Wild Connections

A nonprofit organization

$9,303 raised by 72 donors

62% complete

$15,000 Goal

Our volunteers close illegal motorized routes and improve habitat so wildlife can thrive. Citizens participate in decision-making leading to conservation-oriented change on Bureau of Land Management and U S Forest Service lands. Backcountry hikes and restoration workdays provide first-hand experiences of the value of wild lands.

Testimonials

"We spent the day filling and digging holes, collecting rocks, putting in metal poles, and mixing and pouring concrete. I enjoyed the work I was doing and the nature that was surrounding me. I loved that I could look for miles in every direction and see nothing except for trees and nature. I was truly reminded of how important it is to take care of the world we live in; otherwise it will not be as beautiful as it once was."
- Katie H., restoration project volunteer

Giving Activity

Mission

We protect and restore wild nature on public lands in the Arkansas and South Platte river basins, from I-70 to the Spanish Peaks between the Continental Divide and the Front Range. By connecting protected wildlands across the Central Rockies, our work improves landscape resilience as the climate changes and benefits wildlife and human communities.

Background Statement

Wild Connections promotes conserving habitat for native plants and animals, fostering clean streams and rivers, wildlands protection, and enjoying backcountry recreation in central Colorado.

Since 1995. volunteers have documented hundreds of thousands of acres of roadless lands, and as a result the Forest Service added 103,600 acres to its Colorado Roadless inventory and the BLM increased their Lands with Wilderness Characteristics inventory from 78,000 acres to 183,000 acres. Wild Connections leads campaigns for public participation in the BLM’s resource planning process and the Forest Service's travel management planning.

Habitat restoration projects demonstrate collaboration among organizations, volunteers, and the Forest Service to reclaim degraded wildlife areas. Projects are in Trout Creek, Green Mountain, Geneva Basin, Farnum Peak, Selkirk Gulch, Packer Gulch, Badger Flats, Rock Creek, LaSalle Pass, Beaver Creek, N Tarryall Creek, and Sheep Creek. We are working with the Forest Service on a multi-year restoration project in Wildcat Canyon.

Guided hikes bring citizens into some of the wildest areas for a firsthand experience of solitude, wilderness values and wildlife encounters. The hikes encourage people to take action to protect these areas.

We envision a wildlands network of protected core areas that are connected by high quality wildlife habitat. The Wild Connections Conservation Plan (WCCP), a science-based conservation scenario, was created by citizens and incorporates roadless area inventory and biological data and input from regional workshops. The WCCP will be augmented by including climate refugia for wildlife and biodiversity as climatic conditions change.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Wild Connections

other names

Wild Connections, Upper Arkansas and South Platte Project

Year Established

2002

Tax id (EIN)

14-1899876

Category

Environment, Science & Technology

Organization Size

Small Organization

Address

2168 Pheasant Pl
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Service areas

Park County, CO, US

Fremont County, CO, US

Teller County, CO, US

Jefferson County, CO, US

Chaffee County, CO, US

Phone

817-939-4239

Social Media