2026 another strong year for TeamWorks
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Just three of the hardest working forest conservation crew here in the mountains, whose efforts helped to mitigate over 50 residences.
NEDERLAND — Every summer, the mountains of the Peak to Peak region become a destination for those seeking both thrills and peace. Just being in their presence can elicit wonder, inspiration, joy, and sometimes even an existential blowing of the mind.
But thanks to two youth-oriented nonprofit organizations, the mountains also act as teacher, and as training grounds for young adulthood.
On Thursday, August 6, 2026, TeamWorks—the collaborative program between the leading youth educators in the area, TEENS, Inc., and the Lincoln Hills Cares Foundation (LHC)—celebrated the end of another successful season, in which crews consisting of youth from Nederland, Gilpin, Jamestown, Boulder, Denver, and Aurora worked together in teams on conservation-based projects here in the mountains.
LHC was founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Matthew Burkett and Robert F. Smith, with the mission of providing opportunities for youth in underrepresented communities to share in the unique experiences awarded by equitable access to outdoor resources.
The history of Lincoln Hills goes as far back as 1922, and begins in Gilpin County, where the name is attached to the only African American resort community west of the Mississippi River.
Private tours of Lincoln Hills—including a view of the exterior of the famous Winks Lodge, a hub for African American culture in its day—are still available for those who wish to witness this historic refuge, which was once a special haven that provided access to recreational spaces when such access was denied everywhere else.
“In the Denver metro area, Five Points was known as the Harlem of the West—we’re talking about in the 1920s.” Chris Denmark, Program Manager of the brand-new E-STEM program at LHC, said to the crowd. “People came here to live, people came here to be educated, people came to Colorado to vacation, to be human, to love the outside like we all do.
“These African American communities existed in Five Points, but they lived up here; they had vacation homes up here, they had a place to go where they could be themselves,” he added. Denmark expressed the importance of the history so that those who participated in TeamWorks can carry forward the importance of equity in outdoor and recreational access.
“I don’t want to just put you to work, I want you to lead. I want you to take advantage of the standpoint that access is open to everybody, education is open to everybody, and we want you to lead in what you do.”
This year, the TeamWorks crews of young people aged 16 to 20 moved over 117 tons of gravel, constructed over 3,000 square feet of gravel barriers, and filled multiple 30-yard dumpsters with garbage and debris from the residential areas they cleared for fire mitigation.
This mitigation work included clearing nearly 400 feet of residential perimeters and installing 200 feet of metal edging, resulting in more than five sites being properly mitigated for wildfire protection.
In terms of forest conservation, TeamWorks crews treated 32 acres of forest, removed thousands of trees and saplings, moved nearly 50 cords of wood, cleaned up more than 20 burn piles, and constructed 10 more piles. For restoration efforts, crews treated over four acres of invasive species, collected over 50 bags of invasive vegetation, built and reseeded 500 feet of water-management swales, constructed two erosion drains, and removed 30 cubic yards of illegally dumped waste.
As for trail work, these hardworking youth from all across Colorado helped to construct over 1,300 feet of new trails; maintain over 1,000 feet of trail at Hidden Valley; construct several rock bridges, rolls, ramps, and turns; construct a 53-foot rock wall for proper drainage; and build, as well as restore, over 40 drainage features.
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you all. I am just so impressed with all of you,” Leah Rosenblum from Wildfire Partners said in her speech praising the efforts of this year’s crew members.
“This season, in eight weeks, we completed work on 51 homes, that’s over 51 community members that otherwise would not have the means to do that work themselves.”
“Honestly, I can’t imagine a summer without conservation work, without being on call, and most importantly, without this community of people,” TeamWorks Program Director Allison Ohringer said, before emotionally announcing her departure from the program. “This community has really shaped the person I am today.”
After several years with TeamWorks—starting in the program as a stranger to Colorado, to the mountains, and to manual labor—Ohringer is moving on to pursue a career as a therapist. Ohringer described how her bubble of naïveté was burst on her first trail project with TeamWorks, in Westminster in 100 degree heat, on the side of a highway near the airport.
“It was a leap of faith, one might even say a healthy risk, that led me to meet one of my best friends, discovering a community I didn’t know I needed, and learning and growing more than I ever could have imagined.”
“I just want to acknowledge everything that she brought to this program.” Ariel Gustafson of TEENS, Inc. and TeamWorks praised Ohringer’s amazing dedication to the everlasting message of the program, and to the core mission of promoting healthy learning through relationships built on sharing outdoor experiences and responsibilities.
“Before Allison we did not have the Aurora Gives Scholarship; she has worked so hard to make this program accessible for everybody—the food boxes that she works tirelessly to deliver; the hours she spends on the phone trying to work through complex issues is so inspiring and it’s made this program better than it’s ever been.”
“A couple of years ago I moved to Colorado and never did I ever imagine that my first job post-grad would be one I find so cool, so fun, so fulfilling, and one I want to stick around with forever,” noted the new TeamWorks Program Director, Jamie Lasda, as she introduced herself to the crowd, though she was obviously well-known to the full auditorium, as they were already cheering her name.
“What keeps me here, what keeps me coming back is all of you guys,” Lasda said. “This program is built on people, people with grit, heart, and the willingness to grow. Hold onto these relationships and nurture them, you never know what they might offer you and where they might take you.”
