Each summer, as the spring snowpack dwindles and stream flows recede, work crews put on their waders, grab a variety of tools, and get to work restoring Colorado’s natural stream systems. Process-based stream restoration entails installing hand-built structures into degraded stream channels. These structures leverage natural riverine processes to restore streams and wet-meadows that have been degraded by years of intensive grading and re-engineering stream channels for agriculture and human settlement. High-functioning streams and riparian floodplains help bolster late-season flows, which are desperately needed for agriculture, drinking water, and wildlife during the late summer and fall dry seasons. These systems also buffer flood impacts, provide key stopover habitat for migratory birds, and make Colorado more resilient to drought, wildfire, and climate change.
While funding has increased for process-based restoration, due to continued investment in Colorado’s Water Plan and a greater focus on implementing nature-based solutions, finding the workforce to build constructed log jams, beaver dams, and rock structures has become a bottleneck. Volunteer organizations, such as Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV), Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) have stepped in to fill the gap. Through the volunteer opportunities outlined below, you can play a pivotal role in securing Colorado’s water future all while helping restore vital bird habitat throughout our state.
Where Can I Volunteer for a PBR Work Crew?
Organizations such as WRV, VOC, and RFOV, offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities from trail building to removing invasive species and thinning forests for wildfire mitigation. While process-based stream restoration comprises a minority of volunteer opportunities in Colorado, volunteer crews are growing in importance as more projects hit the ground. These projects are often sponsored by local, state, or federal agencies or regional non-profits, designed by professional stream restoration consultants, and (in these cases) implemented by you!
In 2025, seven opportunities remain to volunteer in a PBR work crew. Three events are hosted in the central front range from late summer through October, three events are hosted in Northern Colorado, and one event each is planned in the San Luis Valley and the Eastern Plains.
PBR volunteer events are either one or two-day weekend opportunities. Depending on the system being restored and the restoration goals, work may include gathering natural materials such as pine boughs and branches, using post pounders to install created logjams or beaver dam analogues in flowing streams, or building erosion-management rock structures in ephemeral stream and wet-meadow habitats. Through these experiences, you will not only contribute to meaningful work but learn intimately about the importance of Colorado’s stream and riparian areas – and likely see some of our winged neighbors who call these places home!
2025 Volunteer Opportunities in Stream & Wet Meadow Restoration
Click on the registration links for more information on the work being done, requirements, and to register!
Saturday – Sunday, September 6-7
Genessee Park Beaver Mimicry with WRV
Front Range – Jefferson County, Colorado
Register here
- Volunteers will construct beaver mimicry structures in a degraded stream to improve beaver habitat and make it easier for beavers to build dams of their own so they can sustain a healthy river ecosystem. This is a full weekend project, but due to the accessibility of the site, camping is not required or provided.
Saturday – Sunday, August 9-10
Beaver Dam Analogue Construction at Wilcox Gulch with VOC
San Luis Valley – Saguache County, Colorado
Register here
- Help restore the Willow Creek Watershed by building Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) and Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALs). Volunteers will collect and use on-site materials, such as dead and downed willow and aspen, to simulate a beaver dam. They may also assist with beaver activity monitoring. This is a full weekend camping trip.
Saturday – Sunday, August 23-24
Meadow Restoration at California Park with VOC
Northern CO – Routt County, Colorado
Register here
- Help restore this fragile meadow ecosystem by building erosion prevention structures, like Zeedyks and Zuni Bowls, primarily using rocks. Tasks will include hiking, moving large rocks, and digging to place them into position. This is a full weekend camping trip.
Saturday – Sunday, September 6-7
North Sand Hills Creek Restoration with WRV
Northern CO – Jackson County, Colorado
Register here
- Restore riparian habitat in a sand dune ecosystem! Volunteers will install posts and weave sticks and sod together to create beaver dam analogues (BDAs). Come prepared to channel your inner beaver! This is a full weekend camping trip.
Saturday – Sunday, September 20-21
North Sand Hills Creek Restoration with WRV
Northern Colorado, Jackson County, Colorado
Register here
- Restore riparian habitat in a sand dune ecosystem! Volunteers will install posts and weave sticks and sod together to create beaver dam analogues (BDAs). Come prepared to channel your inner beaver! This is a full weekend camping trip.
Saturday – Sunday, September 20–21
Erosion Control at Southern Plains Land Trust
Eastern Plains, Prowers County, Colorado
Register here
- Volunteers will build erosion control structures to prevent further erosion of the stream beds and help the watershed flourish again. Volunteers will construct One Rock Dams, log jams, and beaver dam analogs to stabilize stream beds, slow erosion, and create conditions for vegetation to recover. Tasks will include collecting and placing rocks, logs, and tree trunks, and leveling stream beds with shovels. This is a full weekend camping trip.
Saturday, October 11
Caribou Ranch Stream Restoration
Front Range, Boulder County, Colorado
Register here
- Build Beaver Mimicry Structures to improve riparian habitat! Work will involve installing posts and weaving together sticks and sod plugs to create semi-porous “dams” that help to spread water out and restore incised channels. Volunteers can sign up for one or both work days.
Sunday, October 12
Caribou Ranch Stream Restoration
Front Range, Boulder County, Colorado
Register here
- Build Beaver Mimicry Structures to improve riparian habitat! Work will involve installing posts and weaving together sticks and sod plugs to create semi-porous “dams” that help to spread water out and restore incised channels. Volunteers can sign up for one or both work days.
