Natural Restorations is Building Lasting Community for Military Veterans One CleanUp at a Time

One of Natural Restoration’s Remote CleanUp Teams

Nothing ruins a quiet walk in the picturesque desert landscape in Arizona quicker than to stumble upon a boulder field littered with graffiti. Many of our natural spaces within the Sonoran Desert and other desert landscapes have historical significance across cultures. 

Seeing scenes like this could ruin anyone’s experience outdoors, and perhaps seeing it is what drives us to action. 

Natural Restorations was founded in 2015 by Justin and Nicole Corey, and their mission to make their favorite outdoor spaces clean again quickly evolved into much more. Now, Natural Restorations works to remove trash and graffiti from outdoor recreation and wilderness areas, revitalize natural areas through reforestation projects, and enrich the lives of Military Veterans and other community members along the way.

Photo from Natural Restorations

What started as an entirely volunteer operation quickly evolved into creating a remote cleanup team in 2017. When they received a grant to employ veterans, they soon had a full-time team of five dedicating their time to making Arizona’s wilderness feel genuinely wild again. Since then, their team has grown to include even more veterans.

Many of the veterans that make up their cleanup crew can attest to how Natural Restorations has impacted their lives: 

"Working with Natural Restorations has given me a sense of purpose again. The work, friendships, natural settings and clear direction in my expectations have helped make me feel normal."

"Not only is Natural Restorations the most fulfilling job I've ever had, I'm part of a family that I know I can always count on for support and understanding."

"Natural Restorations is more than a job to me, it's a place where I can fit in and make a difference in my state."

“Working with Natural Restorations has been the most rewarding job I have ever had. The work we do is so gratifying, especially seeing the before & after images of large waste & graffiti projects, and always makes me feel like we are doing good work. My coworkers have become great friends and we frequently meet and assist each other outside of work and get to know each other’s families. Justin & Nicole Corey set out to make Arizona a cleaner and brighter place and I am grateful they reached out to the veteran community to help make their vision become a reality, one project at a time.”

While they aren’t looking to hire any more veterans at this time, Natural Restorations is always looking to build their community and provide a safe, empathetic space for veterans to reenter life as a civilian. Anyone that wishes to get involved is always welcome to attend volunteer cleanup events.

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After

Their dedicated cleanup team spends up to a week in one remote location, usually removing graffiti (see photos above) and other trash that would be too difficult for the average hiker to remove alone. 

Removing graffiti in these natural spaces is so important because once one boulder is tagged, it practically invites more graffiti to follow. Still, removing graffiti without damaging the natural environment is a difficult task if you want to do it right. So, having the time, know-how, and land management agency permission is imperative to a successful cleanup. 

While they do cleanups year-round, 2020 has brought on new challenges for their team. Luckily, they could continue cleanups with their dedicated team despite COVID-19, but they could not hold larger events and canceled several cleanups this year due to state shutdowns. Now that Fall is on the horizon in Arizona, they are hopeful that more cleanups can be organized with the right precautions. 

To date, Natural Restorations has removed over 1 million pounds (520.83 tons) of trash from outdoor recreation and wilderness areas located in Arizona. They’ve also cleared over 35,051 square feet of graffiti from area rocks and boulders in the process. Other items removed and recycled include 875 tires found dumped in area desert and forest regions. 

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After

Want to learn more about ways you can support Natural Restorations and keep natural areas clean?

Visit their website → http://www.naturalrestorations.org/