Who Are We?

Mission

Yampatika is a non-profit environmental educational and interpretational organization with a mission to inspire environmental stewardship through education. We provide educational programs in the schools and in the field as well as programs ranging from bird watching to snowshoe hikes in the backcountry. We also offer a series of lecturers who speak on topics relating to the environment and cultural aspects of Northwest Colorado. This series is one that can be enjoyed by both a local member and visitor to the Yampa Valley community alike.

Location

Yampatika is located in Steamboat Springs, a northwestern Colorado community with a population of 12,000 people. We are situated on the western side of the Continental Divide and surrounded by the Mount Zirkel, Service Creek, and Flattop Wilderness Areas with access to over one million acres of public lands. Exceptional scenery and a wide diversity of plant and wildlife surround us. A colorful history has influenced the landscape, where diversity of cultures is evident today in our lush valleys, high mountains, and semi-arid canyons. This backdrop provides Yampatika with unique opportunities to offer environmental/educational programs for people of all ages.

We are currently operating in the US Forest Service building, with 800 square feet of exhibit space, 300 square feet of office space.

History

Yampatika was established in 1992 as the "Yampatika Outdoor Awareness Association" by a group of community members and government agencies that sought to provide environmental interpretation in a rural setting. Today, we are a collaborative effort of private and public individuals and organizations. 

In our 16 year history we have been awarded numerous grants and awards, such as the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Educators Award in 1996 and again in 2002. We also received a Partners in Action Award from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service for wilderness education in 1998. We have instructed thousands of students in area schools and both students and adults through our other programs.

Over the years we have established strong relationships with The U. S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and the City of Steamboat Springs. We have developed ties with local organizations that offer us abundant environmental and cultural resources. These include the Tread of the Pioneers Museum, the Vista Verde Ranch, Friends of the Wilderness, the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp., Historic Routt County, and the Yampa River Botanic Park. These organizations support us financially, and/or allow us to use their facilities for programs.

In the last year we have developed sponsorships with local businesses to support our programs and to provide scholarships for those children in need of financial assistance. These sponsorships are a critical component of our programs because program fees rarely cover all of the expenses involved in putting on a program. You can see many of the opportunities at Sponsorship opportunities.

Yampatika is constantly changing. In the past two years we have greatly reduced our dependency on retail sales and now sell primarily books and maps that directly relate to our mission as a nonprofit organization and our local environment. We are looking closely at all of our programs so as to strengthen those that fully support and further our goals and reduce those that do not. In the winter of 2007 we initiated a lecture series that relied on local speakers who contributed their knowledge of and experiences in the Yammpa Valley. We plan to expand this lecture series in the coming year due to the great amount of support and interest we had this winter.In the fall of 2007 we began a very important partnership with the Storm Peak Lab and we able to show more than 100 fifth grade students how the lab works and how incorporated weather research into ongoing classroom activities. That program covered not only Steamboat schools, but South Routt and Hayden as well.

As an organization that thrives on collaboration, we ask that you bring us your ideas so as to help us become better stewards of our environment.

Our Funding and Sponsors

                                              
                      

A significant portion of our finding comes through our association with the U. S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. They support many of our school programs and some of our adult programming. The Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. funds many of our activities on the mountain and some of our children's programming. We have been very fortunate to have the support of Vista Verde Ranch for both summer and winter programming. Our local service provider, SpringSips.com, has generously provided a grant to support out Internet use. This summer we will be making use of unique opportunities offered by Marabou for our children's camps.

                       

We also have important support from the Yampa River Botanic Park, the Wells Fargo Community Assistance Fund, and the Steamboat Ski and Resort Employee Environment Fund.

Staff

You can learn about out staff by clicking on the "Yampatika Staff" button at the top of the page.

Board of Directors and Advisors

Board

Advisors

• Kim Vogel, U. S. Forest Service
• Diann Ritschard, U. S. Forest Service
• Gina Robison , Bureau of Land Management

Employment Opportunities

We hire summer and winter naturalists (full-time and part-time) in the spring and fall. Please call or stop by and speak with our Executive Director. Our number is (970) 871-9151 and we would like to hear from you.