Cal-wood Education Center

Name

Cal-wood Education Center

Legal name

Cal-Wood Education Center

Website

https://calwood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Environmental education programs
• Outdoor school programs
• Youth summer camps
• Corporate retreat venue
• Wildfire restoration research

Headquarters

HQ city

Jamestown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Programs: Fees charged to schools for K-12 environmental education field programs at Cal-Wood's campus, including immersive nature-based learning experiences.
2. Summer Camps: Registration fees for summer camp programs for middle and high school students.
3. Family Programs: Fees for family camps, adventure programs, and classes open to families and the public.
4. Retreats: Rental and programming fees for corporate, group, and organizational retreats at Cal-Wood's lodge, cabins, and campsites.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations via online portal, event-based fundraising (Music & Moonlight, Art in the Park), and in-kind donations supporting wildfire restoration.
6. Grants: Grant funding from organizations such as Parks for All (Hydro Flask), supporting program expansion and restoration work.
7. Wildfire Research Partnerships: Collaborative research projects with universities and land management agencies contribute to knowledge generation and may include project funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cal-Wood Education Center delivers hands-on, field-based environmental education programs on a 1,200-acre mountain campus in Colorado's Front Range. Core offerings include K-12 school field programs, overnight summer camps, family camps and classes, corporate and organizational retreats, volunteer-driven fire restoration projects, and wildfire ecology research partnerships with universities and land management agencies. The center supplements program revenue with donations, grants, and signature annual fundraising events (Music & Moonlight, Art in the Park, Christmas Tree Harvest).

Product overview

Cal-Wood Education Center offers a portfolio of environmental education programs centered on connecting people to nature in Colorado. The core offerings include School Programs (K-12 field-based learning), Summer Camps (overnight youth camps), Family Programs (bilingual family camps), Classes By Cal-Wood (educational workshops), and Retreats (corporate and community events on their 1,200-acre campus). Additional programs include Volunteer Opportunities, Fire Restoration, Wildfire Research, and Climbing. The organization also hosts signature fundraising events: Music & Moonlight (music concert fundraiser), Art In The Park (art auction), and Christmas Tree Harvest (holiday family event). The programs integrate environmental education with outdoor recreation and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Programs Immersive, hands-on environmental education field programs for K-12 students at Cal-Wood's 1,200-acre mountain campus, with scholarships for underresourced school communities in Colorado.
• Summer Camps Overnight summer camp experiences for middle and high school students featuring outdoor adventure, climbing, environmental education, and community building in the Colorado mountains.
• Family Programs Family-oriented outdoor experiences including bilingual family camps and adventure programs that connect families with nature together at the Cal-Wood campus.
• Classes By Cal-Wood Educational classes and workshops taught by Cal-Wood staff covering environmental topics and outdoor skills for individuals and groups.
• Retreats at Cal-Wood Corporate, organizational, and community retreats on Cal-Wood's 1,200-acre campus with indoor lodging for over 120 people, four campsites, home-cooked meals, multiple meeting spaces, and adventure programming.
• Volunteer Opportunities Community volunteer projects supporting Cal-Wood's wildfire restoration, including trail building, erosion control, tree planting, invasive species management, and wildlife monitoring.
• Fire Restoration

Quantifiable outcome

• Served more than a quarter million Coloradans over 40+ years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado ChautauquacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Colorado Chautauqua partnered with Cal-Wood beginning in 2021 to raise funds for wildfire recovery and wildlife protection. The partnership hosts the annual Art in the Park event featuring birdhouses crafted from Calwood Fire timber. All wood for birdhouses and benches is sourced from trees burned in the Calwood Fire. Proceeds benefit Cal-Wood's recovery and Chautauqua's wildfire protection.
• NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021NRCS partnered with Cal-Wood and Boulder County on the half-million-dollar aerial mulching project, which removed 60 acres of hazardous trees and distributed mulch over 240 acres to reduce post-fire water runoff and erosion while promoting plant and tree growth.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nature Conservancy launched a pilot research project at Cal-Wood to determine which ponderosa pine seed treatment is most effective for aerial seeding of burned areas. Seeds were treated with various methods including fungicides, insect/mammal deterrents, and nutrient mud capsules, and transects were set up across different terrain types to evaluate success.
• Colorado State University (CSU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU is among the expert institutions engaged by Cal-Wood to help guide the development of its wildfire research and education center, contributing to fire ecology, restoration, and mitigation research.
• University of Colorado Boulder (CU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCU Boulder is among the university partners engaged by Cal-Wood to help guide the development of its wildfire research and education center, contributing to fire ecology, restoration, and mitigation research.
• Boulder CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoulder County partnered with Cal-Wood and NRCS on a half-million-dollar aerial mulching project, removing hazardous trees across 60 acres and distributing mulch by helicopter over 240 acres of moderate to high burn severity areas.
• US Forest ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe US Forest Service is among the expert agencies engaged by Cal-Wood to help guide the development of its wildfire research and education center, contributing expertise on fire ecology, restoration, and mitigation.
• Left Hand Watershed CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Hand Watershed Center is among the expert organizations engaged by Cal-Wood to help guide the development of its wildfire research and education center, contributing to watershed and restoration expertise.
• State Forest Service (Colorado)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado State Forest Service is among the expert agencies engaged by Cal-Wood to help guide the development of its wildfire research and education center, contributing to fire ecology, restoration, and mitigation expertise.
• Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) partners with Cal-Wood to host trail construction and maintenance volunteer days. VOC recruits and manages volunteers (ages 12+) for projects at Cal-Wood, enhancing the organization's trail system and restoration efforts.
• Americorps / eeCorps (Environmental Education Corps)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal-Wood hosts Americorps members through the Environmental Education Corps (eeCorps) program, bringing service members to support environmental education programming at the center.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Chautauqua: Boulder-area nonprofit providing lodging, programming, and cultural/educational events on a historic campus. Already a confirmed Cal-Wood partner via Art in the Park; comparable retreat and event offerings.
• Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center: Minnesota-based residential environmental learning center offering K-12 field programs and summer camps on a multi-hundred-acre natural campus. Closely comparable operating model to Cal-Wood.
• Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES): Colorado nonprofit delivering environmental education, school programs, and nature-based programming from a similar mountain-region base. Comparable mission and customer base.
• Keystone Science School: Colorado-based nonprofit providing K-12 outdoor science education, summer camps, and family programs in the Rocky Mountains. Competes directly for the same regional school and family customers.
• NatureBridge: National nonprofit operating immersive outdoor science schools for K-12 students across multiple campuses. Directly comparable to Cal-Wood in field-based environmental education model, mission, and target audience.
• Teton Science Schools: Wyoming-based nonprofit operating field science programs for K-12 students and educators from a mountain campus. Similar residential environmental education model and curriculum focus.
• Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center: Residential environmental learning center in Minnesota offering K-12 field programs, summer camps, and family/adult programming on a large natural campus. Closely mirrors Cal-Wood's curriculum and program mix.
• HoneyRock Outdoor Center: Wisconsin-based outdoor leadership and environmental education center affiliated with Wheaton College. Comparable residential camp, retreat, and experiential education offerings.

Emerging players

• Walking Mountains Science Center: Vail Valley nonprofit offering environmental and sustainability education programs for schools, families, and adults. Comparable niche focus but smaller scale than Cal-Wood.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the Rockies (Estes Park Center): Large established Colorado mountain facility offering family lodging, retreats, school programs, and summer camps. Comparable in geographic setting and program breadth but part of a national YMCA system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CalWoodEdCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/calwoodeducationcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/calwoodeducationcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cal-wood-education-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Cal-wood Education Center