Causes: Environment, Forest Conservation, Land Resources Conservation, Water, Water Resources, Wetlands Conservation & Management

Mission: To foster a community spirit of shared responsibility for the stewardship and restoration of public, protected, and ecologically important lands.

Results: In 1999,20 volunteers planted willows to enhance shoreline habitat around Heron Pond in Pella Crossing Open Space near Longmont, Colorado. Since this humble beginning, WRV was formally incorporated as a nonprofit, and since has completed over 1,600 restoration projects, hosted over 43,000 volunteers including 4,500+ youth, through which volunteers have contributed over $13 million in labor and expertise to the stewardship of our natural heritage. We accomplish our mission of healing the land and building community by organizing over 150 volunteer projects per year to complete a wide variety of critical habitat restoration and conservation work, mostly in northern Colorado. Our constituency is diverse, including urban and rural residents, adults, retired seniors, middle and high school students, under-resourced youth, watershed protection groups, outdoor club members, motorized recreation groups, and other recreational users of public lands. We have a formal leadership training program, a tool cache, 3,000 active volunteers, and a diverse youth service learning and leadership development program. Read more about the benefits of WRV's work at http://wlrv. org

Target demographics: diverse Colorado communities of all ages and from all walks of life

Geographic areas served: Colorado and southern Wyoming

Programs: completing 150+ ecological restoration projects on public lands each year; build a community of land stewards; train and mentor youth and adult volunteer leaders; monitor results of restoration work and contribute knowledge to the restoration community.