A Chainsaw Crew Builds Skills for Cortez Young Adults and Protects Local Forests | LOR Foundation Skip to content
In-Progress Environment

A Chainsaw Crew Builds Skills for Cortez Young Adults and Protects Local Forests

Cortez
  • Local Champion: Southwest Conservation Corps
  • Date Funded: January 22, 2026
  • Grant Amount: $18,000

Many Cortez young adults lack the technical skills for local jobs in land management and conservation, while agencies and nonprofits struggle to find trained workers for fire mitigation and forest projects. Staff with the Southwest Conservation Corps saw a clear solution to both problems, so they reached out to LOR with their idea. LOR’s funding will help the Southwest Conservation Corps launch a chainsaw crew and train eight young adults in chainsaw safety and wilderness first aid. The new crew will complete nine weeks of fuels mitigation and other conservation projects across Montezuma County, building pathways to both land management careers and healthy forests.

Contact our community officer in Cortez. Meet Nicci Crowley
More Environment Solutions
Environment / Cortez Tools Equip Cortez Volunteers for Land Stewardship
Local Champion:
Montelores Coalition
Date funded:
August 17, 2026
Grant Amount:
$3,860
Environment / Taos Firewood Removal Reduces Wildfire Risk and Supports Taos County Households
Local Champion:
Friends of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
Date funded:
August 14, 2026
Grant Amount:
$9,750
Environment / Questa Library Landscaping Improves Entrance Safety for Questa Residents
Local Champion:
Friends of the Questa Public Library
Date funded:
August 7, 2026
Grant Amount:
$9,994
Environment / Weiser Concrete Pads Give Weiser Dog Park Visitors a Clean, Safe Place to Sit
Local Champion:
Weiser River Animal Shelter & Rescue
Date funded:
August 5, 2026
Grant Amount:
$1,800
Environment / Monte Vista Updated Equipment Expands Youth Mountain Biking Access in Monte Vista
Local Champion:
San Luis Valley Cycling
Date funded:
July 22, 2026
Grant Amount:
$7,534
Environment / Cortez An Outdoor Leadership Career Pathway Opens Doors (and Trails) for Cortez High Schoolers
Local Champion:
Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1
Date funded:
July 17, 2026
Grant Amount:
$25,000
See All solutions

Share an Idea

If you have an idea for improving quality of life in Cortez or Monte Vista, Colorado; Lander, Wyoming; Libby, Montana; Questa or Taos, New Mexico; or Weiser, Idaho, use this form to start a conversation with us.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.