Partner with Defiende Nuestra Tierra to fly the beloved and threatened Crystal River and Thompson Divide with leaders working to protect public lands and connect our Latinx Community to those efforts!

The Crystal River has withstood the test of time to become one of Colorado’s last untamed natural wonders. The river flows for forty miles from its headwaters in the Elk Mountains to its confluence with the Roaring Fork River in Carbondale. The river is home to wildlife like deer, elk, bears, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and cutthroat trout. Beyond ecosystem values, the Crystal boasts amazing recreational opportunities like kayaking and fishing. The river also provides drinking water for 7,000 people, and is crucial to the region's rich ranching and agricultural heritage.

A group of local citizens and organizations has come together to advocate for protection of the Crystal River. They have a goal of procuring a Wild & Scenic River designation over the upper parts of the Crystal. This will ensure the river remains unobstructed by new dams or out-of-basin diversions, retaining its free-flowing nature. As support for protecting the Crystal River continues to grow, the town of Marble, Gunnison and Pitkin Counties, and the River District are convening a community engagement and stakeholder process to help identify a shared community vision and goal for the Crystal River. Find out more.

Our overflight also examined the Thompson Divide, roughly 250,000 acres of public land between the Roaring Fork and North Fork Valleys. EcoFlight, Wilderness Workshop, and many other community members and organizations have come together to protect the Divide. And recently, President Biden proposed an administrative mineral withdrawal which would protect 225,000 acres of this precious land from oil and gas leasing and mining for twenty years! The proposal is being reviewed, but has received overwhelming support, with over 60,000 people voicing their support during the Bureau of Land Management public comment period. EcoFlight is continuing to fly to protect this gorgeous terrain and the critical wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, ranching, and ecosystem values it provides.