Colorado Mountain Club ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Annual Report 2012 1 From the Chief Executive Officer he CMC just finishedof the CMC and we want to make sure they have everything celebrating our 100th they need to make our members not only satisfied after their anniversary, and what a trips, but ready for more! Tyear of celebrations it was. We are now 101 years old. So where do After that we’ll make sure we have a process in place through- we go from here? The world is very out the state to continuously monitor our membership different from when the CMC was satisfaction rates and respond accordingly. first formed, as are the lives of our members. Our mountains have In theory this sounds simple. The reality is that we can’t do more use and more environmental it without you, our biggest supporters and most loyal CMC threats. People are busier than ever fans. You make all of this possible. Without your generous before, and recreational interests support we aren’t able to create new initiatives for the future. have changed (mountain biking We aren’t able to continue working on wilderness designa- and slacklining weren’t around tions that sometimes take decades to achieve. We aren’t able 100 years ago!) Members joined to teach mountain recreation to low-income youth. And we clubs because that was their main social outlet. Well nowadays, membership could never have created our world-class mountaineering organizations aren’t as popular as they once were. Our busy lives and scarce dollars museum without your help. are pulled in many directions. That’s why it’s imperative that the next 100 years for the CMC are focused on responding to the needs of the people of Colorado I thank you for your support, and hope to see you in the today and preserving our landscapes. mountains! In 2012, the state board of directors and I finished a year-long process of creating a five-year strategic plan. The main topic? Member satisfaction. We will spend the first year listening to what you have told us about what you love and don’t love about the club. Next we’ll implement programs that you have asked for. Trail running and mountain biking have already been started! The state office and groups will work as a team to make sure our leaders continue to be ambassadors for the club. After all, our volunteer leaders are the lifeblood Katie Blackett Chief Executive Officer From the President hat a momentous year for the CMC – our centennial! The year Now we are looking forward to another 100 years. I’m was filled with many celebrations. The highlight for me was the sure the CMC will continue to have high quality schools celebration at Rocky Mountain National Park in April: Listening and training opportunities, as well as many recreation www.cmc.org Wto the wonderful talk by Jerry Caplan about the CMC’s role in the forma- opportunities. But who knows what else the future will tion of Rocky Mountain National Park; being privileged to accept an award bring? We will have many challenges ahead of us, but on behalf of the CMC from the Park; having our with help from all of our members, leaders, teachers, picture taken by John Fielder against the back- staff, and other supporters, I know we’ll be able to meet drop of the Park’s magnificent peaks; and singing these challenges. happy birthday to the CMC before blowing out the candles – with lots of help from the children present – on our birthday cake. CMC members also climbed all the acces- sible Fourteeners in Colorado on one day in September. The weather was perfect, so we knew the universe was eager to help them on Alice White their way! Some members took videos of their climbs, so now we have not only a movie cel- President of the Board of Directors ebrating the day, but also lots of other footage and photographs. This is a wonderful legacy to leave the CMC members of the future. Imagine being at the bicentennial celebration, with one of the events being a screening of that movie. Cover Photo: The Green River in Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument in NW Colorado. The CMC was pivotal in convincing the Roosevelt Administration to expand Dinosaur National Monument beyond the 100-acre bone quarry in Utah into Colorado to protect the magnificent canyons of the 2 Colorado Mountain Club Yampa and Green Rivers. by Scott Braden ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Donor Spotlight Sherry Richardson The Colorado Mountain Club 21st Century Circle I’ve been a member of This annual report describes the activities of the the Colorado Mountain Colorado Mountain Club during fiscal year 2012: Club since 1988. And I am October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012 also a member of the 21st Century Circle. CMC Staff When I joined the Club Katie Blackett, CEO in 1988, I was looking Shelby Arnold, American Mountaineering Museum Director for what most of us are Scott Braden, Conservation Director looking for – a hiking club. Lisa Cashel, Stewardship Manager It didn’t take long for me to understand that the Colorado Chun Chiang, Director of Finance Mountain Club is a lot more than just a hiking club. Kristin D’Epagnier, Development & Marketing Coordinator Sarah Gorecki, Development Director In 1997 I pledged to leave a significant gift to the Colorado Christian Green, Publishing Director Mountain Club upon my death and joined the 21st Century Ryan Johns, Youth Education Program Manager Circle. I’m a single woman; I have my own business; and I knew that Melanie Joyce, Youth Education Program Director when I passed, I wasn’t going to have much left in my estate to give Shelby Mattingly, Accounting & Human Resources Manager a meaningful gift. Jan Monnier, Membership Services Representative Brenda Porter, Operations Director Thus, I was very happy to be introduced to the concept of Crystal Reed, Membership Services Representative purchasing a life Rachel Scott, Marketing & Membership Director insurance policy and f g naming the Colorado u We gratefully acknowledge the contributionsCen tofu past staff: nt ry r f e C t y d Mountain Club as the C Chris Case, Jay Heeter, Fritz Padilla, Meghans Smith, and Alan ir 1 C t beneficiary. That allowed c 2 s Stark. i l r 1 e c me to be able to give my l e 2 meaningful gift to the The CMC is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Club. C O B L U It’s a great way for people O L www.cmc.org R C like me to have the ability AD IN O M NTA to leave a legacy gift. OU CMC Officers and Directors Alice White, President Debbie Welle-Powell, Vice President Dale Hengesbach, Treasurer Lauren Schwartz, Secretary our mission Tracy Atkins Donna Lynne George Barisas Paul Raab Kurt Bartley Ray Shem The Colorado Mountain Club is organized to Kevin Duncan Matt Stevens ▶ unite the energy, interest, and knowledge of the students, Lou Fabian David Tabor explorers, and lovers of the mountains of Colorado; Bill Landsberg Vern Twombly Linda Lawson Kevin Volz ▶ collect and disseminate information regarding the Rocky Mountains on behalf of science, literature, art, and recreation; ▶ stimulate public interest in our mountain areas; ▶ encourage the preservation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural © 2013 Colorado Mountain Club All Rights Reserved scenery; and Please recycle this magazine. ▶ render readily accessible the alpine attractions of this region. Printed on 10% post-consumer waste recycled paper. Annual Report 2012 3 The Foundation of the CMC A DULT edUcaTION Education continues to be a foundation of the CMC. In 2012, hundreds of dedicated volunteers taught courses ranging from Avalanche Terrain Avoidance to Winter Camping. A total of 2,186 adult participants gained new skills to enjoy Colorado’s mountains through 107 different mountain skills courses, includ- ing camping, hiking, wilderness navigation, first aid, fly fishing, rock climbing, ice climbing, backcountry skiing, high altitude mountaineering, peak scrambling, outdoor leadership, natural history, and much more. Wilderness First Aid was a priority this year; the CMC taught courses for the San Juan, Ft. Collins, and El Pueblo Groups. The Education Department also works behind the scenes to as- sist CMC volunteer instructors to secure special use permits. In 2012, 2,346 permits were secured from the US Forest Service for 27 group schools. Empowering Kids in the Outdoors Y OUTH edUCATION 2012 was an exceptional year for the Youth Education Program (YEP), which served 7,447 students through its school and individual programs, a higher number than ever before in the program’s history. Through active learning adventures taking place at the American Mountaineering Center and throughout the Front Range, YEP uses our Rocky Mountain backyard to teach kids science and recreation. Through YEP, students have the opportunity to climb a rock face and feel physics in action as their rock shoes give them the friction they need to move YEP works hard to make the mountains accessible to all youth in the through a challenging section. Groups hike South Table Mountain, and Front Range, and continually reaches out to provide programming examine landforms and rock layers on their way up to discover the to underserved schools and individuals. In the past year 2,707 youth geologic history of the area. Additional classes teach mountain weather, received financial assistance to be able to participate in a YEP program. avalanche science, ecology, conservation principles, and the biology and Providing programs to these kids would not be possible without geology of climbing. volunteer help; in the past year our amazing volunteers contributed 589 hours of their time to YEP.