Every week, we post ways that you can contribute to making our region a greener place, including events, community science projects, jobs, internships, scholarships, and direct actions. If you have something you would like included in the next round-up, please email us at info@rockymountainwild.org.
Featured Event
Webinar: The Push for Energy Dominance: The Real Cost of Escalating Oil and Gas Leasing in Colorado
We invite you to attend an educational webinar Tuesday, March 10th, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. MT
Signed into law in July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made numerous changes to federal law governing oil and gas development on public lands to further the Trump Administration’s goals of “energy dominance.” Since then, Colorado has seen increasingly large oil and gas lease sales every three months, with the largest sale in recent Colorado history proposed for 160,000 acres this June. This webinar will provide participants with an overview of how these changes are harmful to Colorado communities and public lands, and provide suggestions for participants to make their voice heard through commenting on the sale.
The webinar will feature speakers from our colleagues at The Wilderness Society, Conservation Colorado, EcoFlight, and Wilderness Workshop. The webinar is intended to provide conservation partners, members and supporters, and the general public with the information they need to understand the federal oil and gas leasing program and the proposed 160,000-acre lease sale in June and the tools to submit public comments.
Photo Credit: SkyTruth cropped (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Oil and Gas Lease Sale Comment and Protest Periods
Demand protection for rare plants, greater sage-grouse, wilderness quality lands and more in Colorado!
Colorado Bureau of Land Management’s proposed March 31, 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with ocurrences and habitat for rare plants, greater sage-grouse habitat including priority habitat, lands with wilderness characteristics, critical habitat for the endangered Colorado pikeminnow, high priority habitat for big game and much more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Comments are due March 13.
Photo credit: Carol Dawson, BLM Colorado on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Speak up for Rare Plants and Paleontological Resources, Lesser Prairie Chicken, Big Game and more in New Mexico!
New Mexico Bureau of Land Management’s proposed August 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with the Torreon Fossil Fauna Area of Environmental Concern (ACEC) that was designated for rare plants and paleontological resources, habitat for lesser prairie-chicken and big game, parcels with 10 miles of Carlsbad Cavern National Park, and more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Comments due March 23.
Photo from Flickr by hounddiggity, Spire in Ceja Pelon Mesa near Torreon Fossil Fauna ACEC (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Wilderness quality lands, endangered fish, big game, and more in Utah need your help!
Utah Bureau of Land Management’s proposed June 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with lands with wilderness characteristics, critical habitat for the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and current range for other endangered Colorado river fish, occurrences and habitat for rare plants, crucial winter habitat for mule deer and much more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to protest the proposed parcels. Comments due March 30.
Photo credit: Labyrinth Canyon from Flickr by Bob Wicks, BLM cropped (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Other Featured Environmental Actions and Opportunities
Oppose Steve Pearce for Bureau of Land Management Director
Pearce nomination puts public lands at risk
Last November, President Trump nominated Stevan Pearce, a former U.S. representative from New Mexico, to run the Bureau of Land Management. In Congress, Steve Pearce supported bills to privatize public land, gut the Antiquities Act, prioritize oil and gas drilling, and weaken the Endangered Species Act.
Congress must reject this nomination- The Senate should reject any nominee who would auction off public lands and instead demand a Bureau of Land Management leader committed to protecting public lands for the American people.
Photo Credit: Datil Well Recreation Area Campground, New Mexico, BLM New Mexico (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Defend the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Our national monuments are once again under attack.
The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, a national monument totaling 1.9 million acres in southern Utah, is a treasured landscape in the nation’s public lands system. Several members in Congress are expected to soon introduce a resolution that would strip protections from Grand Staircase-Escalante and we need your help. An attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante could set precedent for similar attacks on national monuments across the country.
Support our Friends at EarthJustice working to protect this treasured landscape. Send a letter to your representatives today.
Photo Credit: The Toadstools (image cropped) James Marvin Phelps (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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.
- 3/6 – 3/8 Monte Vista – Monte Vista Crane Festival. Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds follow a long route during their seasonal migrations. At the Monte Vista Crane Festival, you can enjoy thousands of Sandhill Cranes, ducks, and geese flying against a backdrop of mountain scenery. Raptors will adorn the power poles and owls will be sitting with their young. A visit to the Monte Vista Crane Festival is an opportunity to see an amazing natural spectacle as well as experience a unique rural community.
- 3/16 Colorado Springs – Colorado Springs Horticulture Department Outdoor Learning Classroom Education Series: Plant identification with microscopes. Are you interested in growing native plants, propagating natives, and collecting seeds? Are you growing a native plant landscaping business? Do you work in a natural resources position and need to know more about native plants and habitats? Come learn with the Colorado Springs Horticulture Department. We are leading the statewide effort in sustainable plant propagation and landscaping. See other Colorado Native Plant Society events here.
- 3/20 – 3/21 Leadville – Nuestro Legado: Outdoor Equity Summit. The Nuestro Legado: Outdoor Equity Summit’s objective is to convene direct service program providers, business owners, funders, recreationists, community members, and other invested stakeholders from across the state to explore and discuss the lack of representation of non-white and historically underrepresented groups in the Outdoor Industry.
- 4/3 Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen – Dia de Ski o Snowboard en Aspen | Ski/Snowboard Day in Aspen. Join Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Aspen Skiing Company for a bilingual ski and snowboard day at Buttermilk Mountain on April 3. This event is designed to create a welcoming outdoor experience for bilingual families while building skills, confidence, and community on the mountain. Aspen Skiing Company is generously covering lift tickets, rental gear, and beginner lessons for participants who want to try skiing or snowboarding. No prior experience is required. See other Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Wilderness Workshop events here.
- 4/27 – 4/29 Colorado Springs – Partners in the Outdoors Conference. Organized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Partners in the Outdoors Conference serves as a vital platform to address the intricate balance between conservation and outdoor recreation in Colorado.
Virtual Events
- Weekly Series American Trails Advancing Trails Webinar Series. American Trails brings agencies, trail builders, planners, architects, advocates, and volunteers the latest in state-of-the-art information on all aspects of trails and greenways usually applicable to all trail types, with expert presenters.
- 3/10 – Caring for Trees in Waterwise Landscapes. Trees are the backbone of any Colorado landscape—even as turf areas shrink and waterwise designs expand. Learn how to protect tree health when converting lawn to xeriscape, including watering strategies, soil and cultural needs, and safe turf-removal methods. This class also highlights great tree options for low-water yards. Speaker: Alison O’Connor of Colorado State University Extension. See other events from Resource Central here.
- 3/19 & 4/16 – Naturalist Chat, A Bird Q&A. Join Audubon Rockies for this monthly event. Whether you’re curious about feeding birds, their behaviors, population changes, or need help with an ID, we’ve got you covered! Join us for Naturalist Chat: A Bird Q&A, where our community science coordinator and bird expert, Zach Hutchinson, will answer your questions live on Zoom. See other Audubon Rockies events here.
- 3/24 – InSite by NatureServe: Introduction & Tool Demo. Learn how InSite by NatureServe provides a trusted first step for organizations seeking to make smarter, science-based land-use decisions. This webinar will introduce the tool, explain who it’s designed for, and showcase how it delivers site-specific biodiversity insights through a brief live demo.
- 4/2 – Fire and fire surrogate studies and SageSTEP: The benefits of long-term fire research. The goal of this webinar is to take an in‑depth look at two of the most influential long‑term fire research efforts supported by the Joint Fire Science Program: the Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) Study and the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP). These landmark studies provide rare, decades‑long insights into how different fuel treatments and fire management strategies shape ecosystem resilience, fuel dynamics, vegetation structure, and wildlife habitat.
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.
Jobs, Internships, and Fellowships
Here are some job and internship openings in the environmental field: (For equity reasons, we only post job postings 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 (2025) $14.81. The City of Denver’s minimum wage is $18.81. Colorado’s minimum salary for exempt workers is $56,485.
Positions are in Colorado or remote opportunities unless otherwise stated.
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
Other Job Postings (Jobs that are new this week are highlighted in green)
- Mountain Pact is seeking a Communications and Project Coordinator. The Mountain Pact educates, empowers, and mobilizes local elected officials in over 100 Western mountain communities with outdoor recreation based economies to speak with a collective voice on federal climate, public lands, and outdoor recreation policy. The Communications and Project Coordinator will support the Executive Director (ED) in campaign and administrative related tasks. The Coordinator is responsible for research and development of draft campaign messaging, materials, and content with guidance from the ED. This is a part-time independent contractor position varying from 30-50 hours per month. The hourly rate is commensurate with experience but likely $40-$50/hour.
- San Juan Citizens Alliance is seeking a Climate and Energy Program Associate. The Climate and Energy Program Associate focuses on public outreach, education and organizing to advance campaigns to mitigate climate change by addressing fossil fuel extraction, energy production, and electricity generation and utilization in the San Juan Basin of northwest New Mexico and southwest Colorado. The position’s starting salary is $60,000. Applications will be reviewed starting March 6, 2026. Other positions at San Juan Citizens Alliance (including the Executive Director position) here.
- The Nature Conservancy is seeking a Colorado College Charlie Blumenstein Stewardship Assistant. The Colorado College Charlie Blumenstein Stewardship Assistant assists with water and wildlife-focused research on The Nature Conservancy’s Carpenter Ranch and other properties in the Yampa River Conservation Area, as well as completing priority management and maintenance tasks to support conservation, visitation, and agricultural operations. Following a one-week orientation and training, the Stewardship Assistant will live in housing on the Carpenter Ranch Preserve. This is a 10.5-week position starting June 1, 2026 through August 12, 2026. The hourly pay for this role will be $17.00 an hour for a 35-hour a week position and will include housing for the duration of the seasonal position. Other job postings at The Nature Conservancy here.
- Audubon is seeking an Dangermond Fellow. The Dangermond Fellowship is an exciting paid opportunity provided through the partnership between National Audubon Society and Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). The goal of the program is to provide Fellows with exposure to enterprise-scale geographic information systems (GIS), conservation, science, and applied technologies in Audubon’s Enterprise GIS department serving thousands of users. Fellows will gain experience through hands-on application of skills and knowledge on a professional team in the areas of data management practices; geographic information product development; spatial analytics, querying, and programming; user engagement, communications, and insights generation; GIS server and cloud technologies; and user and content curation. The position is a one-year commitment running from June 2026 until June 2027. Compensation: $25.35 / hour. Other job postings at Audubon here.
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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