of conservation progress at risk and undermines the science-based foundation of wildlife protection.
Photo credit: Bald eagle in CO by Alan Stark. Image cropped. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Keep it Public, Colorado!
Our public lands need your help, now more than ever. Recent actions include massive funding cuts, incentives for oil and gas development, and hollowing out the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Stay informed and take action at keepitpublic.co.
Photo of Vermillion Basin: Sam Cox-landscape Imagery.
Speak Out Against the Development at Wolf Creek Pass
Help us tell the developers and decision-makers why building a “village” for 10,000 people at Wolf Creek Pass is a bad idea and the wrong choice for our community and state.
Your statement can help us stop the destruction of this incredible natural resource.
Organizations in Colorado Working Towards Equity in the Outdoors
- Adaptive Sports Center – enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities through exceptional outdoor adventure.
- Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center – providing adaptive sports programs to individuals including adaptive winter ski and snowboard programs at Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper Mountain Ski Resorts, and summer programs on local rivers, lakes, bike paths, and an adaptive ropes course.
- Camping to Connect – uses outdoor recreation and nature immersion to address the diverse issues faced by young men of color in America’s cities—from mental health to healthy masculinity.
- Colorado Blackpackers – providing gear, outdoor excursions, and outdoor education for free or at subsidized costs and connecting participants with volunteer opportunities, internships, jobs, and post-secondary education resources to create a pipeline from outdoor recreation to outdoor industry careers.
- Colorado Gone Hiking – creating an inclusive community that focuses on starting a love of hiking and nature.
- Colorado Treks – breaking barriers to outdoor experiences by providing accessible and enriching adventures in nature for Colorado’s diverse communities, particularly youth and families, fostering a lifelong connection to the healing power of the outdoors.
- Ecoinclusive Strategies – fostering healthy and diverse organizational and community ecosystems that empower individuals from all backgrounds to thrive.
- Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) – reaching out to students who have been traditionally overlooked and under-encouraged in science and science-related careers, most notably, youth of color, LGBTIQA2+, and girls.
- Everyone Outdoors Colorado – Everyone Outdoors Colorado creates equitable access to the benefits of nature in Colorado, centering historically excluded communities through advocacy, storytelling, and leadership development. Formerly known as Next 100 Colorado.
- Green Latinos – convening a broad coalition of Latino leaders committed to addressing national, regional, and local environmental, natural resources, and conservation issues that significantly affect the health and welfare of the U.S. Latino community.
- Latino Outdoors Colorado – inspiring, connecting, and engaging Latino communities in the outdoors and embracing cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, heritage, and leadership are valued and represented.
- LGBT Outdoors Colorado – getting LGBTQ+ community outdoors, creating safe spaces, and promoting diversity among the outdoor industry.
- Native Womens Wilderness – inspiring and raising the voices of Native women in the outdoor realm to encourage a healthy lifestyle within the wilderness and provide an education of the Ancestral Lands and its people.
- Outdoor Asian Colorado – creating a diverse and inclusive community of Asian and Pacific Islands in the outdoors.
- Outdoorist Oath – an action-based commitment to planet, inclusion, and adventure. It offers tools/education for inquiry, a shareable education model, and the hub for a community that cares to build a better future.
- Rising Routes – elevating diverse communities and collaborating with partners to spark public action toward social and environmental resilience.
- Summit for Action – a gathering for thought-provoking discussions and solutions-based recommendations for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Nonprofit Organizations.
- Vibe Tribe Adventures – offering global outdoor recreation and adventure sports opportunities for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and friends.
- Wanderland Outdoors – founded to fill the need in the outdoor space for diversity in faces, an elevated luxury experience, and to help reconnect future clients to the land around them.
- Women’s Wilderness – creating space for girls, women, and nonbinary people of all ages and backgrounds to find their place, their voice, and their power in the outdoors.
In-Person Events
Here are some conservation, stewardship, and advocacy events happening in person. All locations are in Colorado unless indicated otherwise.
- 6/19 Denver – Juneteenth at the Stiles African American Heritage Center. Every year on “Freedom Day” the Stiles African American Heritage Center (SAAHC) hosts a partner event with the larger community celebration. SAAHC serves the traditional red drinks and watermelon to all who pass by. Colorado Native Plant Society will be in the gardens surrounding the Stiles Center where we will disburse the first round of plant ID signs that carry stories of African American plant relationships. This project is supported by the Regional Arts Organization’s Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color. Learn more about the Stiles Gardens and Stiles African American Heritage Center. See other Colorado Native Plant Society events here.
- 6/20 Pagosa Springs – Archuleta County Bioblitz. Join this BioBlitz as a community scientist and help collect data on as many species as possible in a day. Team up with field experts, learn about local ecosystems, and be part of discovering life everywhere. Sponsored by the Town of Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County Colorado State University Extension, Audubon Rockes, and others. See other Audubon Rockies events here.
- 6/27 Maroon Bells Scenic Area – Maroon Bells Stewardship Day. Join Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, the USFS, and Wilderness Workshop for a day of trail improvements and targeted weed removal in the Iconic Maroon Bells Scenic Area! See other Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Wilderness Workshop events here.
- 7/11 – 12 Chubb Park (Near Buena Vista) – Chubb Park Fence Removal Volunteer Project. Join Wild Connections the second weekend in July for a volunteer fence-removal project at Chubb Park State Trust Land and State Wildlife Area, located off Trout Creek Pass in northern Chaffee County below the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness. Wild Connections is partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local ranchers to remove approximately 4.5 miles of barbed wire fence, helping improve habitat connectivity and reduce hazards for wildlife in the area. See other Wild Connections events here.
Virtual Events
- 6/24 – Waterwise Yard Seminars | Cómo crear un paisaje amigable para las aves en Colorado. Esta presentación está en español. Transforme su jardín en un hábitat próspero para aves y fauna utilizando plantas nativas y elementos de paisajismo ecológicos. Aprende sobre los principios del programa Habitat Hero de Audubon Rockies y cómo apoyar a las aves durante todo el año, conservar el agua y realzar la belleza natural de Colorado, todo mientras crea un jardín resiliente y biodiverso. See other events from Resource Central here.
- 6/25 – Who’s Living in Your Pollinator Garden? Your pollinator garden is visited by all sorts of beneficial insects, from bees to predatory bugs to lacewings. In this webinar, Jennifer Hopwood and Aaron Anderson of the Xerces Society will discuss how to identify and monitor the amazing invertebrates that live in and visit your pollinator habitat. They will also talk through the habitat needs of beneficial insects, pesticide risks, and some simple suggestions for insecticide-free pest management. See other Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation events here.
- 7/2 Frame the Trail: Camera Skills with Purpose. This discussion explores the fundamentals of camera use— from framing and lighting to movement and sound— specifically tailored for those shaping trails and outdoor spaces. See other webinars from American Trails here.
Community Science Projects
Colorado Pika Patrol
The Colorado Pika Project is a research project implemented by community scientists across Colorado. Through long-term monitoring of pika populations, we are not only providing useful data to researchers and land managers, but we are doing so in a way that educates and engages Coloradans in conservation and the local impacts of climate change.
Pika Patrol App
Can’t commit to the Colorado Pika Patrol project? The Pika Patrol App allows you to record observations of American pikas wherever you find them!
Colorado Corridors Project
Colorado Corridors Project remote-triggered cameras collect tens of thousands of photos each year in an attempt to make a case for building an overpass for wildlife along the I-70 mountain corridor. Because of this overwhelming data, they need help identifying the wildlife you see in these photos. With your help, they can process and analyze the data much faster than if they did it on their own.
Colorado Bat Watch
Colorado Bat Watch was developed by Rocky Mountain Wild in collaboration with bat experts from the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, and the North American Bat Monitoring Program. This program recruits and engages community scientists to collect data that will enable these agencies to monitor bat species over time and better understand the impacts of white-nose syndrome and other threats on local bat populations.
Join Denver Zoo’s Boreal Toad Conservation Team
In the summer months, volunteer community scientists on the Boreal Toad Conservation Team help us to search the mountain wetlands of Colorado for this hard-to-find amphibian. The data us and our volunteers gather in this projects informs CPW’s management of boreal toads, identifies future sites for wild reintroduction, and uncovers unknown populations (and we hope even ‘super-toads’ that may have natural resistance to chytrid fungus).
Join Audubon as a Climate Watch community scientist
Explore how North American birds are responding to climate change. This innovative community-science program enlists volunteer birders across North America to count certain bluebirds and nuthatches in the same place (or places) twice each year. By sticking to a scientific protocol and sharing their results, these community scientists help track whether birds are moving in accordance with projections from Audubon’s climate models.
Join Bumble Bee Watch
Volunteers needed to submit photos or videos of bumble bee nest sightings. The bumble bee nest sighting can come from anywhere within North America. An ideal sighting would include an image of the bumble bee (to determine the species), a GPS location (to be used in future habitat analyses), a description of the location and materials of the nest (i.e. in my garden, underground or in a woodpile), and, if possible, a video of the nest, surroundings, and activity.
Resources for Conservation Job Seekers
Here are some resources to help you find jobs, internships, and fellowships in conservation:
We support posting jobs with transparent salary ranges. Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act went into effect on January 1, 2021 and requires that pay rates or ranges in job postings that will be or could be done in Colorado (including remote work) be posted. Colorado’s minimum wage is currently (2026) $15.16. The City of Denver’s minimum wage is $19.29. Colorado’s minimum salary for exempt workers is $57,784.
A huge thank you to Ms. Platt’s elementary school students who learned of this webpage and wanted to provide this resource on green careers to all our job seekers! Check out: “Guide to Green Careers.”
Job List Sites to Check
- Alliance for Collective Action Green Jobs Board
- Conservation Job Board
- Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education
- EcoJobs
- EnvironmentalCareer
- Impact Jobs Hub
- Green Jobs Network
- Work for Good
Career Pages for Organizations with frequent Job Postings
- Colorado Department of Natural Resources
- Colorado Mountain Club
- Environment America
- Esri
- National Audubon Society
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Wilderness Society
Career Pages for Organizations with Occasional Job Postings
- Center for Biological Diversity
- Conservation Colorado
- Conservation Lands Foundation
- Continental Divide Trail Coalition
- Endangered Species Coalition
- Great Old Broads for Wilderness
- San Juan Citizens Alliance
- Western Organization of Resource Councils
- Western Resource Advocates
- Western Watersheds Project
- Wilderness Workshop
Take Action with Partner Organizations
Follow the links below to find actions sponsored by these organizations to protect wildlife and wild lands:
- Animal Legal Defense Fund: The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system
- Audubon: Audubon protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.
- Center for Biological Diversity: Center for Biological Diversity works to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction.
- Earthjustice: Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization.
- Food & Water Watch: Food & Water Watch fights for sustainable food, clean water, and a livable climate for all of us.
- League for Conservation Voters: The League of Conservation Voters builds political power to protect people and the planet – because our Earth is worth fighting for.
- National Parks Conservation Association: National Parks Conservation Association is the voice of America’s national parks, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations.
- National Wildlife Federation: The mission of National Wildlife Federation is uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife and people thrive in a rapidly changing world. The National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, an affiliated but separate entity works to raise the visibility of key conservation issues with voters and elected officials.
- The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
- REI: At REI, we believe that a life outdoors is a life well lived.
- Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance: The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans.
- Union of Concerned Scientists: The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.
- The Wilderness Society The mission of The Wilderness Society is uniting people to protect America’s wild places
Local (Denver) Environmental Fight Led by Indigenous Community
- SunCor Energy, a Canadian-run company, runs an oil refinery north of Denver, Colorado. Suncor is Colorado’s only oil refinery and one of our largest emitters of greenhouse gasses and toxic air pollutants, and has been operating without any changes to its procedures or pollution controls for years. In spite of numerous enforcement actions and settlements, Suncor continues to flout air quality laws, putting neighboring communities — who are primarily BIPOC and low income — at extreme risk. Suncor has no regard for human or non-human life and will continue to harm our communities if action is not taken. Please take a moment to watch Spirit of the Sun’s short film on Suncor’s impact on Colorado’s Indigenous communities or scroll to the bottom of the page to send a form-letter to Governor Polis, Colorado Dept. of Health and Environment, and the EPA asking them to shut down Suncor for good: https://www.suncorsundown.org
- Donate to Spirit of the Sun’s efforts to combat Suncor’s harmful impacts through their Mycelium Program which trains their community members to inoculate the soil in their communities and throughout Native land with networks of mycelium to restore the health of our soil systems. When we cannot depend on the systems in power to create change, we educate ourselves and our community to protect the systems we hold dear: https://www.spiritofthesun.org/mycelium-healing-project-1
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