Denver Clinics and Events

REI Gives: 2009 REI Colorado Grant Recipients

2009-2010

COLORADO FOURTEENERS INITIATIVE
In 1994, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) was established in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and five founding organizations: Colorado Mountain Club, Outward Bound West, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, and Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The mission of CFI is to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks through active stewardship and public education.

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative believes that broad-based community support is critical to the success of its programs. To this end, CFI has developed a number of volunteer programs including weekend field projects, Peak Stewards, Adopt-a-Peak groups, Project Oversight Teams within the Volunteer Leadership Program, or assisting with database management, obtaining donations for volunteer projects, photo archiving, and more.

CFI was recognized at the 6th National Wilderness Conference as a partnership model of national importance for its ability to unite the expertise, experience, and resources of the public and private sectors. The Coalition for Recreational Trails has also recently recognized CFI with an award for its outstanding work on Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Harvard in the category of Environment/Wildlife Compatibility.
For more information on CFI visit 14ers.org

COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB
The Colorado Mountain Club is organized to:
Unite the energy, interest, and knowledge of the students, explorers, and lovers of the mountains of Colorado; Collect and disseminate information regarding the Rocky Mountains on behalf of science, literature, art, and recreation;
Stimulate public interest in our mountain area;
Encourage the preservation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural scenery; and Render readily accessible the alpine attractions of this region.

In 1912,the Club's founding members created our mission statement, and it is a true testament to their vision that the statement is as relevant today as ever. The CMC continues to follow the course set by its founding members by:

Sponsoring many trips, classes, and seminars dedicated to wildlife and geology study, outdoor photography and art, and other subjects for its members and the public;
Collecting and disseminating information on Colorado 's mountains through the CMC's Trail & Timberline magazine, the books and publications of the CMC Press, CMC schools, and conservation projects;
Stimulating public interest through Group programs, the Youth Education Program, and the American Mountaineering Center 's library;
Encouraging preservation through environmental education, trail building and restoration, and participation in public lands management decisions; and
Making readily available the alpine attractions of the region by scheduling over 3,000 trips per year.

As a result of the CMC holding true to its mission statement, the Club was accepted into the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in 1999.
For more information on the CMC visit cmc.org

The Boulder Parks And Recreation Foundation Inc's (PLAY) Valmont Bike Park
Bicycling is big in Boulder. Valmont Bike Park will begin to meet off-road riding and racing needs for bicyclists of all ages and abilities--from Boulder and beyond. The 25-acre, purpose-built bike facility will include 3 miles of trails, a variety of areas for bicyclists to build and practice skills, and spaces for beginners and young riders to learn and challenge themselves in a safe environment. It will also be a venue for bicycling clinics, events and races, and a place for youth teams to train. When it's complete, Valmont Bike Park will be a reflection of Boulder's enthusiastic, engaged cycling community and of the city's commitment to cycling. REI's grant funds will provide equipment and supplies for volunteer crews to help construct the park.
For more information, visit their web site: www.valmontbikepark.com.


Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) engages northern Colorado communities in the stewardship and restoration of public lands. WRV restores streams and wetlands, builds and maintain trails, obliterates old roads, restores areas burned by wildfire, removes invasive weeds, and much more. REI's grant will support more than 30 volunteer stewardship projects that WRV will conduct from July, 09 to July 10, with many local, state and federal land management agency partners. WRV collaborates closely with a wide range of partners, stakeholders, community members, and user groups throughout all stages of a project, including: scouting, selection, planning, design, implementation and evaluation. REI grant funds will provide support for project coordination and promotion and will supply equipment for volunteer stewardship activities.
For more information, visit their web site: www.wlrv.org

Trips For Kids - Denver
Youth Mountain Biking Program
Trips for Kids Denver is dedicated to giving underserved, urban youth the opportunity to experience and learn about the natural
beauty of Colorado from the seat of a mountain bike. Through day-long and over-night regional mountain bike outings, TFK Denver strives to give children the chance to see a different side of Colorado, to expand their beliefs about what they can achieve, and to make personal connections with the natural world. REI's funds will support staff project leadership and provide core program equipment.


Cottonwood Institute

The Cottonwood Institute is committed to inspiring the next generation of active community leaders and environmental stewards. REI's grant will support the Cottonwood Institute's collaboration with Front Range Earth Force (FREF) to help
increase the accessibility of the outdoors to low-income, inner city public school students through their partnership with Gilpin K-8 School in Denver, CO. The Cottonwood Institute will add value to the Earth Force curriculum by facilitating high quality
wilderness experiences to help students make real world connections to the environmental issues that they study. REI grant funds will the Cottonwood Institute with supplies to lead a 1-day field trip, 2-day overnight camping trip, and a 5-day wilderness experience for students. If this project is successful, Cottonwood Institute will explore the feasibility of expanding this collaboration to the other public schools

Bicycle Cooperative Of Fort Collins Inc

Bike Safety and Recreational Riding for Children.
The mission of the Fort Collins Bike Co-op is to build community through bicycling This project will teach safe cycling for children 10 -- 14 years of age. Certified Bike Co-op instructors will conduct between six and ten three-hour programs in Fort Collins to include a 90 minute safe cycling and
bike handling indoor program and a 90 minute "hands on" experience on nearby trails. REI grant funds will provide project coordination, educational materials and promotion for the programs. The purpose of the classes is to teach these youth the principles and practices of vehicular cycling. REI's fupport for this program will help create a program foundation that will help the co-op.

Larimer County Foundation
Larimer County Youth Conservation Corps

The Larimer County Foundation's Larimer County Youth Conservation Corps (LCYCC) promotes youth development through conservation-based work for the environment and community. LCYCC's 10-week Summer Program engages 16-to 19-year-olds in service learning, conservation projects,
environmental education, and skill development for personal and professional growth. By participating in LCYCC, Corpsmembers gain valuable work experience while increasing their appreciation and enjoyment of the outdoor environment of
Northern Colorado. REI's gear and equipment grant will support LCYCC in its camping project weeks and will also assist in providing low-income Corpsmembers.

Colorado National Monument Association Inc

Jr. Rangers Gearing up for the Outdoors.
The Jr. Ranger Explorer Day Camp helps local, underserved urban youth get outside and explore the amazing and fragile desert ecosystem at Colorado National Monument. Colorado
National Monument Association (CNMA) is the primary partner with Colorado National Monument. For the last two years CNMA has sponsored the Jr. Ranger Explorer Day Camp. The day camp introduces youth from the Grand Valley to concepts
such as LNT, desert wildlife, water ecology, plants,
conservation and stewardship. Building up on these concepts, the youth participate in a variety of activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, trail construction, and steward projects. Funding from REI will provide much needed equipment to add
an extension to the day program and make it possible for park staff to facilitate an outdoor overnight camping experience at the end of the program. This gear will also be loaned to local
schools that attend CNMA's environmental education classes during the spring and fall. The gear will allow local youth to combine educational activities with a hands-on, real life experience camping, hiking, and navigation in the great
outdoors.

Colorado Springs - The Catamount Institute Young Environmental Stewards (YES) Program.

YES is a science-based, afterschool program designed for 4th, 5th and 6th graders. With a mission to inspire ecological stewardship and a
vision of creating a sustainable society, Catamount Institute crafts programs for youth that are rich with opportunities to explore and experience the natural world under the leadership and guidance of
dedicated professionals. YES combines environmental and earth sciences, community service, leadership and conservation projects.
Through experiential learning, field trips to local natural areas and expert instruction, students are empowered to become leaders in their schools, and are afforded the skills and experiences necessary to expand their knowledge of, and respect for, the outdoors. REI's grant will provide education materials for the YES program and will also pay for trip fees and meals for participants.

Colorado Springs - Trails and Open Space
Coalition

The Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) will use REI's grant to expand community recreation and education programs through the
development of a new "Get Outside"website resource page and "Get Outside" community outings series. The web page will feature a
quick reference of local outdoor activities designed to promote regional recreation, stewardship and physical fitness. A "Get Outside" hikers card will also be produced to promote local trails and hiking.
TOSC will coordinate a series of community outings designed to promote recreation and stewardship of egional trails and open spaces.
These outings will provide direct involvement opportunities to complement the web and print promotion of the outdoors. REI's grant funds will support project coordination and will provide materials for program and outing promotion.


Big City Mountaineers RELATE Program
Big City Mountaineers' mission is to enhance the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences. In 2008, they served nearly 200 diverse young people: 39% African American, 36% Hispanic/Latino, 9% Mixed Race, 5% Caucasian, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% Native American. Matching adult role models with teens in a single-gender format,
BCM's R.E.L.A.T.E. (Recreational Experiences Linking Adults & Teens Environmentally) Program provides young people with a week-long wilderness backpacking or canoeing experience shown to
positively impact internal asset development. While the overall focus for every BCM trip is to provide teens with ongoing opportunities to cultivate relationships with caring adults, BCM's R.E.L.A.T.E. summer program curriculum provides trip participants with a sequence of trip rituals and activities attuned to group development needs and designed to promote effective communications while
increasing self-awareness and self-efficacy. Their programs are offered in the Bay Area, Denver and Chicago.

Denver Continental Divide Trail Alliance Inc
CDTA Youth Corps Presentation and
Alumni Program.
The Continental Divide Trail Alliance's (CDTA) mission is to construct, manage, and preserve a non-motorized public backcountry trail along the full length of the Continental Divide from Canada to
Mexico. REI has been funding their Youth Corps program for several years. CDTA sponsors more than 40 weeks of Youth Corps work each year and CDTA Youth Corps members deliver more than 20
presentations per year as part of their program of service. Youth Corps presentations have the ability to reach more than 500 people with the story of the trail, the CDTA and the youth corps experience.
They will now further develop the youth corps program by developing and launching a youth corps alumni network to provide opportunities to connect past youth corps members with additional opportunities in their local communities for presentations, volunteerism, and leadership. REI funds will support the Youth Corps 2009 and 2010
program, as well as the development and launch of the CDTA Youth Corps alumni network. Through these opportunities CDTA hopes to reach communities outside of the five Trail states, and maintain important connections and provide continued professional development opportunities for the next generation of conservation and
outdoor recreation leaders.

Leave No Trace Kids and Cultural
Inclusiveness
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors for all people. The organization
provides children and adults practical skills and techniques to minimize their impact on the land when they are participating in outdoor activities. With REI's support of the PEAK Program and
Connect Grants, the Center is able to provide more ways for more kids to get outside in an environmentally sustainably way. First, the Center
will create free, easily downloadable PEAK training activities for three specific youth demographic -- kids, teens and Spanish-speaking teens. Additionally, grants of the PEAK Program and instructions will be awarded to youth-serving organizations to increase awareness of
environmental impacts and ethics. Finally, REI will also be supporting their Connect Grants which allow the organization to reach kids not traditionally served by outdoor education program or Leave
No Trace. These efforts are designed to cultivate responsible and sustainable relationships with the outdoors and will reach 52.000 kids.


The Access Fund Stewardship and Conservation Initiatives: - Adopt-a-Crag and TeamWorks.

The Access Fund is an advocacy organization dedicated to keeping U.S. climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment.
Established in 1999, Adopt-a-Crag is a national resource stewardship and volunteerism effort led by the climbing community. The program
epitomizes climber conservation at the local grassroots level and has grown to become the Access Fund's signature stewardship program.
Building on the successful foundation of Adopt-a-Crag, TeamWorks was designed to specifically target and engage young climbers in
stewardship. Through the combined effort, the Access Fund supports and deploys 6,500 volunteers in 38,000 hours of service. Four
hundred of these volunteers are youth who are active in climbing clubs. Through these programs, the Access Fund strives to strengthen
and empower local communities to give back to the places they play, help young gym climbers make the transition to outdoor climbing, educate climbers on Leave No Trace ethics and responsible climbing
habits, and provide a venue for people of all ages to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.


Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado: Emerging
Stewards
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) received grant from REI tosupport engagement of "emerging stewards" through VOC's OutdoorStewardship Programs as a model for cultivating conservation andstewardship actions in youth and young adults ages 14-34. Duringthe 2009 VOC project season, they will manage 25 conservationprojects, engaging a minimum of 2,100 volunteers across the state,with at least 35% of those volunteers within the age range of 14-34.A total of 27,144 hours will be donated by these volunteers as
stewards of our public lands. REI's support will help in developingage appropriate messaging in VOC electronic and print materials, inaddition to enhanced project-specific environmental education. REIfunding will also support a portion of an third party evaluation studyto measure effectiveness in reaching and engaging this emergingsteward population.


Colorado Plateau Mountain-Bike Trail Association, Inc.
Western Flyers Youth Project: Connecting
Youth to the Outdoors!

Western Flyers, a program of the Colorado Plateau Mountain Biking Association is committed to getting kids outdoors safely. With REI's
grant funding, Western Flyers will provide continuous Bike/Helmet safety and maintenance courses and clinics at various Mesa county
schools, Western Flyers Bike Re-Cyclery and Bike Rodeos. Additionally, Western Flyers will continue outdoor education with several outings including a Colorado River float and cleanup adventure, a Grand Mesa snowshoeing nature hike, campouts, a
family Riverfront trail ride, several mountain bike day trips and nature hikes that will also include trail cleanups. REI's grant will specifically provide biking equipment and funds to purchase food and other
supplies to support youth during courses and outings.


Colorado National Monument Association, Inc
Jr. Rangers Gearing up for the Outdoors.

The Jr. Ranger Explorer Day Camp helps local, underserved urban youth get outside and explore the amazing and fragile desert ecosystem at Colorado National Monument. Colorado National
Monument Association (CNMA) is the primary partner with Colorado National Monument. For the last two years CNMA has sponsored the
Jr. Ranger Explorer Day Camp. The day camp introduces youth from the Grand Valley to concepts such as LNT, desert wildlife, water
ecology, plants, conservation and stewardship. Building up on these concepts, the youth participate in a variety of activities such as hiking,
wildlife viewing, trail construction, and steward projects. Funding from REI will provide much needed equipment to add an extension to the day program and make it possible for park staff to facilitate an outdoor overnight camping experience at the end of the program. This gear will also be loaned to local schools that attend CNMA's
environmental education classes during the spring and fall. The gear will allow local youth to combine educational activities with a hands-on, real life experience camping, hiking, and navigation in the
great outdoors.

• Cost: Free

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