Opportunities From: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

Bringing a child, youth group, or signing up as a family?

Please follow this step-by-step guide to register as a team. It’s quick and helps us get all the info we need.

Where You'll Be: 

This project takes place at the Plains Conservation Center managed by City of Aurora’s Open Space and Natural Resources Department. The Plains Conservation Center provides the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of Denver Metro’s eastern plains. It features stretches of native prairie and offers a sense of vast grasslands far removed from the city. The Plains Conservation Center also serves as nature preserve and education center that model what Native American camps and pioneer homesteads looked like in the late 1800s.

What You'll Do:

Volunteers will help plant about 200 cottonwood trees along the creek and in nearby wet areas at the Plains Conservation Center.

These trees will be either bare root plants or 5-gallon container plants. After planting, volunteers will install wire cages around each tree to protect them from being eaten by pronghorn and other wildlife.

This work supports a recently installed beaver dam analog (BDA), which aim to slow the flow of water replicating the effect of natural beaver dams. While beavers once lived in this area, they are no longer present. Without beaver dams to slow the creek, water levels dropped over time, making it difficult for cottonwood trees to survive. The BDA helps slow the flow of water, raising the water table and keeping moisture in the soil longer. This creates better conditions for cottonwoods to grow and establishes a healthier riparian area along the creek.

Why It Matters: 

This project builds on the planting that VOC volunteers started in the spring of 2025.

Adding more trees will expand habitat for breeding birds and support existing nesting eagles in the area. Cottonwoods also help stabilize the East Toll Gate Creek's banks, reduce erosion, and provide shade that keeps water cooler and supports long-term water availability. Together, these improvements strengthen the overall health of the creek and the surrounding prairie ecosystem.

Eligibility Requirements:

Ages 12+

Youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.

Bringing a child, youth group, or signing up as a family?

Please follow this step-by-step guide to register as a team. It’s quick and helps us get all the info we need!

Project Difficulty:

This project is considered easy to moderate; please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.

General physical considerations for participating in this project (Some or all may apply): Volunteers will work in sun-exposed areas and on uneven terrain, performing tasks such as bending down, de-potting saplings, and digging. Other tasks may include: moderate lifting, moving soil, walking and tool use.

Access Factors:

Vehicle Access: 2WD accessible

Other Notes: Bathrooms are available at the Plains Conservation Center Visitor Center, about a half-mile from the work site.

If you enjoy planting projects, you can view similar projects here.

Join us in supporting the 2025 - 2026 Cairn Program Final Project with Jefferson County Parks & Open Space at Centennial Cone Park in Golden, CO!

Friends and family of Cairn students, and mentors, are invited to attend their Final Project that is selected, planned, and led by Cairn high school students. 

Students and mentors will be arriving at 8:30am to set up for the project All other volunteers may arrive at 9am when the project starts.Where You'll Be:

Nestled between Clear Creek Canyon and Golden Gate Canyon, Centennial Cone Park offers miles of recreation for hikers, bikers, hunters, and equestrian users just outside of Golden, CO. The park's wide landscape provides sweeping views and the opportunity to see elk and other wildlife.

What You'll Do:

Volunteers will assist in removing approximately 2,000 feet of old barbed wire fence on the north end of Centennial Cone Park adjacent to the Guy Gulch Study Area, both managed by Jefferson County Parks & Open Space.

Volunteers will hike to different locations of the fence line (easier or steep terrain options available) carrying tools to cut the fence and roll the wire for disposal. There is an optional pruning activity near the parking lot available for volunteers who do not want to hike.

Lunch will be provided for all volunteers and students and will need to be hiked out to your work site!

There will be a small graduation ceremony after the project work to celebrate Cairn student and mentor accomplishments from this past school year!

Why It Matters:

The old barbed wire fence line no longer serves a purpose and poses a safety risk to the local wildlife. Hundreds of animals are harmed by fencing each year, resulting in wildlife injuries and disrupting migration patterns. The fence removal supports animal migration, contributing to the health of the big horn sheep and elk populations in the area. Join us in allowing wildlife to move freely across this diverse landscape again.

Eligibility Requirements:

Ages 16+

If you are bringing any youth that are not part of the Cairn Program, please indicate:

how many youth, their name, and their age

in the 'Response Notes' when you are registering.

Physical Difficulty:

This project is considered moderate; please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.

General physical considerations for participating on this project (Some or all may apply): moderate lifting and tool use; repetitive bending, lifting, and hiking; will require hiking on moderate to steep slopes and uneven terrain to access work site while carrying tools; you can expect to bend over, pick objects up, carry tools, and handle barbed wire (with provided safety equipment). Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are required.

Access Factors:

Vehicle Access: 2WD accessible. There is limited parking on-site so we encourage carpooling with other volunteers!

Other Notes: There is a pit toilet available near the parking location. There are 3 potential work locations: Depending on your difficulty preference, work will start either 300 feet, 0.5 mile, or 0.75 mile from the parking lot. Volunteers may hike over a mile over steep terrain to reach the furthest point.

Bringing a child, youth group, or signing up as a family?

Please follow this step-by-step guide to register as a team. It’s quick and helps us get all the info we need.

Where You’ll Be: 

Sprout City Farms is an urban agriculture nonprofit organization based in Denver, CO, founded in 2010 by farmers, educators, researchers, business leaders, and community members. The organization works to increase food access and community resilience by farming underutilized urban land. Its farms serve as spaces for education, health, food justice advocacy, ecological stewardship, and neighborhood connection.

What You’ll Do: 

Volunteers will support work at the Denver Green School Community Farm (DGS), a one-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2011 in partnership with Denver Public Schools. This spring volunteer day will focus on garden bed preparation and planting.

Tasks may include: 

weeding garden beds, setting up trellises and T-posts for vining crops, transplanting seedlings, and possibly wood chipping or dismantling old compost piles.

Tasks will vary and are suitable for a range of ages and experience levels.

Why It Matters: 

The Denver Green School Community Farm supports a Title I public pre-K through 8 school that focuses on sustainability and serves surrounding neighborhoods. The farm produces an average of 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of food each year, with about half going toward food access efforts. Produce supports the school cafeteria, families, and community members, a donation-based Youth Farm Stand run by 6th-grade interns, cooking classes, the school food pantry, and special school events.

Eligibility Requirements:

Ages 8+ 

Youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.   

Project Difficulty: 

This project is considered Easy. Please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details. 

Physical Considerations: Tasks may include kneeling, bending, working close to the ground for extended periods, lifting or carrying soil, mulch, or plants, and being outdoors in the sun and weather.

Access Factors: 

Vehicle Access: Public street parking available within a 5-10 minute walk to the project site. This project is accessible via RTD public transit or by bike!

Other Notes: Restrooms, handwashing station, picnic tables, and shade structure available at or near the worksite.

If you enjoy urban gardening/farm projects, you can view similar projects here.