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- CFI Seasonal Job Announcements Posted
– February 7, 2012
CFI is looking for 12 enthusiastic, hard-working seasonal staff leaders/members to complete our most ambitious project season in years. If you think you have what … Read More
- Endowment Gift to Support Adopt-a-Peak Internship Renamed in Memory of Fourteener Enthusiast Kimberly Appelson
– February 3, 2012
A $50,000 gift from Larry and Barbara Appelson of Naperville, Ill. will seed an endowment designed to support Colorado Fourteeners Initiative’s summer internship for aspiring … Read More
- Ben Hanus joins CFI’s staff as Sustainable Trails Project Coordinator
– January 14, 2012
We are excited to announce that Ben Hanus, an employee on CFI projects the past three seasons, has joined the core staff as the coordinator … Read More
- 2011 Year-end Summary, 2012 Season Preview
– December 19, 2011
Take a quick look back at this past summer’s record accomplishments. Or, take a sneak peak at next year’s planned projects. Both can be found … Read More
Our History
Colorado Fourteeners Initiative was formed in 1994 as a partnership of nonprofit organizations, concerned individuals, and public agencies to preserve and protect the natural integrity of Colorado’s Fourteeners after a 1993 study noted significant environmental impacts due to rapidly expanding recreational use. Founding organizations included the Colorado Mountain Club, Colorado Outward Bound School, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, and the US Forest Service.
Since CFI’s founding, Colorado’s population has been among the fastest growing in the nation. Between 1990 and 2010 Colorado added 1.7 million new residents, a 53% increase. Outdoor recreation is the second-largest segment of Colorado’s tourism industry with over 40% of visitors stopping in the mountains, putting increasing pressure on these unique and fragile ecosystems.
Today, CFI isthe nation’s leading high-altitude trail-building, terrain-restoration and visitor-education organization. CFI has built 24 sustainably located, designed and constructed summit routes on 22 peaks, with its work garnering honors and awards from Congress, the US Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation and other organizations.