Background Statement
Colorado Canyons Association (CCA), formerly Friends of McInnis Canyons, was founded in 2005 to conserve, protect and preserve McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. In 2010, CCA expanded our mission to include Colorado's other two National Conservation Areas (NCAs), Dominguez-Escalante and Gunnison Gorge. These three permanently protected NCAs are important resources for western slope communities and economies. With only 16 in the entire nation, it's particularly unique to have all three of Colorado's NCAs located within an hour's drive of one another.
Our three main program areas that drive our mission are:
Education: Each year, CCA turns our National Conservation Areas into outdoor classrooms for kids from Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties. Through STEAM-based education, social-emotional learning, and self-guided activities like our Jr. Ranger program, local K-12 students have the opportunity to connect to the land and rivers in their backyard.
Stewardship: CCA works with the Bureau of Land Management and other partners to improve the ecosystems of our NCAs. With help from our volunteers and citizen scientists, we conduct restoration projects that improve native habitat and clean-up trash from our rivers and trails.
Outreach: From community hikes to lectures, CCA's outreach programs focus on the scientific significance and cultural heritage of the NCAs. With the 7 Leave No Trace principles at the heart of everything we do, we hope to connect locals and visitors alike to our wonderful National Conservation Areas.
Along with being a regional voice, CCA has become a leader in the West working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to build support from communities for special lands like our NCAs. We enjoy a wide range of support from BLM, local municipalities and community members and have received national recognition for our efforts as the 2018 recipient of the Public Lands Foundation National Landscape Stewardship Award and the 2022 recipient of the Making a Difference National Volunteer Award from the Bureau of Land Management.