Like me, you may be wondering who oversees the major projects that always seem to be in progress to keep our outdoor recreation areas in such great shape. Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Peterson, Executive Director for the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI). I learned so much about what RMFI does that I thought my readers might want to learn it, too. This article was inspired by a Veterans Writing Community workshop that I linked at the end.
So what does RMFI (say RIM-fee) do? Their main goal is “to engage the community in caring for, maintaining, and stewarding our public lands for the benefit of our community and the public at large.” If it sounds like a huge undertaking, it is. Jennifer has been Executive Director for seven years, and she has seen RMFI grow exponentially since she’s been with them. What started out 40 years ago as a few people interested in maintaining climbing areas and trails has become a multi-million-dollar enterprise that engages hundreds of volunteers and many seasonal employees every year.
RMFI has some projects that you might recognize if you enjoy the outdoors in the Pikes Peak region. Devils Playground Trail, an area on the back side of Pikes Peak, is one such project. Sponsored by the National Forest Foundation (the only Congressionally mandated non-profit organization), the US Forest Service, REI, and individual donors, this project extended trails and controlled erosion in the Devils Playground Area (also known as the Crags Trail). Work was divided among three main groups of workers: a Youth Conservation Corps, made up of young people age 18-25 (for some, this was their first real job), professional trail crews who camped on-site for nine days at a time, and community volunteers who jumped in for a day of hard work somewhere along the way. Spoiler alert: this trail is a popular way to hike to the top of Pikes Peak “the easy way,” up the back side. If you start at the Crags Campground area, it’s a lot faster to get to the top of Pikes Peak than if you go up the front side on Barr Trail.
As the summer of 2021 draws to a close, RMFI’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, which includes its “40 Years of Discovery” challenge and “40 Days of Giving” campaign, is also ending. The Giving Campaign raised a record $93,212 this summer, which was matched by another large donation. The Discovery Challenge was indeed challenging; participants had 40 RMFI work sites to visit between April 1 and October 1. Participants had to take a selfie at as many locations as they could to be eligible for tiered prizes. Sounds easy, but some of the locations were pretty remote! It goes to show how broad RMFI’s footprint really is.
RMFI’s hope isn’t just that work gets done in conservation, however. They engage the community in their work because “sweat equity” infuses the public consciousness with a sense of environmental responsibility that can last a lifetime. A survey given to volunteers after a day of service includes not only questions about their daily experience, but also questions to inspire them to make land stewardship part of their everyday life. If you’d like to volunteer, there are lots of opportunities to do so. Sign up here.
RMFI’s work isn’t limited to specific projects. It also has some ongoing work with state governmental agencies and individual partners to work on wildfire mitigation all over the region. Jennifer says our forested areas have been neglected over the past few decades and are primed for repeats of the Waldo Canyon Fire (2012) and the Black Forest Fire (2013). Today’s work crews camp in some very remote areas clearing deadfall, cutting beetle-killed trees, and cutting back conifers that are encroaching on riparian areas to help them be more resistant to the spread of wildfires and be more resilient if a fire does occur.
I can’t imagine how Jennifer manages all the paperwork at multiple stages for multi-year projects. She’s amazing, and she was so kind to take time out of her busy day to talk about what RMFI does. The Veterans Writing Community workshop that we did with her aired on Facebook and Twitter on August 19, 2021 where we focused on the grant-writing necessary for RMFI’s substantial projects. You can view the writing workshop here, but be warned! We do stop for some writing “sprints,” so have your pen/pencil and journal ready. If you want to learn about how RMFI’s grants work, as well as get some good writing done, watch this video.
With so many sponsors and millions of dollars in grants, it’s so gratifying to see that RMFI has such a positive impact on our land and our social consciousness. If you hike, climb, or even walk outside on public lands in and around Colorado Springs, you’ve probably experienced some of RMFI’s work without even knowing it. I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel secure knowing that such a diverse group of people are working so hard to make our unique landscape a part of a lasting legacy. Now put this article down and get out there!
