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- Seasonal Trail Positions Closed
– March 7, 2013
CFI is no longer accepting applications for 2013 seasonal positions. If still interested in becoming a member of our 2014 seasonal trail crew, please check … Read More
- Seasonal Trail Positions Open!
– January 9, 2013
Colorado Fourteeners Initiative will have an expanded field presence in 2013. We are looking for 16 enthusiastic, hard-working seasonal staff leaders/members to complete these projects … Read More
- Everyone Poops…Even in the Woods
– November 9, 2012
The end of the season is here. Basecamp is packed out and it’s time to clean the “groover” buckets. For an extra hundred bucks, Andy … Read More
- Finding the Word to Sum Up a Season
– November 2, 2012
What does it feel like to open 3,300 feet of new, durably constructed, sustainably located trail? No one word can describe that specific moment. The … 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.