RMRA is a ranger led organization whose purpose is to bring together rangers in our region, to build a united voice for our profession and strengthen conservation and recreational experiences for current and future generations.
About Us
Our Purpose
The purpose of The Rocky Mountain Ranger Association is to bring together rangers from across our region; together, we can do our jobs with greater skill and a higher degree of confidence, while building a unified voice for our profession and strengthening conservation and recreational experiences in our region. We do this because we believe in protecting natural resources and the people who visit our open spaces through education and the best practices of resource protection.
We serve at the frontline where people and the places they love intersect. We have a passion for the Rocky Mountain Region’s outdoors that we share with the public and hope to pass on to future generations.
Our Story
The idea of creating a ranger association in the Rocky Mountain region has been discussed for some time. Rangers from around the state of Colorado have periodically discussed the possibility of creating an organized group of rangers at the Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA) conference, as well as other venues, but nothing was ever officially put in place. That changed in the spring of 2019. A group of rangers from Larimer County, Boulder County, and City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks all attended a conference in California put on by the Parks Law Enforcement Association (PLEA). This conference was coupled with a conference for the Park Rangers Association of California (PRAC). There, the small group of rangers from Colorado’s Front Range saw the enormous benefit of getting rangers together, which further planted the seed of developing a ranger association in the Rocky Mountain Region.
The idea of the ranger association was discussed by many other ranger groups in the region in the summer of 2019 informally. Rangers from Pitkin County, City of Louisville, Larimer County, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, and City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks decided to put together a workshop at the 2019 COSA conference to gauge interest of other rangers in the region. The workshop generated a lot of great ideas, discussion, and excitement. We took that enthusiasm and moved forward with all who were interested at that time.
In November of 2019, a working group was formed in collaboration with many more rangers and agencies in the region. The working group took on the task of putting together what turned out to be the first ever meeting of the Rocky Mountain Ranger Association in March of 2020. In the March meeting, over thirty rangers from numerous agencies took part in discussing what the association could look like and what benefits could be gained from forming something like this. Also at this meeting, a draft organizing document was developed and the name of the Rocky Mountain Ranger Association was agreed upon by consensus vote. Further, a steering committee was formed consisting of a chair, two vice chairs, a chief communication officer/secretary, a treasurer, and several at large members. In addition to that, three other committees were set up. The first fund development committee, website and branding committee and training committees were established, and three respective chairs were appointed.
Since this first meeting, we have become a nonprofit association under the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center (CNDC) and become provisional members of the International Ranger Federation in 2020. We look forward to the future of developing this association.
