Rivers and Birds Inc

What Rivers and Birds Inc does

Rivers & Birds (Rivers and Birds Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental education organization founded in 1999 by Roberta Salazar, a former federal wildlife biologist, and headquartered in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico. The organization delivers cost-free experiential outdoor education to Taos County public school students, anchored by the Adventures in Stewardship program for grades 3-5 (teaching five stewardship principles: Give Plants a Chance, Keep Wildlife Wild, Don't Spoil the Soil, Care for the Creeks, and Respect People, Past, Present and Future) and the legacy Watershed Learning Project, a nine-day standards-aligned curriculum for fifth graders. The portfolio expanded in 2025 with the Growing Together Internship (paid agricultural work-based learning for high schoolers across 16 farms and ranches) and the upcoming Taos Habitat Project for ninth graders at Vista Grande High School, alongside ongoing Public Lands Advocacy and Ecosystem Restoration initiatives executed in partnership with Ecotone Landscape Planning.

The underlying "technology" is a 25-year curriculum library, award-winning media assets (the 2004 Governor's Film Cup-winning "Nuestras Acequias" documentary and the 2009 "Wild Tales of the Earth!" storytelling album), and direct access to exceptional public lands including the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Columbine Hondo Wilderness, and BLM recreation areas. Programs are delivered in person through exclusive partnerships with 8 Taos County schools (Taos Pueblo Day School, Peñasco Elementary, Enos Garcia, Arroyos del Norte, Ranchos, Alta Vista, Vista Grande HS, Taos HS) and federal land managers. The organization has taught nearly 9,000 students, planted 700+ native trees, and been instrumental in protecting 308,000 acres of public lands.

Revenue is diversified across donation tiers ($50 membership, $75 mural support, $200 public lands, $500 internship sponsorship, $2,700 class trip), merchandise (logo hats at $25, wildlife stickers at $4-$8), media sales (documentary and album licensing), grants (Taos County ARPA through Taos Community Foundation, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union), and planned giving/endowments. The organization operates with 4 core staff plus a 4-member board led by Co-Executive Directors Gwendolyn Pieper and Leo Levy, with the founder serving as Director Emeritus. Pricing is donation-based; programs are free to students; merchandise is a secondary revenue channel.

Name

Rivers and Birds Inc

Legal name

Rivers & Birds

Website

https://riversandbirds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rivers & Birds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental education organization in Northern New Mexico that delivers cost-free experiential outdoor education and advocacy programs to Taos County public school students and landowners through 8 school partnerships and federal land management collaborations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Wetland, Riparian & Buffer Services (within forest landscapes) (AFAMAMAI)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Stewardship programs
• Youth outdoor learning
• Public lands advocacy
• Conservation internships

Headquarters

HQ city

Arroyo Seco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals supporting environmental education and land conservation. Members receive special outings and events throughout the year. Rivers & Birds is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including logo hats ($25) and wildlife stickers ($4-$8 for 3x4 inches, $8 for 5x7 inches). Proceeds support public school youth programs in Taos County.
3. Documentary Sales and Licensing: Award-winning 'Nuestras Acequias' documentary available as DVD or digital download. Also streaming available.
4. Storytelling Album Sales: 'Wild Tales of the Earth!' storytelling album available as CD or digital download.
5. Grants and Government Funding: Funding from Taos County's American Rescue Plan Act grant for the Growing Together Internship program, in partnership with Taos Community Foundation. Also supported by Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.
6. Planned Giving and Endowments: Estate planning and endowment contributions providing long-term financial stability. Includes stock donations option for tax savings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rivers & Birds provides cost-free, experiential outdoor environmental education programs for Taos County youth (grades 3 through high school), covering ecology, stewardship, watershed science, agriculture, and civic engagement, delivered directly through partnerships with public schools, farms, and ranches. The organization supplements programming with public lands advocacy that has helped secure federal protection for roughly 308,000 acres in Taos County, plus branded merchandise, an award-winning documentary, a storytelling album, and tiered donation/membership fundraising.

Product overview

Rivers & Birds is a non-profit environmental education organization offering a portfolio of experiential programs for youth in Northern New Mexico. The core offerings include the Adventures in Stewardship program for elementary students, the Growing Together Internship for high school students, the Taos Habitat Project for ninth graders, and legacy programs like The Watershed Learning Project. The organization also runs Public Lands Advocacy for conservation efforts and Ecosystem Restoration projects. Merchandise includes Logo Hats and Wildlife Stickers sold through the online store. Media offerings include the Nuestras Acequias documentary and Wild Tales of the Earth! storytelling album. Donation-based fundraising supports all programs with tiered giving options from general donations to specific program sponsorship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adventures in Stewardship

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 9,000 public school students taught in experiential environmental education over 25 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• El Tros FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm hosting interns from Growing Together Internship program. Carlos Arguello operates the farm.
• Earth L.A.W.S.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local organization (nmhealthysoil.org) hosting interns for heritage grains education.
• Copper Pot FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (copperpotfarms.com) operated by Chris Bergner and Fiona Lee hosting Growing Together interns.
• Sol Feliz FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (solfelizfarm.org) operated by Miguel Santistevan and Margaret Garcia hosting interns.
• La Villita FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm operated by Ron Boyd hosting interns for agricultural work-based learning.
• Martinez Family RanchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local ranch (martinezfamilyranch.com) operated by Robert Martinez hosting Growing Together interns.
• Pallet FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (palletfarms.com) operated by Alice Morillon hosting interns.
• Rio Lucero FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (riolucerofarms.com) operated by Emma Patterson hosting interns.
• Cerro Vista FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (cerrovistafarm.com) hosting Daniel Carmona and the CULTIVO program participants.
• Food Forest Movement of TaosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local organization (foodforestmovement.org) hosting interns for food forest education.
• Watershed DynamicsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local consultancy (watersheddynamics.com) operated by Mark Schuetz hosting interns.
• Weeping Willow FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm (weepingwillowfarm.org) operated by Jonathan and Anandi hosting Growing Together interns.
• Flourish FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local farm operated by Chris Pieper and Elana Lombard hosting interns.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land management agency partner enabling Rivers & Birds programs on BLM-managed public lands including Orilla Verde Recreation Area and Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
• US Forest Service (USFS) - CarsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal forest service partner for programs on National Forest lands in the Carson National Forest region.
• New Mexico Environment DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState environmental agency partner supporting environmental education and conservation initiatives.
• New Mexico WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState wildlife agency partner for conservation education and wildlife-related programming.
• New Mexico Wilderness AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState wilderness advocacy organization that collaborated on wilderness designation campaigns including Cerro del Yuta and Rio San Antonio Wilderness areas.
• Wilderness.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational wilderness conservation organization that partnered on wilderness designation campaigns.
• Rio Grande Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Sierra Club chapter collaborating on public lands protection and conservation efforts.
• The Pew Charitable TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conservation organization that partnered on Campaign for America's Wilderness and wilderness designation efforts.
• Santa Fe Raptor CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife rehabilitation and education organization providing raptor education programs.
• SMU in TaosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Methodist University Taos campus partnership for educational programs.
• Los Rios River RunnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal river rafting outfitter partner for river-based educational activities.
• Llama AdventuresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal adventure company partner for outdoor programming.
• Veterans Wellness and Healing CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization providing veteran support through nature-based experiences.
• Taos County TourismminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal tourism promotion organization partnering on community events and outreach.
• Ecotone Landscape Planning, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape planning firm partnered on Lower Embudo Watershed restoration project involving students in seeding native grasses and wildflowers as part of wetland restoration work.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Largest US private conservation education and advocacy organization. Overlaps significantly in mission (youth wildlife education, public lands advocacy) but operates nationally with a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Teton Science Schools: Place-based environmental education organization combining K-12 programming, residential schools, and teacher training. Closely analogous in using public lands as classrooms with progressive grade-level curriculum.
• New Mexico Wilderness Alliance: State-level nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring New Mexico's wildlands. Closest peer in mission, geography, and advocacy tactics - partnered with Rivers & Birds on the Cerro del Yuta and Rio San Antonio Wilderness campaigns.
• Appalachian Mountain Club: Long-running regional conservation nonprofit delivering experiential outdoor education and stewardship programming. Comparable model in combining youth education, volunteer-led trail work, and public lands advocacy.
• Taos Land Trust: Local land conservation nonprofit serving the same Taos region with conservation easements, land stewardship, and community education. Operates in identical geographic territory with overlapping partner network.
• Quivira Coalition: New Mexico-based nonprofit working at the intersection of regenerative agriculture, land stewardship, and education. Operates apprenticeship and mentoring programs analogous to Rivers & Birds' Growing Together Internship.
• American Conservation Experience (ACE): National nonprofit providing hands-on conservation service experiences for young adults. Comparable in delivering paid environmental work-based learning and habitat restoration programs.
• Earthcorps: Regional nonprofit combining youth leadership development with hands-on habitat restoration. Comparable in deploying small teams to deliver volunteer-driven ecological restoration on public lands.

Regional players

• New Mexico Wildlife Federation: State affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation focused on habitat, hunting, fishing, and conservation education. Comparable in state-level wildlife advocacy and youth education, overlapping constituent base.
• Santa Fe Conservation Trust: New Mexico land trust with associated community education programming. Adjacent peer operating in same state with conservation mission but focuses more on easements than youth programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/riversandbirds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rivers-and-birds-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rivers and Birds Inc