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| Rocky Mountain Wild | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rocky Mountain Wild |
| Formation | 2003 |
| Type | Nonprofit conservation organization |
| Headquarters | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Region served | Colorado; Wyoming; Utah; New Mexico |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
| Leader name | (varies) |
| Website | (omitted) |
Rocky Mountain Wild Rocky Mountain Wild is a regional conservation organization focused on protecting landscapes, wildlife, and water across the Southern Rocky Mountains, including portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico. The organization conducts policy advocacy, habitat restoration, legal challenges, scientific research, and community engagement to influence land-use decisions affecting public lands such as Bureau of Land Management holdings, National Forests, and Wilderness areas. Its operations intersect with federal agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service as well as state agencies and local governments.
Rocky Mountain Wild was founded in the early 21st century amid debates over energy development, roadless protection, and species conservation in the Southern Rockies. Founders drew on networks linked to advocacy groups like Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, and Defenders of Wildlife to mount campaigns addressing issues such as drilling on public lands and the designation of Wilderness areas. Early legal actions referenced statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act to challenge permitting for resource extraction on federal lands. Over time the organization expanded from litigation and regulatory comments to include field-based restoration projects in partnership with entities such as Colorado Parks and Wildlife and tribal governments including the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
The mission emphasizes protection of intact ecosystems, connectivity of wildlife corridors, and safeguarding watersheds that feed major river systems like the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. Programs include legal advocacy in coordination with public interest law firms, community organizing modeled after campaigns by Earthjustice and Natural Resources Defense Council, and place-based conservation similar to projects undertaken by the National Audubon Society. Programmatic priorities target threatened species such as Canada lynx, Mexican gray wolf, and native fish populations affected by water diversions overseen by entities like the Bureau of Reclamation. The organization also engages with landscape-scale initiatives such as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem conservation discussions and efforts linked to the Continental Divide Trail.
Advocacy work pursues protections for roadless tracts, old-growth forests, headwaters, and migration corridors that affect species including elk, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, and Colorado River cutthroat trout. The group participates in administrative appeals and litigation addressing resource management plans prepared under the National Forest Management Act and grazing allotments administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Campaigns frequently intersect with corporate actors in the energy sector, including disputes over contracts with firms active in hydraulic fracturing and coalbed methane production near sensitive habitats. Partnerships with conservation funders such as the L.L. Bean Foundation and philanthropic organizations that fund land protection have helped secure conservation easements with regional land trusts like the The Nature Conservancy and local land trusts in Boulder County and El Paso County.
Rocky Mountain Wild conducts and supports science-based work on species ecology, hydrology, and climate impacts, collaborating with academic institutions such as the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the University of Wyoming. Research topics include telemetry studies on large carnivores, population monitoring for ungulates, water-quality assessments in headwater streams, and modeling of climate-driven shifts in alpine ecosystems. Findings are used in administrative record submissions to agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management during rulemaking and project review. The organization also works with independent laboratories and citizen-science platforms akin to projects run by the National Audubon Society and the Smithsonian Institution to document phenology and species distribution.
Education initiatives target outdoor recreationists, local officials, and school groups with curricula and materials modeled on programs from institutions like the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Workshops address topics such as responsible trail use in Wilderness areas, coexistence strategies for communities near large carnivores promoted by Wildlife Conservation Society frameworks, and watershed stewardship informed by studies from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The group convenes public forums, participates in county planning meetings, and offers volunteer opportunities for riparian revegetation and invasive species removal, often in collaboration with local chapters of organizations such as Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and regional land managers.
Noteworthy campaigns include efforts to block large-scale oil and gas leasing on sensitive habitats, litigation to protect seasonal migration corridors used by elk and pronghorn, and advocacy to expand protections within proposed Wilderness designations. The group has been involved in high-profile cases challenging decisions affecting landscapes near San Juan Mountains, Sawatch Range, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Projects have included restoration of aquatic habitat for native trout species and an initiative to secure conservation easements on private ranchlands to maintain connectivity to public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
The organization is structured as a nonprofit with a board of directors and staff that coordinate legal, scientific, and outreach work, leveraging volunteer networks and partnerships with regional conservation NGOs. Funding sources include private foundations, individual donors, membership contributions, and grants from philanthropic institutions that support land protection and environmental litigation. Financial relationships and grant awards often follow models used by peers such as The Trust for Public Land and Conservation Lands Foundation to combine philanthropic capital with public funding mechanisms for land acquisition and stewardship.
Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States