Mission

Canyonlands Field Institute provides quality outdoor education on the Colorado Plateau, to inspire care of wild places, and renew the human spirit.

Vision

A world where the people, wildlife, plants, and waters of the Colorado Plateau are healthy and vibrant.

Values

• Respect: For each other and for the natural world. We believe healthy and vibrant human and natural communities are interconnected. Respect for each other extends to the natural world and informs all of our programs, expeditions, and business practices.

• Reciprocity: Awareness of our interdependence. We affirm the need to give back to the local, regional, and national communities that sustain us, both human and ecological. CFI environmental service projects on the Colorado Plateau invite children and adults to make a difference.

• Experiential Education: Empowering children and adults. Hands-on, place-based learning about the biodiversity, climate, geography, archaeology, and indigenous cultures of the Colorado Plateau generates a spirit of inquiry, confidence to face challenges and competence to solve problems. Action and reflection create lasting change and encourage life-long learning.

• Teamwork: Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders. We believe that children who learn the values of teamwork and collaboration become caring leaders and empowered adults who are more able to effect positive change in the world.

• Reverence: For the beauty and mystery of the Colorado Plateau. We believe immersion in wild places is essential to the human spirit. Time spent on the Colorado Plateau brings awareness of forces greater than ourselves. The joy of exploring wild places restores balance and perspective.

• Responsibility: For each other and for the planet. When children and adults connect with nature and understand it as a home shared with other living beings, they are moved to act for a sustainable future.

• Diversity: Is essential to understanding. Healthy local, regional, and national communities are diverse. We recruit and mentor men and women of diverse regional and cultural backgrounds to serve diverse populations. We learn from each other.

• Stewardship: Living lightly upon the land. We model successful and enduring stewardship of the land in our daily practice. Sustainable consumption and conservation are practiced within the organization and its infrastructure.