Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Coalition hosts 2nd annual Outdoor Stewardship Day & releases the 2011 Report on the Impact of Volunteer Stewardship

On April 19, 2012, the Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Coalition hosted the 2nd annual Outdoor Stewardship Day at the State Capitol. The public was invited to breakfast with legistlators to learn about the work of stewardship organizations around the state, followed by a panel discussion about the state of Colorado's public lands, and a session about talking to elected officials. View the day's full agenda here.

The Coaliltion also released "Colorado's Public Lands: Stewardship in Challenging Economic Times, Report on the Impact of Volunteer Stewardship in 2011", which builds upon the first ever study to establish an aggregated baseline of statewide volunteer information and data from across Colorado in 2010. Read the full report here.

Register now for the Western Slope Stewardship Forum, March 23, 2012

Do you manage protected lands west of the divide? Do you work with volunteers and community partners? Are you a community group that partners with a land manager?

In the morning, we'll talk about how our communities fit into taking care of Colorado's outdoors. We'll discuss strategies for effective collaboration, capacity building, and funding. In the afternoon, we will offer workshop sessions on volunteer management, partnership development and fundraising strategies.

The event is free with lunch provided, but registration is requested so we know how much lunch to order. REGISTER HERE.

Save the Date for the 2nd annual Outdoor Stewardship Day!

Save the date for the 2nd annual Outdoor Stewardship Day on April 19, 2012. More information will follow.

We'll see you at the State Capitol!

The Colorado Outdoor Volunteer Impact Study is Released

At Outdoor Stewardship Day at the Capitol, Governor John Hickenlooper proclaimed April 21st Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Day!

That same day, the new Colorado outdoor volunteer impact study, entitled "Colorado’s Public Lands: Engaging our Communities in Their Care and Protection, Report on the Impact of Volunteer Stewardship in 2010,” was released.

Download the report here

Read more about the 4/21 Outdoor Stewardship Day at the Capitol.

Don’t miss Outdoor Stewardship Day at the State Capitol on Thursday, April 21, 2011!

Celebrate Volunteerism on Colorado's Public Lands!

Thursday April 21, 7:30 – 10am
State Capitol, 200 East Colfax, Denver
Old Supreme Court Chambers, 2nd floor

Free light breakfast (RSVP) 7:30‐8:30am
Educational panel 8:30‐9:30am
How to talk to legislators 9:30‐10am
Chat with local agencies and nonprofits 8‐10am

Hear about:
• The statewide impact volunteers are having on Colorado’s public lands
• Colorado’s outdoor stewardship needs and challenges
• How a coalition of agencies and nonprofits are mobilizing a million people who love Colorado
• Why volunteers are critical to preserving Colorado’s outdoors
• Highlights of the 2011 outdoor stewardship season & how to get involved

Speakers:
Governor John Hickenlooper
Rep. Matt Jones and Senator Gai l Schwartz
Rick Cables, Regional Forester, US Forest Service
Helen Hankins, Colorado State Director, Bureau of Land Mgmt
Kim Burgess, COO, Colo Dept of Natural Resources
Craig Mackey, Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Assn
Tom Hoby, Director, Jefferson County Open Space

Info & to RSVP for breakfast :Sue Anderson, 303‐715‐1010, sue@voc.org

The Stewardship Forum Report is here

Thank you to everyone who made it to the Denver REI today for the Stewardship Forum Follow-up. Progress has been made, exciting developments are in the works, and some great ideas were exchanged to move us forward. As promised, the official Stewardship Forum report can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzLFaRh3n1ThN2QyNDVjZWUtYTlmYS00MDZlLWE3ODItMjI0ZjMzMTZlODI5&hl=en

Next Steps: Takeaway Actions for the Coalition of Stewardship Organizations and Agencies

Below are some next steps which participants brainstormed and brought up repeatedly at the forum. Feel free to add more actions to the list and add your thoughts about the ones listed here:

-Check “egos and logos” at the door to build a strong coalition of stewardship organizations and agencies with common goals and a leadership structure in place.

- Create a unified message about stewardship that can be easily understood by the public and funders. Engage with the public relations and marketing sectors to create a brand that sticks and resonates socially and economically.

-Engage with other sectors (health, education, agriculture, entertainment, etc.) to expand the coalition and build momentum around the message.

-Develop and use a statewide database which tracks volunteers, volunteer opportunities, agency needs, and measurements of accomplishments. This tool can be used to recruit volunteers and compile concrete numbers to present to funders. (volunteeroutdoors.net is such a tool that already exists)

-Collaboratively conduct a state-wide gap analysis in order to demonstrate collaboration, a unified message, and concrete metrics and goals to funders.

-Identify the expertise of our different agencies and organizations. Focus on the skill-based and geographic niches so we do not dilute our message or spread thin our volunteers and resources.

-Develop ways to train more volunteers in order to build the leadership capacity of volunteer stewards and leverage paid staff time. Engage the young population and recruit them to lead while encouraging older leaders to pass on their knowledge.

-Expand ways to engage more diverse groups of volunteers (volunteers across the spectrums of time available, skill level, geographic location, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, etc.)