Conservation fund supported by skier donations to support U.S. Forest Service projects in Summit and Eagle counties

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to how much funding the Ski Conservation Fund has historically provided to U.S. Forest Service projects and to include more information about what businesses participate in the program.

A conservation fund supported by donations from skiers who visit some of Colorado’s top mountain resorts is funding restoration projects in the White River National Forest again this year.

The National Forest Foundation’s Ski Conservation Fund allows guests visiting six ski resorts plus lodging and rental operations to voluntarily donate $1 or more when purchasing tickets, season passes, rental equipment, lodging or activity reservations. The nonprofit then adds a 50-cent match to help local forest stewardship projects, according to a news release.

The Ski Conservation Fund partners with ski mountains in Eagle and Summit counties, including Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort, the release states. It also includes the Beaver Run Resort and Spa and Fun For You Rentals. Since it started in 2007, the fund has reportedly invested over $15 million in 35 community organizations to support work in White River National Forest. It received a $700,000 donation from Vail Resorts in 2026.

This year, as in past years, the fund will provide more than $100,000 to the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps to support the Dillon and Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger Districts on projects through its Natural Resources Internship Program, the release states. Last year, the fund supported the Youth Corps crews who maintained and built over 90 miles of trail in Summit County, cleaned, restored and maintained local campgrounds and helped educate more than 500 trail users on responsible recreation.

The projects that will be supported by the Ski Conservation Fund this year will be recommended by two community advisory committees that the National Forest Foundation has established, according to the release. To help support forest improvement efforts, the National Forest Foundation has also established a new stewardship coordinator program dedicated to the White River National Forest.