Working Together for Wilderness
2027 Rocky Mountain Wilderness Gathering
We all know how challenging these times are for the US Forest Service: budget cuts, reorganization, heightened fire danger, and increasing numbers of visitors to our public
lands. We also know what a challenge it is for small organizations whose mission it is to partner with the USFS: a long list of projects to complete, competition for volunteers’ free time, and raising the necessary funds to achieve critical goals.
In hopes of figuring out how to navigate this challenging landscape and how best to partner to meet mutual goals, seventy-two attendees representing sixteen different organizations and eleven USFS employees representing ten different Ranger Districts participated in the third annual Rocky Mountain Wilderness Gathering, October 9-11, at the Keystone Science School. Every Wilderness-focused organization in Colorado attended, along with two key organizations from Wyoming.
The “Gathering” began on Friday evening with a keynote talk by former US Senator Mark Udall. He acknowledged the current struggles faced by those working on behalf of Wilderness and our wild lands, but was upbeat about the abilities of organizations to be successful…if they can find ways to work together on behalf of their USFS partners.
Several panels were held during the weekend event. Local businesspeople, Mike Nathan and Helena Robinowitz from the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Sam Streletsky, Executive Director of the Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance, and Tim West, owner of Breckenridge Outfitters and Guides offered their expertise and experiences on topics ranging from Building Successful Coalitions, and Developing the Next Generation
of Leaders for our Organizations. Best practices on topics such as Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers, Advocacy, and Fundraising were shared and discussions held around how to put these ideas into action.
Everyone who participated said that perhaps the most valuable outcome of the Gathering was the opportunity to build connections and relationships with other volunteers from across the Rocky Mountain region. In the short time that the Gathering has been held, there are already numerous examples of groups sharing resources, offering training opportunities to one another, and advising on some aspect of organizational effectiveness. It was agreed that every organization has something to share and something to learn.
Before wrapping up for the weekend, volunteer organizations and USFS personnel were able to discuss actionable steps each could take to make their partnership work even more effectively. All agreed the conversations were productive and built stronger connections. In addition, each organization had time to talk among themselves about insights, lessons learned, and how these might inform organizational strategies going forward. Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, local host for the Gathering, agreed that it was a great way to wrap up the year. “We’re lucky to have such great USFS districts to partner with," said Frances Hartogh, ESWA board chair. "We’re excited about all that we’ve accomplished this year, and look forward to another productive year working together for Wilderness and our wild lands.”
By Eric Malmborg : Former board chair of the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance and one of the founders and organizers of the Rocky Mountain Wilderness Gathering
Thank you to Poudre Wilderness Volunteers Member Pete Skiba for capturing this special event with these photographs!
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