Poudre Wilderness Volunteers
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) is a Larimer County, Colorado, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996. The mission of PWV is to assist the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the United States Forest Service in managing and protecting wilderness and backcountry, forests, and other public lands within its jurisdiction. To achieve this mission, PWV recruits, trains, equips and fields citizen volunteers to serve as wilderness rangers and hosts for the purpose of educating the public, and provides other appropriate support to these wild areas. PWV is one of the largest, most effective organizations of its kind in the nation, having an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. PWV members use education and diplomacy to promote compliance with Wilderness and backcountry regulations and Leave No Trace principles. In addition, PWV maintains an ongoing "Kids in Nature" program and engages in substantive trail restoration caused by cataclysmic flood and wildfire events.
- Income
- $54,120
- Spending
- $55,405
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- 54.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 300
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 75% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 54.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $50,865 spent. The Results PWV has grown from 105 founding members in 1996 to 300 members in 2025. Poudre Wilderness Volunteers patrol approximately 290 miles along 70 trails in 650,000 acres of Wilderness, general National Forest, and National Grassland lands. PWV's efforts include establishing a: * Trail Crew to address insufficient USFS funds and personnel to clear fallen trees and other damage to trails. * Weed Crew helps the USFS locate, control, and eradicate noxious weeds. * Kids in Nature Program to support the USFS Kids in the Woods program. * Restoration Program when wildfires and floods ravaged the Canyon Lakes Ranger District. * Trails for ALL Program to foster safe, fun, and educational connections to the outdoors for people of all abilities. * Environmental stewardship and public outreach via the activities of other PWV programs, such as Adopt-a-Trail. Poudre Wildnerss Volunteers (PWV) has grown from 105 founding members in 1996 to 300 members in 2025. PWV patrols approximately 315 miles along 65 trails in 650,000 acres of Wilderness, General National Forest, and National Grassland lands. PWV's efforts include establishing an extensively trained Trail Crew to address insufficient USFS funding and personnel to clear fallen trees and other trail damage, and to construct new trails. * Weed Crew helps the USFS locate, control, and eradicate noxious weeds. * Kids in Nature Program to support the USFS Kids in the Woods program. * Restoration Program: When wildfires, floods, and wind storms ravage the Canyon Lakes Ranger District's trails and campgrounds, assist the USFS in restoring trails and campgrounds. * Trails for ALL Program to foster safe, fun, and educational connections to the outdoors for people of all abilities. * Leave No Trace Program to provide and facilitate training for PWV members in the teaching of LNT principles and outdoor ethics, so that they may, in turn, teach those concepts to members of the public. The committee's secondary mission is to teach LNT principles and outdoor ethics directly to the public. * Environmental stewardship and public outreach via the activities of other PWV programs, such as Adopt-a-Trail. PWV in 2025 continued to pursue its mission of assisting the United States Forest Service's Canyon Lakes Ranger District programs in managing and protecting the wilderness and backcountry areas. In support of our core effort to patrol trails and engage the public, we contacted more than 9,729 trail users while completing over 1,000 patrols. These contacts allow us to support backcountry users with advice, information, and education on Leave No Trace practices and USFS regulations, and to pursue restoration efforts focused on building bridges, constructing rock walls and steps, and controlling erosion on the trails. We continued our efforts to maintain trails at a high level last year, removing over 2,997 trees and clearing brush and limbs from over 62,100 feet of trail. Furthermore, in 2025, restoration efforts focused on building bridges, constructing rock walls and steps, erosion control on the trails, and installing grade dips and drains. PWV worked 21 days to improve drainage on our trails. We also worked for 21 days with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy's Youth Conservation Corps, building 2 bridges, 4 stepping-stone crossings, and 1,100 feet of rerouted trail. This amounted to 2,643 hours of trail work to restore the trails. In 2025, PWV contacted more than 9,729 backcountry users while completing over 1,084 patrols. Total volunteer hours - 23,180, Total number of patrols/reports - 1,000, Meaningful contacts with trail users - 9,729, Fallen trees removed from trails - 2,997, Feet of trail cleared of brush/limbs - 62,194, Pounds of trash removed - 339, Illegal fire rings removed - 87, Violations addressed or reported - 545, Patrols identifying or pulling weeds - 329, Constructed and repaired - 2 bridges and repaired 7 bridges, 38 check dam/steps,145 feet of rock wall, 51 steps, 15 drains and repaired 40 drains, 15 grade dips, 11 rock cairns, 2 stepping stone crossing, 6,516 feet of trail treads and repaired 70 feet of tread, decommissioned 763 of trail tread, constructed 703 feet of wall, repaired 123 water bars, installed 2 wood signs, repaired 21 wood signs, repaired 1 plastic sign, repaired 3 composite signs, installed 2 laminate signs, and repaired 1 laminate sign. PWV has gained regional and national recognition for its contributions, including the Larimer County Environmental Stewardship Award, the Take Pride in America Award for Non-profit Organizations, and the USFS Volunteer Group Award. PWV has no political agendas. Our single purpose is to protect the US Forest Service's Canyon Lakes Ranger District's Wilderness and backcountry areas through on-trail maintenance, construction, and public education. PWV has a rigorous and comprehensive training program for its recruits and recertifying veteran members. No other organization providing volunteer rangers for the U.S. Forest Service has as many members, provides as many hours on the trail, or does so much without any paid staff. _ A Successful and Different Organization PWV has gained regional and national recognition for its contributions, including the Larimer County Environmental Stewardship Award, the Take Pride in America Award for Non-profit Organizations, and the USFS Volunteer Group Award. PWV has no political or hidden agendas. Our single purpose is to protect the region's Wilderness and backcountry areas through on-trail service and public education. We are not an environmental advocacy group. PWV has a rigorous and comprehensive training program for its recruits and veteran members. No other organization providing volunteer rangers for the U.S. Forest Service has as many members, provides as many hours on the trail, or does so much without any paid staff.
- Not applicable see prior.
- Not applicable see prior.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
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