$23,897 raised by 145 donors
96% complete
$25,000 Goal
"Fantastic organization doing incredible work around western Colorado!!" - Mike Gross
"CCA's on-going partnership with Delta County School District 50J, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Conservation Areas (NCA) of western Colorado has been of great benefit to our students. Programming has actively expanded over the last three years with continued development and implementation of hands-on curriculum-based outdoor education. The field experiences provided by these organizations complete the circle of: a) classroom STEM instruction with Next Generation Science Concepts; b) hands-on inquiry activities within the classroom; and c) real life hands-on experiences that solidify lifelong learning and stewardship of the land for our youth. Finally, not only has CCA helped provide quality educational experiences in the field for our students, but their dedication to making this an affordable experience for our district by paying for transportation and facility costs made it all possible." - Anita Evans, Engaged Learning, LLC.
"Thank you for hiking with us on our field trip. You taught us many things about plants and what the Indians used them for. Thank you for teaching us about where animals live and what they would eat. You taught me and my class what settlers and Indians built things out of." - Laurel, Grade 4
"Gracias por ensennarnos a cosas muy interisante y la caminato."
- Fabricio, Grade 4
"Thank-you for having Chipeta Elementary at Devils Canyon. My favorite part was the birds. One of the reasons is because I heard a real live bird. My second reason is those birds that you had looked real." - James, Grade 3
“This was my first time rafting and I think I’ve fallen in love. The entire experience was amazing, it has made me appreciate the outdoors more. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity.” – Kylie, 11th grader
The importance for students to experience trips like this cannot be understated. Many students — including myself as a youth — thrive in outdoor settings. They realized that learning happens all around us. Students gain confidence from outdoor experiences and this confidence can transfer to other learning avenues. As a former river guide and outdoor education instructor, it was incredible to get our students on the river and give them an opportunity to experience something many of them had no idea existed. I know with our students that seeds of curiosity were planted and that their learning will continue to grow-both in the classroom and outside. – Doug Goodwin, 5th grade teacher
Colorado Canyons Association fosters community stewardship of our National Conservation Lands with a focus on Dominguez-Escalante, Gunnison Gorge and McInnis Canyons National Conservation Areas (NCAs) in western Colorado. We are a nonpartisan, non-profit organization encouraging cooperation among all NCA users and interests.
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.
Organization name
Colorado Canyons Association
other names
CCA, Friends Of McInnis Canyons
2011
Tax id (EIN)
20-2409837
Category
Education, Environment, Recreation & Sports, Youth Development, Science & Technology
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
543 Main St Suite 4Mesa County, CO, US
Delta County, CO, US
Montrose County, CO, US