Friends of Youth and Nature asks county for $5,000 to expand youth outdoor programs
August 05, 2025 | Ouray County, Colorado
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Anita Evans, chair of Friends of Youth and Nature, asked the Ouray County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5 for a $5,000 donation to support the nonprofit’s youth outdoor programming in Ouray and neighboring counties. Evans said the group provides scholarships, a gear library and hands-on events intended to “remove barriers for kids to get outdoors.”
The request matters because the group says it already spends directly in the community and helps schools and providers with transportation and programming. Evans told the commissioners the organization has spent about $10,000 specifically in the Ouray community and has served roughly 460 youth through direct programs, plus about 3,000 attendees at its Bring On the Summerfest in Montrose.
Evans described the group’s work in detail: scholarships for teachers and individual students, training for teachers on watershed education, boats and paddle boards stored at Ridgeway State Park, and a gear library that includes about 30 bikes and a 20-bike trailer. She said the gear library has “raised, oh, maybe over $100,000” and that the organization is fundraising for a van or activity bus to be added to the checkout system. On future funding, Evans said the group is participating in the Generation Wild cohort and that “it looks like we’ll be getting our 1,500,000.0 funding,” language she used to describe a pending funding step with that program.
Commissioners and staff asked how the group counts participants and how the gear library operates; Evans said teacher scholarships and organized events account for the tallies and that some gear is kept at partner sites (Montrose Rec District, Ridgeway State Park). No formal county funding decision was made during the session; county leaders told Evans that nonprofit funding requests will be reviewed together during the 2026 budget process and asked her to monitor agendas for budget work sessions.
What happens next: Evans left the request with county staff for consideration in the budget cycle. Commissioners gave no immediate commitment.
The request matters because the group says it already spends directly in the community and helps schools and providers with transportation and programming. Evans told the commissioners the organization has spent about $10,000 specifically in the Ouray community and has served roughly 460 youth through direct programs, plus about 3,000 attendees at its Bring On the Summerfest in Montrose.
Evans described the group’s work in detail: scholarships for teachers and individual students, training for teachers on watershed education, boats and paddle boards stored at Ridgeway State Park, and a gear library that includes about 30 bikes and a 20-bike trailer. She said the gear library has “raised, oh, maybe over $100,000” and that the organization is fundraising for a van or activity bus to be added to the checkout system. On future funding, Evans said the group is participating in the Generation Wild cohort and that “it looks like we’ll be getting our 1,500,000.0 funding,” language she used to describe a pending funding step with that program.
Commissioners and staff asked how the group counts participants and how the gear library operates; Evans said teacher scholarships and organized events account for the tallies and that some gear is kept at partner sites (Montrose Rec District, Ridgeway State Park). No formal county funding decision was made during the session; county leaders told Evans that nonprofit funding requests will be reviewed together during the 2026 budget process and asked her to monitor agendas for budget work sessions.
What happens next: Evans left the request with county staff for consideration in the budget cycle. Commissioners gave no immediate commitment.
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