Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV)

Natural habitats - wrv's primary Restoration program addresses a wide range of needs across our region, including designated wilderness areas, urban natural spaces, mountains, and plains. We strive for innovation by exploring new Restoration techniques, with a recent focus on natural climate solutions like zeedyk structures. We collaborate with local farms to enhance habitat diversity and implement climate-smart solutions in areas that typically lack habitat value but offer significant potential. In 2022, our dedicated Volunteers planted over 15,257 plants, shrubs, and trees to rebuild soil and provide resources for native species. Volunteers also installed sediment and moisture-retaining structures along 1.77 miles of roads and drainage systems to mitigate erosion and preserve resources.

Youth & families - nature offers significant mental health benefits, especially for children. At wrv, we provide diverse youth with environmental education service learning. Our program starts with building knowledge and awareness close to home, and progresses to critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making in the field. Monthly lessons and activities are focused on cultural relevant subjects including Restoration, outdoor skills, and careers in the natural resources. Wrv also offers a paid youth corps program, in partnership with the city of lafayette, where youth learn Restoration techniques, natural science, teamwork, and leadership. In 2022, over 800 youth engaged in Restoration and leadership development, creating valuable experiences for the next generation.

Sustainable trails - at wrv, we believe in rerouting unsustainable trails away from sensitive wildlife and cultural sites to avoid harming valuable resources. Our approach involves setting a precedent by putting a stop to off-highway vehicle (ohv) trespass while permitting pedestrian traffic. Our efforts include closing and restoring old trails, creating new sections, and implementing erosion prevention methods. Additionally, we rebuild trails in a sustainable manner after fire, flood, or bark beetles. Wrv also organizes groups of trained Volunteers, known as crosscut sawyers, who clear wilderness trail corridors. In 2022, they removed 922 trees from 31 miles of trails. Over our 23 years of operations, we have completed 194 miles of trail work including an impressive 36 miles of trails in 2022.

Healthy forests -colorado's forests have faced catastrophic fires due to climate change and decades of fire suppression. However, wrv is actively involved in preventing floods, mudslides, and restoring the natural functioning of the ecosystem. We employ methods such as seeding, mulching, and creating erosion barriers in the steep upper areas of the watershed. Additionally, our trained Volunteers use chainsaws to reduce fire risks in the wildland-urban interface and remove invasive tree species, like russian olive. In 2022, wrv Volunteers made a significant impact by stabilizing 43 acres of severely burned slopes. Our dedicated sawyers also thinned 30 acres of forest. These efforts contribute to the Restoration of healthy forests, the return of native species, and the mitigation of fire-related risks. 2022 expense 172,959 revenue 0 vital rivers - waterways are essential for our communities, supporting over 80% of Colorado's wildlife. They provide opportunities for residents and tourists to enjoy activities like fishing, rafting, and bird watching. Moreover, clean water is crucial for drinking purposes. Over the course of wrv's 23-year history, our dedicated Volunteers have successfully restored 64 miles of stream channel and shoreline, along with over 89 acres of wetlands. Recent efforts have focused on using beaver mimicry to jump start the recovery of streams through natural processes that require less intensive engineering and rely more on the system to guide its own return to health. This work can be paired with preventative forest fire methods such as forest thinning, which in turn provides the materials for the instream Restoration. In 2022 alone, wrv Volunteers restored 6,710 feet of stream channel and shoreline, making a significant contribution to the preservation and Restoration of these vital river ecosystems. 2022 expenses 152,472 revenue 119,777 community building and training- in 2022, wrv established and nurtured a dedicated and highly skilled community of Volunteers and donors who are committed to caring for public, protected, and ecologically significant lands. Through their in-kind labor valued at over 1,016,296 , this group completed an impressive 192 Restoration projects. These efforts positively impacted 370 acres of habitat in 2022. In 2022, wrv organized 33 courses, training 353 Volunteers in skills, including Restoration design, crew leadership, and trail maintenance and construction. Moreover, in 2022, wrv conducted its second year of spanish/english bilingual leadership training, resulting in the engagement of 350 Volunteers who utilized spanish. This initiative has fostered greater inclusivity and participation within our volunteer community, further enhancing our impact. 2022 expenses 79,201 revenue 5,420 native seeds - Restoration projects rely on a diverse supply of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers that are well-suited to thrive in our region. People from all walks of life and backgrounds join us to collect, clean, and cultivate these native seeds. Volunteers also assist in nurturing plants in our greenhouse and nursery. Over the course of wrv's 23-year history, our dedicated Volunteers have contributed an incredible 43,848 hours to native seed collection, spreading countless millions of seeds in 2022, Volunteers devoted over 2,190 hours to collecting native seeds, which will be grown out and utilized in future projects. In 2022, our Volunteers also learned the skill of ponderosa pinecone collection, addressing the scarcity of ponderosa seedlings for post-fire planting in our region. This initiative highlights our commitment to addressing specific needs and enhancing the success of Restoration efforts. 2022 expenses 77,408 revenue 26,260 invasive weeds - invasive weeds pose a threat to our natural lands by displacing native plants and animals, and disrupting natural ecosystems. At wrv, our focus is on eradicating weeds that are legally mandated for removal. Throughout our history, wrv's dedicated Volunteers have successfully weeded a remarkable 7,077 acres. Volunteers' hard work significantly reduced the population of mediterranean sage by more than 95% across hundreds of acres. In addition, wrv's innovative partnership with private landowners has effectively addressed the myrle spurge populations on thousands of acres that border public lands. Thanks to these and many other projects, thousands of residents are now equipped with the knowledge to identify and safely remove these invasive species, preventing further damage to native habitats. In 2022 alone, our Volunteers weeded a total of 143 acres, making a substantial impact in the ongoing battle against invasive weeds. 2022 expenses 49,352, revenue 26,500