Just as you should properly store your skis for summer and your tent after a big backpacking trip, your hand tools need attention too! Keeping your shovels, picks, and rakes clean and properly maintained ensures they have a long and healthy life. Follow these tips as you get ready to hibernate your tools for winter.

You may be wondering is erosion really that bad?! It's a natural process, right? RMFI's trail and restoration work at sites throughout Southern Colorado focuses on mitigating and controlling erosion. Erosion control is the effort of preventing soil loss by erosional forces such as wind, water, and recreational use. Erosion causes all variety of environmental outcomes including vegetation loss, vegetation inundation, water pollution, soil loss and gullying.

No, it's not a "McCloud." Yes, we will give you extra points for saying the name with a Scottish accent during our workdays. The McLeod was originally intended as a fire fighting tool for raking fire lines. Now, it is a common tool for trail and restoration work in mountainous areas in the American West. It is a heavy duty rake with large metal teeth on one end of the head, and a hoe-like edge on the other.

It's that time of year when thunderstorms are a daily occurrence in Colorado. The first thing to know is that lightning is extremely dangerous and your safety is guaranteed ONLY if you are indoors or within a fully enclosed vehicle! As the saying goes, "When the thunder roars, go indoors." As avid outdoor recreationists we know that sometimes you just get caught outside. If that is the case, keep the following in mind: 

We admit that we're biased, but we are totally smitten with Blue Grama. This perennial is found throughout North America in short-grass prairies and is one of the primary native grasses in our lower elevation project sites such as Garden of the Gods

Sure, you've been doing this seemingly simple task for years or decades. But have you been doing it right? Watch this 3-minute TED talk by Terry Moore and never again stumble over shoelaces in the middle of a hike, trail run, climb, or casual walk in the neighborhood.