Audubon and FrontLine Farming Launch Partnership to Elevate Agricultural Interests of BIPOC, Young or Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

FrontLine Farming, a food and farmers advocacy group, and Audubon Rockies have launched a partnership under a shared vision of creating healthy ecosystems, a vibrant agricultural community, symbiosis between urban and rural land use, and food sovereignty for historically underserved communities in Colorado.  

In 2024, Audubon Rockies received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that seeks to elevate the agricultural interests of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and young or beginning farmers and ranchers. As part of the partnership with FrontLine Farming, Audubon Rockies’ Conservation Ranching and Community Naturalist programs will provide three internship or immersion opportunities per year where participants can learn about the agricultural industry and gain land-based skills and farming/ranching knowledge. The goal of this programming is to support and educate a growing community of food equity practitioners and advocates. 

This year’s two-day event will bring together students from the Denver Metro Area and Audubon Conservation Ranching staff from across the country. The event will kick off July 22 at Majestic View Farm, one of FrontLine's community gardens in Arvada, Colorado. The second day, at Rafter W Ranch in Simla, Colorado, will include: an educational tour and pasture walk centered on the nature-based principles of ranching; a bird walk in one of the ranch's most diverse riparian areas; and a locally sourced, regeneratively produced community barbecue to showcase the interconnectedness of food systems. This event is specifically offered to BIPOC individuals participating in FrontLine Farming's Youth Cultivators program. 

Additionally, Audubon is supporting FrontLine Farming by supplying funds to create educational opportunities for all of the group's current farmer/rancher members, including workshops and tours on Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly ranches, as well as bimonthly field trips to broaden exposure to different agricultural and food systems contexts and cultures. These opportunities will also include bringing guest experts to FrontLine’s farms once per month to offer specialized, contextualized education of topics that farmers and ranchers working with the land and in relationship with other species need to understand. These topics include entomology, pathology, ecological pest management/conservation biocontrol, soil health, mycorrhizal remediation, and habitat improvement. 

In addition, Audubon Rockies’ Community Naturalist program has engaged in thoughtful discussions with FrontLine Farming’s education team about assisting the group with their own birdwatching initiative. This collaboration is part of FrontLine Farming’s community education class series, held on Saturdays throughout the summer. FrontLine Farming has dedicated sessions to birdwatching, and with the help of Audubon Rockies, will be adding more based on interest.

This connection will showcase the natural world's offerings that can bridge communities together with nature, even within urban landscapes. It has become clear that bird watching is a remarkably accessible activity within our natural surroundings yet often feels out of reach due to a lack of resources or opportunities in the BIPOC community. A goal of this partnership is to help make bird watching more accessible. 

For more information about Audubon Rockies’ Community Naturalist and Conservation Ranching program, please contact Dusty Downey, Conservation Ranching Director, Audubon Rockies, at Dusty.Downey@Audubon.org. For national program information, contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org. 

About Audubon Conservation Ranching 

Audubon Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.