Traveling Trainers Join Osprey Packs and Freedom to Roam

On Friday we had the opportunity to join Osprey Packs on a staff outing in the HD Mountains of Southwestern Colorado led by Freedom to Roam. Freedom to Roam is a Denver based non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and commitment about the need for wildlife corridor conservation while setting a new and innovative industry standards for wildlife friendly practices on the ground and in the water. We spent the gorgeous fall day exploring the Piedra Wildlife Corridor, looking for animal tracks and scat. Below is a picture of a black bear track found on our hike.

Julia Kintsch, the Conservation Science Manager for Freedom to Roam, came down from Denver to educate the group about current efforts in wildlife corridor conservation. She was joined by Ryan Demmy Bidwell, Executive Director from Colorado Wild, a non-profit organization that works to protect, preserve, and restore the native plants and animals of the Southern Rocky Mountains, with particular attention given to habitat protection of Colorado's forested, roadless, public lands and other ecologically important areas. The picture below shows Julia and Ryan pointing out the impact of mining in the Piedra Wildlife Corridor. Humans impact wildlife in numerous ways. Oil mining and highways pose significant threats to the migration patterns of wildlife in Colorado. Freedom to Roam and Colorado Wild raise awareness of the issues in an effort to respect wildlife. A special thank you to Sam Mix and Gareth Martins of Osprey Packs for inviting us to partake in this fun and educational day. We look forward to working with Freedom to Roam in the future!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy