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 Action
URGENT: Protect National Forests — Two Back-to-Back Proposals Threaten Intact Landscapes!
The Roadless Rule and Travel Management Rule are essential conservation measures that are under attack! The Roadless Rule protects undeveloped, road-free places on our national forest by placing these areas off limits to logging and road construction, with limited exceptions. In addition, Travel Management rules in place for over 50-years manage motorized use across more than 430 million acres of public lands, protecting access, wildlife, and clean water.
On August 20, the USDA published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Rule that would end the Roadless Rule, kicking off a 45-day which ends October 6, 2026. Just days after moving forward with the repeal of the Roadless Rule, the administration is now taking aim at gutting the Forest Service Travel Management Rule. Comments on The Travel Management Rule are due even sooner, on September 23. Together, these back-to-back actions mark a significant escalation in the administration’s broader effort to dismantle longstanding public lands protections.
The Snowy Range Roadless Area in Wyoming is one of the many areas that will lose protections if the Roadless Rule is rescinded. Photo by Alison Gallensky.
Oil and Gas Lease Sale Comment and Protest Periods
Help Mexican spotted owl, rare 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 and current species range for ESA threatened Mexican spotted owl, occurrences of ESA threatened Uinta Basin hookless cactus, habitat for the ESA endangered shrubby reed-mustard and ESA listed threatened Ute ladies’-tresses plant, habitat for greater sage-grouse, crucial habitat for big game, wilderness quality lands, and more. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Comments due September 21.
Photo: Two Mexican spotted owls in a tree, courtesy of Lincoln National Forest (public domain)
Greater Sage-Grouse in Montana need your help!
Montana Bureau of Land Management’s proposed October 2026 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Paige’s screen shows overlap with priority habitat for greater sage-grouse and additional conflicts in North Dakota. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Protest due September 23.
Photo Credit: Greater sage-grouse near Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Tom Koerner/USFWS, (Public Domain)
Piping Plover, Big Game, Greater Sage-Grouse, and more in Montana need your help!
Montana Bureau of Land Management’s proposed January 2027 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Paige’s screen shows overlap with priority habitat for greater sage-grouse, crucial habitat for ESA threatened piping plover, and winter areas for mule deer, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer and additional conflicts in North Dakota. Use Rocky Mountain Wild’s resources to comment on the proposed parcels. Comment due September 24.
Photo Credit: Piping plover with chicks, Kaiti Titherington/USFWS, (Public Domain)
Demand protection for the black-footed ferrets, greater sage-grouse, rare plants, wilderness quality lands and more in Colorado!
Colorado Bureau of Land Management’s proposed March 2027 oil and gas lease sale threatens wildlife and wildlands. Alison’s screen shows overlaps with critical habitat and species ranges for endangered 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 October 9.
Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS (CC BY 2.0)
Other Featured Environmental Actions and Opportunities
On the doorstep: How a surge in drilling nominations threatens America’s public lands
A new story map report created by Rocky Mountain Wild (Alison worked hard on this!) and the Center for Western Priorities shows how the Trump administration’s giveaway of national public lands for oil and gas drilling is impacting wildlife, outdoor recreation, and cultural resources across the West. The report uses eight case studies in five Western states to demonstrate how oil and gas development is encroaching on protected public lands under the Trump administration’s policies.
Show the Trump Administration that you value the opportunity to engage by commenting on a proposed oil and gas lease sale. See open comment periods below and learn more in our Oil and Gas Toolbox for Activists.
Photo Credit: Bureau of Land Management Oil and Gas. Photo by BLM Wyoming from Flickr (CC BY 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.
In-Person Events
Here are some conservation, stewardship, and advocacy events happening in person. All locations are in Colorado unless indicated otherwise.
- 9/19 – 10/15 (Multiple Sessions) Denver – Bird Banding in Action – Fall 2026: Watch Real Field Research. Step behind the scenes of bird research. This fall, the Denver Audubon will partner with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies to carefully catch wild birds in mist nets, record important scientific data, and fit them with a small, uniquely numbered leg band. This process helps scientists learn about migration patterns, population trends, life spans, and more—vital information for bird conservation. See other Denver Audubon Events here.
- 9/26 Browns Canyon (Between Buena Vista and Salida) – National Public Lands Day Browns Canyon National Monument Hike. Celebrate National Public Lands Day with Wild Connections and Friends of Browns Canyon! We are currently coordinating with FOBC on the Browns Canyon hike details for a brand-new public hike! On this hike, we will monitor for unauthorized motorized use into the monument, you will learn about the history of Browns Canyon, why it ranks as one of the best areas in the region for climate resiliency and why now is more important than ever to stand up for our public lands. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of National Public Lands Day, our nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands! See other Wild Connections events here.
- 9/26 Roubideau Canyon (Meet in Paonia) – National Public Lands Day in Roubideau Canyon + Picnic. Join Western Slope Conservation Center and Wilderness Workshop on Saturday, September 26 for a Mike’s Hike in celebration of National Public Lands Day! Together we will explore Roubideau Canyon, a proposed area of critical environmental concern (ACEC) in the Uncompahgre Field Office Resource Management Plan. This spectacular area boasts massive canyons and mesas and a remarkable geologic structure with expansive views of Grand Mesa and the West Elk Mountains. Located in a transition zone between two ecosystems, the Colorado Plateau Province and the Rocky Mountain Forest Province, the area is rich in biodiversity and offers unrivaled solitude and connection to nature. The moderate, four-to-five-mile hike will be followed by a trailhead picnic. See other Western Slope Conservation Center events here. See other Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Wilderness Workshop events here.
- 9/27 Rifle – Rifle Take On Toxics Tour. Join Green Latinos and Earthworks for a toxic tour exploring industrial pollution in Rifle and Garfield County. We will visit key sites and, if conditions allow, use specialized equipment to observe emissions. The event concludes with a group debrief.
- 10/2 – 10/3 Roan Plateau (near Rifle) – Roam the Roan Fence Pull. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, in partnership with Wilderness Workshop, and the Bureau of Land Management- Colorado River Valley Field Office are excited to announce the “Roam the Roan Fence Pull”, October 3rd on the Roan Plateau outside of Rifle Colorado. The Roan plateau with its steep valleys leading up to its high plateaus 3000 feet above the Colorado river provides variable habitat that helps sustain impressive wildlife populations. Large herds of elk and mule deer traverse the plateau using the upper elevations as summer range before migrating down towards the valley floors for winter. The “Roam the Roan Fence Pull” will entirely remove a 1-mile section of unused let down fencing to help open corridors and allow safer routes to elk and mule deer during their fall migrations. See other Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Wilderness Workshop events here. See other Backcountry Hunters and Anglers events here.
Virtual Events
- 10/15 – 4/15/27 (Multiple Sessions) Naturalist Chat, A Bird Q&A. Join Audubon Rockies for Naturalist Chat, A Bird Q&A to get answers to the questions chirping in the back of your mind. Register to submit your question, and Audubon Rockies Community Science Coordinator and bird expert Zach Hutchinson will answer them during the live Zoom event. Whether you need help identifying a bird or have questions about bird anatomy, behavior, diets, populations, or something else, bring your curiosity! No questions right now? No problem. You’re also welcome to join just to listen in and learn. See other Audubon Rockies events here.
- 10/6 – Allies in Conservation: Making Your HOA a Haven for Pollinators A growing number of our community members live in neighborhoods with Homeowner’s Associations, covenants, or deed restrictions. With a little creativity and a lot of love for our insect neighbors, these spaces can be transformed into havens for pollinators! In this webinar, Xerces Society staff Aaron Anderson and Jacqueline Buenrostro will discuss the many ways we can support the amazing invertebrates within HOA communities, with tips, tricks, and new resources to share for creating and maintaining habitat that is “HOA-ready”. See other Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation events here.
- 10/29 Prescription Trails Leveraging the Science of Trail Therapy. Exploring the link between mental health and the outdoors, this webinar will dive into the latest research on how movement through natural environments—from nearby nature in urban centers to remote backcountry—builds resilience and helps trail users of all ages and skill levels manage stress, anxiety, depression, and more. 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
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.
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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