Our Grantees

Solid science and proven techniques

4Rivers Grantees

The 4Rivers Fund is a trust seeded with a $1 Million contribution from the Walton Family Foundation. Annual grants will maintain ecological restoration gains made on the Verde, Dolores, Gila, and Escalante Rivers in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.

F riends of the Verde River runs the Verde Watershed Restoration Coalition. This year, both will work to maintain control of tamarisk, tree of heaven, giant reed, and Russian olive along two miles of Oak Creek. The work will create conditions to support cottonwood and willow habitat, which is important to migratory birds and the local community. The work creates jobs and provides training for military veterans and conservation corp members.

Gila River Restoration Partnership transforms river sections choked with invasive tamarisk trees into diverse forests where native plant and animal species thrive, like the Southwest Willow Flycatcher. This year, they will maintain an irrigation system on 30 acres to keep recent native plantings alive. They will also remove other weed species on 50 acres.

Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is a member of the Escalante River Watershed Partnership. They work together to continue cutting and treating Russian olive trees where they were previously removed, covering between 1,500 to 2,000 acres annually. They also monitor a third of the watershed each year for emerging weed issues and to see how native habitat is responding to the past treatments.

RiversEdge West is a member of the Dolores River Restoration Partnership. The partnership works to maintain 1,882 acres along the Dolores River where they have removed invasive tamarisk trees. The work to remove other weeds and establish native plants will improve habitat, stream health, and protect the $10 Million invested in the river over the last decade.

Community Grantees

Our Community Grant Program funds projects working to connect communities to healthy rivers by improving either access or river health.

Brown Folks Fishing Lab is a mentorship program that links experienced Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) anglers with those looking for social and environmental opportunities in their own backyard. The BFF Lab builds fishing skills and community while reimaging the conservation conversation.

Casting for Recovery runs a fly fishing retreat program for breast cancer survivors. Participants benefit from social support, the gentle physical therapy of casting, and the type of lasting connection to the natural world that can foster a conservation ethic.

Colorado West Land Trust is working with Delta County, Colorado to build a new boat launch on the Gunnison River. The launch will improve the community’s access to the river and build Delta’s reputation as an outdoor adventure destination.

Four Corners Water Center runs courses and expeditions on the Rio Chama and San Juan Rivers. These trips bring the college and the community together to discuss water issues in the southwest. The conversations benefit from the diverse student body at Fort Lewis. Over 50% are students of color and 42% are native students from over 100 tribes across the US.

San Juan Citizens Alliance wants to connect the communities of Durango, CO and Farmington, NM through their love of the Animas River. They’re working to secure new, permanent boat launches near both towns, to develop a boating guide for the stretch of river, and to organize a community float from one town to the other.

Friends of Youth & Nature is teaming up with western Colorado school districts to make watershed education accessible for kids in the Gunnison River Basin. They provide stipends to help teachers access river science curriculum and organize field trips to the Colorado River exhibit at the Eureka! Science Museum.

Institute for Environmental Solutions will restore riverside habitat along Clear Creek in Wheat Ridge, CO with the help of underserved local elementary students. The kids participate in two classroom workshops before spending two days planting trees by the river for the community to enjoy.

Purgatoire Watershed Partnership is connecting its community to the urban wildlife corridor that runs through town on the banks of the Purgatoire river. The Partnership will build permanent wildlife viewing stations, place educational signs, and install a live streaming wildlife camera to introduce local humans to local wildlife.

Roaring Fork Conservancy is restoring a half mile reach of the Crystal River in Carbondale, Colorado. The habitat enhancement work will encompass 18-acres of surrounding riverside bottomlands, including interpretive signs and trails through the existing Riverside Park.

River Science is using a low-tech process-based restoration technique to promote erosion and restore the water table along an incised section of Oak Creek near Canyon City, CO. As part of the project, they will remove and repurpose juniper trees that are invading bottomland habitat. Students from Canon City High School’s first-ever River Science Class will help monitor the project’s success.