Earth Day Events
The coalition provides opportunities students to participate in stewardship events throughout the Front Range. There are many upcoming stewardship opportunities provided by partners for youth to celebrate Earth Day in the month of April. Please sign up for the individual event you would like to attend through the specific partner who is hosting that event.
Cherry Creek Clean Up
APRIL 23 | 9AM-12PM: Join us Earth Day weekend for an in-stream trash cleanup in the Cherry Creek! Get service hours or just come have some fun while making a positive impact on our community!
LOCATION Downtown Denver (Downtown Children’s Playground)
AGES 12-21
REGISTRATION https://www.thegreenwayfoundation.org/greenway-leadership-corps.html
Earth Day/National Volunteer Week Trail Rehab at Pineridge Natural Area
APRIL 23 | 10AM-12PM: This project will attempt to heal social trails that have developed through increased usage during COVID and will use an integrated approach to close, reseed, and plant along the widened trails at this popular Natural Area. Some of the activities will include installing buck and rail fencing, planting shrubs, and hand-broadcasting native seed which will be raked into trail scars. Interpretive signage stating that the project area is under restoration will also be installed. There will be activities for a wide range of ages and is a great way to get to know more about your Natural Areas and give back to these public lands during National Volunteer Week and Earth Day.
LOCATION Register first
AGES 12+
REGISTRATION Will be found on Engage Calendar for Fort Collins Natural Areas
Earth Day at Van Bibber Park
APRIL 16 | 8AM – 1PM: Spend Earth Day outside giving back to your public lands. Jefferson County Open Space is hosting a volunteer project at Van Bibber Park as a way to protect wildlife and continue to provide healthy and safe nature based experiences to our visitors. Volunteers will be planting native riparian plants and closing undesignated trails.
REQUIREMENTS: Be in good physical condition Be able to use a variety of tools, including shovels, picks and rakes Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian Be prepared for numerous and changing environmental conditions
LOCATION Van Bibber Open Space: 5575 Ward Rd, Arvada, CO 80002
AGES All Ages: Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
REGISTRATION https://offero.jeffco.us/Calendar
Global Youth Service Day- Restoration Project @ Westerly Creek Dam
APRIL 30 | 9AM – 1PM:A Stewardship Project in honor of Global Youth Service Day. This restoration project at the Westerly Creek Dam in partnership with Mile High Flood District and Denver Parks and Recreation will be led by VOC’s Cairn Leadership Program students.
What You’ll Do: Work together with VOC’s Cairn Leadership Program members, comprised of dedicated high school students and led by adult volunteer mentors, to close and revegetate social trails that have been created by the public over time. The Cairn Leadership Program is our award-winning high school program that guides 20+ high school students each academic year in monthly outdoor stewardship and leadership activities. This project represents the culmination of this year’s student work which has been student-planned and led. Alongside the Cairn students, you will complete this project in partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR), RJH Consultants, Habitat Management Inc. (HMI), and Mile High Flood District (MHFD). Why It Matters: The creation and use of social trails can lead to the degradation of the existing landscape’s vegetation, as well as erosion into nearby waterways like the Westerly Creek Dam. By closing off and revegetating these trails, you will mitigate the harmful environmental effects of erosion and clearly signify the proper trails that the public should use.
LOCATION 8200 E Sports Blvd, Denver, CO 80230; Lowry Sports Complex Park is a multi-use park offering picnicking and grilling areas, a playground, and wide expanse of sports fields/courts in the Lowry neighborhood of Denver. The park is adjacent to the Westerly Creek Dam and has a series of nearby connector trails running between the dam and the park.
AGES 14 (target group is high schoolers, but we will welcome adults too)
Staff Trainings
The coalition provides opportunities for adults and educators at our partner organizations to make sure staff is best able to support our students. Two to four trainings are provided annually to members to keep our educators up-to-date in topics ranging from youth mental health to diversity, equity, and inclusion and more.
Youth Events
The Front Range offers a multitude of pathways for young people to engage in service, leadership, and environmental education, but gaps continue to exist in both access and in the kinds of opportunities that exist. The YES Coalition gives youth the chance to cross organizational and regional boundaries in order to learn from one another and seek out new avenues for civic engagement and leadership.
Youth Exploring Stewardship 