Colorado Volunteer Ops (OT)?

I was wondering if any of you folks have had any positive experience or good reports of voluteer type opportunities based from the Denver area. Mostly helping with environmental issues (other worth while causes might work). I think I'm going to have a chunk of free time starting around the first of the year, and would like to do a little payback if something sounds good. I'm a slightly familiar with the Colorado Environmental Coalition, but would be interested in learning more about what might be out there. Sorry if this is a little off the photo topics.

If you're available next summer, I think I can set you up as volunteer mule/camp cook for a certain photographer I know.

I did some volunteering about seven or eight years ago, so this info may be a bit outdated. Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado seems like a good organization. They sometimes even need photographers to photograph their events. But I think it's mostly maintaining trails and working outdoors. The Nature Conservancy seems to give you mindless, monotonous work that doesn't serve much purpose and seems mostly designed to give their paid employees longer lunch breaks (it's a good organization overall, but their volunteer program seemed a bit shoddy...). The Sierra Club seemed a little too disorganized at the time. I think I contacted the Colorado Environmental Coalition and they weren't too receptive to volunteers (though that may have been the Wilderness Society ... my memory's not perfect).

Ha, Todd's suggestion reminds me that I could use help hauling and shipping books over the holidays (though it's not quite as prestigious as working with "Colorado's premier nature photographer").

In the past, I've done some volunteer photography work with Larimer County Parks and Open Lands. They like to have photographers come out and photograph properties they are look at, or have just acquired, for marketing/fundraising purposes. Scott Bacon has taken some photographs for them, too. If you do some work for them, you have a good chance of some of your photos being published in their annual calendar or in their annual report.

I haven't taken anything for them in a while, since it was kind of out of the way for me. And if I managed to get some free time, I preferred to do hiking/shooting for myself. If you're interested, drop me an email and I can send you some contact information.

Incidentally, I originally found out about this through the VOC, as Grant mentioned above.

Good on you!! Volunteering can be very rewarding.

Like Brent said, the folks at the Larimer County Parks and Open Lands organization are top-notch. It would certainly be worth a phone call or two to see if any local city or county orgs have similar needs. I have tried a couple times with Adams County and have got no where.

I've also done quite a bit of work with VOC - trail maintenance/building and photography. They're another great organization, IMHO. Be fore-warned, trail maintenance is HARD work!

You might also inquire with the Continental Divide and Colorado Trail orgs.

Keep in mind that if you want to volunteer your photography, many organizations have LOTS of people willing to donate pics. They get a lot of junk submissions from people who have good intentions, but lack skill, and/or those who just want to get published in some way or another. But once they see the quality of your images, I'm sure most will be happy to have you as a volunteer.

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is often looking for help with trail maintenance, etc. If you want to do something really rewarding, be a mentor, though it will be a much longer commitment.

though it's not quite as prestigious as working with "Colorado's premier nature photographer

I'm either very flattered, or you misunderstood me. I meant volunteer pack mule/camp cook for ME!

Oops, I immediately thought of Fielder (the self-proclaimed "premier" photographer) and all of his vounteer sherpas. I hate it when I inadvertently say nice things!

Those seem like some great ideas to look into thus far. I see VOC getting several positives and willl start checking it out. Thanks you!

Todd, if your knees are getting a little creaky like mine, I've heard good things about Meals on Mules. I checked my calendar, which ironically is also your calendar, and I'm busy on the days you mentioned.

I used to volunteer for the horticulture component of the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was very peaceful work and was not monotonous drudgery (assuming you like to plant flowers, prune shrubs and kill noxious weeds as I do). I would say they qualify as an environmental group through the promotion of water wise gardening practices in the West.

A group that could probably use the services of a photographer is Colorado Off-highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO). They are big into "stay on trail" messaging and they do maintenance to keep 4wd access to the back country open on existing routes with associated clubs. Anyways, they have a TIGeR project which involves GPS mapping roads on Forest Service and BLM lands to help the FS and BLM catalog their route network. If you've been around any of the 4wd clubs, you'll know that travel management plans a big issue right now. COHVC is trying to help Forest Service and BLM know where their current routes are. These agencies have been badly under funded for a long time and many of the maps are outdated and if you've driven on the back country roads, you've probably noticed that there isn't much signage around anymore.

Anyways, I know several folks participating in the TIGeR program. It sounds like it could be a way to learn some of the nooks and crannies in the state.