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Friends Group· National Park and Monument

Canyonlands Natural History Association

“Enhance visitor understanding and appreciation of public lands in southeast Utah.”

Home groundMoab, UT
Founded1967
KindFriends Group 501(c)(3)
Led bySam Wainer
Find themcnha.org ↗

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The work

What they do

Cooperating association serving Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, and Hovenweep. Operates bookstores and funds education and interpretive programs.

Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “CNHA SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, USDA FOREST SERVICE, AND VARIOUS OTHER PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH SALES OF INTERPRETIVE MATERIALS. THOSE SALES PROVIDE FINANCIAL AID TO SUPPORT OUTDOOR EDUCATION, FREE PUBLICATIONS, INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS, MONITORING OF WILDLIFE, VEGETATION AND WATER, SEASONAL PARK RANGERS AND INTERNS, SAFETY AND EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS AND TRAILHEAD IMPROVEMENTS AND INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE.”

Where the money went, FY2025

The work, and what it cost

Guarding the water

$1.7M

NPSINTERPRETATION, EDUCATION AND VISITOR SERVICES (IEVS): FUNDING FOR FREE PUBLICATIONS, JR RANGER MATERIALS, GENERAL INTERPRETATION SUPPLIES, CANYON YOUTH ENGAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM, INTERN AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT, AND...

Including $1,150,551 granted onward.

Read it as they filed it
NPSINTERPRETATION, EDUCATION AND VISITOR SERVICES (IEVS): FUNDING FOR FREE PUBLICATIONS, JR RANGER MATERIALS, GENERAL INTERPRETATION SUPPLIES, CANYON YOUTH ENGAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM, INTERN AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT, AND ONBOARDING MANY SEASONAL PARK RANGER POSITIONS FOR THE SOUTHEAST UTAH GROUP PARKS, INCLUDING HOUSING SUPPORT FOR INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS.RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP STRATEGY: SCIENCE IS A LARGE AREA OF SUPPORT FROM CNHA TO THE NPS SPANNING A WIDE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS. FUNDS WERE USED FOR GAME CAMERAS FOR WILDLIFE MONITORING, AND THE PURCHASE OF A WEATHER STATION FOR LONG TERM VEGETATION MONITORING. ALSO INCLUDED WERE MONITORING FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND WATER QUALITY, ACOUSTIC MONITORING FOR MEXICAN SPOTTED OWLS, INVASIVE PLANT SURVEYS, AND GPS COLLARS FOR BIGHORN SHEEP STUDIES. AS WITH IEVS, CNHA PROVIDED FUNDING FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL RESOURCE INTERN POSITIONS ALONG WITH HOUSING SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNS. PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SUPPORT FOR NIGHT SKY PROGRAMS INCLUDING A NIGHT SKY RANGER POSITION FOR CANYONLANDS, THE PURCHASE OF A SMART TELESCOPE AND TABLET, AND CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR THE ANNUAL ASTRO FEST.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

Bringing people into the fight

$1.6M

SALES AND OTHER PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

Read it as they filed it
SALES AND OTHER PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

Keeping the wild alive

$588K

USFSTHE LARGEST AREA OF SUPPORT FOR THE FOREST SERVICE CAME IN THE WAY OF HOUSING. CNHA BEGAN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING 4 TINY HOMES FOR THE MANTI LA SAL NATIONAL FOREST TO BE USED FOR EMPLOYEE HOUSING.

Including $462,830 granted onward.

Read it as they filed it
USFSTHE LARGEST AREA OF SUPPORT FOR THE FOREST SERVICE CAME IN THE WAY OF HOUSING. CNHA BEGAN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING 4 TINY HOMES FOR THE MANTI LA SAL NATIONAL FOREST TO BE USED FOR EMPLOYEE HOUSING. WE PUT DOWN A DEPOSIT FOR ALL FOUR HOUSES. ONE HOUSE WAS COMPLETED AND INSTALLED IN 2025, AND WE MADE PAYMENTS ON FRAMING HOUSES NUMBER 2 & 3. WORK ON THE THREE REMAINING TINY HOMES WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2026.CNHA SUPPORTED THE FOREST SERVICE BY PROVIDING INTERNS FROM UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY TO BACKFILL STAFFING SHORTAGES. INTERNS ASSISTED WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF WORK ACROSS NUMEROUS PROGRAMS WITH MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES INCLUDING RECREATION TRAIL CREWS, WILDLIFE AND BOTANY, CULTURAL RESOURCE MONITORING, AND RANGE MANAGEMENT CONDUCTING VEGETATION SURVEYS, SPRING RESTORATION PROJECTS, AND MONITORING RANGE CONDITIONS.TRAILHEAD IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT. THE DRY WASH ALCOVE TRAIL AND TRAILHEAD WAS RECENTLY CREATED TO PROVIDE AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE TRAIL WITHIN THE BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT. THIS TRAILHEAD AND SITE IS THE ONLY FRONT COUNTRY CULTURAL RESOURCE ON USFS LANDS WITHIN BENM AND IS THE PRIMARY LOCATION THE USFS DIRECTS USERS SEEKING A MORE FRONT COUNTRY AND ACCESSIBLE EXPERIENCE IN BENM.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

Boots on the ground

$422K

BLMMAJOR SUPPORT IN 2025 FOR IMPROVING CAMPGROUND AND TRAIL ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL USER GROUPS.

Including $294,144 granted onward.

Read it as they filed it
BLMMAJOR SUPPORT IN 2025 FOR IMPROVING CAMPGROUND AND TRAIL ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL USER GROUPS. WE BROUGHT OUT FOLKS FROM DOVETAIL CONSULTING TO ASSESS MULTIPLE CAMPGROUNDS AND MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS TO SEE WHERE IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE MADE. WE THEN HIRED AND SCA INTERN TO WORK WITH THE BLM TO MEASURE SLOPE, GRADIENT AND OBSTACLES FOR OVER 100 MILES OF TRAILS. THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE BETTER INFORMATION FOR SIGNAGE AT TRAILHEADS AND AN INTERACTIVE MAP FOR WEBSITES SO THAT USERS CAN MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ON WHETHER THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO NAVIGATE CERTAIN TRAILS. CNHA CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE BLM IN THEIR OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES FUNDING A NATURAL RESOURCES FIELD DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, A JUNIOR RANGER DAY, AND INTERNSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. EVERY YEAR WE FUND OUTREACH MATERIALS AND SIGNAGE FOR THE BLM. 2025 INCLUDED INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE FOR THE POSEY HISTORICAL MARKER SITE, ROUTE SIGNS FOR TRAILHEADS AND ROADS, POWDER COATING OF SIGN PEDESTALS THAT WERE DONATED TO THE BLM FROM THE PARK SERVICE, THE PRINTING OF THE AREA BLM NEWSPAPER AND CEDAR MESA TRIP PLANNER.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

Follow the dollar

85 cents of every dollar goes to the work

85¢
85¢ the work15¢ keeping the lights on0¢ finding the next member

That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and CNHA is nowhere near one.

$4,264,922 programs, $727,079 management, $3,506 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.

The people

Who does the work

53paid staff
0volunteers last year
10board members
59years on the ground
Sam WainerExecutive DirectorComp $145,475, FY2025
Cathy BondeBoard ChairVolunteer, 1 hrs a week, $0

Chairs the 10-member board.

Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at CNHA? Claim this page.

The filings

14 years of filings

14 years of filings

Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.

$2M$4M$6M$7.5M FY2520112025
Total revenue by fiscal year
YearRevenue
2011$1,907,142
2012$1,950,705
2013$1,996,085
2014$2,314,861
2015$2,514,288
2016$3,142,958
2017$3,399,386
2018$3,907,188
2019$4,201,703
2020$3,603,099
2021$6,320,150
2022$5,965,725
2023$5,905,477
2025$7,516,714

From $1.9M in 2011 to $7.5M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2025 peak of $7.5M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.

Stand with CNHA

59 years on the ground, 85 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.

Sources and methodFinancials, headcounts, and program text: IRS Form 990, FY2025 and 13 prior filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 87-0274120. Leadership and compensation: Form 990 Part VII and the return’s signature block, FY2025 filing. Grantees: Schedule I, same filing. Org-reported figures are always labeled. Data verified as of 2026-09-23. Nothing on this page is pay-to-play.