Routt County Climate Action Collaborative Fund.
Enable and empower climate action projects in the Yampa Valley.
The Routt County Climate Action Collaborative Fund, held at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, was created to support projects identified by the Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative Board as furthering the objectives set out in the Routt County Climate Action Plan. 501c3 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities that have adopted the Routt County Climate Action plan are eligible for grants.
Local impact
Your contributions to the fund will directly support LOCAL climate action projects including:
How to donate
Donations can be made directly to the fund via the Yampa Valley Community Foundation website.
Donations to the Climate Action Fund can also be made through The Good Traveler program. Put your travel miles to work for climate in the Yampa Valley. Read more about the Yampa Valley Regional Airport and The Good Traveler partnership.
Why investment in climate action matters now?
The Yampa Valley is home to extensive natural beauty, western spirit, abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, and the native wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Yet like so many other mountain communities, the Yampa Valley is already experiencing regional impacts from climate change. Despite the record-breaking snowpack this past year, over the past two decades, Routt County has trended toward an earlier and more rapid snowpack runoff, increased frequency of river closures due to high water temperatures and low flow, and elevated severity of wildfires.
A 2020 Washington Post study found Routt County is among a ‘hot spot’ of warming tracking over two times the national average temperature increases over the last century. According to State Climatologist Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s annual temperature has already warmed 2.9 degrees since 1895 and could warm by 5.5 degrees total by 2050. Additional warming will worsen heat waves, droughts and wildfires, and heavy and extreme precipitation and flooding are likely to worsen as well.
Taking a proactive stance on climate change by supporting the implementation of the Climate Action Plan will allow Routt County to be better prepared for anticipated changes in the regional climate and the impact those changes will have on citizens, landowners and businesses. By working together, residents, governments and all other stakeholders can help reduce our carbon footprint and ensure Routt County remains a vibrant and thriving community for years to come. What we do locally counts, and your actions (and donations!) matter.
