Summary
Organization name
Cal-Wood Education Center
2006
Tax id (EIN)
20-2472544
Category
Education
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
2282 County Road 87Jamestown, CO 80455
Mailing
PO Box 347Jamestown, CO 80455
Boulder County, CO, US
About
2022 Programs
Cal-Wood strives to grow the diversity and number of people who experience nature and the Colorado mountains. Since 1982, Cal-Wood has provided environmental and outdoor education to hundreds of thousands of Coloradans with an annual reach of 9,000 through school programs, Latino Family Camps, and summer camps held at our beautiful 1,200 acre mountain site and local, state, and federal public lands.
The past two years have been tumultuous with the pandemic and the Calwood fire. But with our community's support, we survived. With a full return of our environmental education programs and two successful seasons of fire restoration, Cal-Wood is building back stronger.
Cal-Wood recently completed a three-year Strategic Plan, led by Stan Zemler, former Vail Town Manager and Boulder Chamber CEO. Over nine months, our Board of Directors collaborated with staff and key stakeholders to assess community needs, evaluate capacity, and draft a plan to guide Cal-Wood’s future growth.
The plan outlines strategies to increase the number of youth and families we serve, with a focus on reaching underserved communities. It also prioritizes updating the site plan for our 1,200-acre facility—addressing wildfire impacts, preparing for program expansion, and improving staff housing to meet rising housing costs in Boulder County. Additionally, it emphasizes strengthening our foundation and building leadership within our staff and Board to secure Cal-Wood’s future success.
Mission
Cal-Wood’s mission is to offer a unique outdoor educational experience to youth and adults. Our founding vision has guided our organization since 1982: to inspire a greater appreciation for the natural world; to offer environmental education to those who would not otherwise experience it; and to provide unique educational opportunities in a special mountain setting.
Background Statement
Located less than 20 miles west of Boulder in Jamestown, Cal-Wood was originally founded as Boulder’s school-based residential environmental education center, and while we have grown our programming and scope, each year 70% of Cal-Wood participants are from Boulder County.
Roger and Oral Calvert donated their Boulder County foothills ranch in the late 1970’s, along with an endowment to The Pilot Trust which established Cal-Wood Education Center. In 2003, in cooperation with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, a conservation easement was placed on the Cal-Wood property to ensure that it will remain a pristine environmental and educational resource. In 2006, Cal-Wood established its own nonprofit 501(c)3 status. In 2018, we transitioned to a new board model that includes a majority of local members strategically selected for specific skill sets and assets.
2020 and 2021 were the hardest times in our history. Due to pandemic program closures, we saw a loss of $1 million in revenue and most employees. In October 2020, more than half of Cal-Wood’s 1,200 acre mountain top burned in the Calwood Fire. While the buildings survived, our pristine ponderosa pine forest, our outdoor classroom, saw 100% tree mortality in many areas. The restoration of our land is going to be a 5-10 year process and will cost millions of dollars. During this process, we hope to transform Cal-Wood into an outdoor research and education center for fire ecology, restoration, and mitigation.
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Organization Data
Jamestown, CO 80455
Jamestown, CO 80455