Natural Restorations

Our mission is to remove trash, graffiti, and anything foreign to the environment from outdoor recreation and wilderness areas, revitalize natural areas through replanting projects, and enrich the lives of military veterans and other community members.

We have removed over 1.5 million pounds of trash from outdoor recreation & wilderness areas across Arizona! That's over 768 tons of trash removed! We have removed over 41,900 square feet of graffiti from rocks and boulders. We've recycled over 2,000 tires dumped in outdoor spaces. We have planted over 51,700 cacti, trees, and plants in burn scars on the Tonto National Forest.

We accomplish our mission several ways; we have hosted over 100 volunteer cleanup & replanting events for community members, including youth volunteers. We also manage and support a Dedicated Restorations Team with contracted Military Veterans who conduct restorations beyond the reach of most volunteers. We have provided over 15,700 hours of restoration work in nature to military veterans across 125 projects.

Founded in 2015 by husband and wife team, Justin and Nicole Corey, Natural Restorations continues to make immediate, visible impacts to outdoor spaces across Arizona. We started hosting volunteer cleanup events in 2015, launched our Dedicated Restoration Team with military veterans in 2017, launched our graffiti removal program in 2017, and launched our replanting program in 2020.

Testimonials

"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 removal 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."
Ryan Morin ~ U.S. Army Veteran on our Dedicated Restoration Team

"Our mission in the burn scar is the most meaningful work that we do in my opinion. It gives me a great sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that we are planting a legacy for future generations to enjoy. Working with Natural Restorations is the closest I've ever come to the brotherhood I had within the military. The physical nature of the work has helped me regain myself physically, lowered my blood pressure and the constant exposure to nature has greatly eased the anxiety I had assumed would be my lifetime companion. What we do is meaningful and impactful on so many levels, and I am thankful for every second of it. Thank you for this opportunity."
Garett Cline ~ U.S. Navy Veteran

"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."
Justin Ballard ~ U.S. Air Force Veteran

"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."
Derick Cotton ~ U.S. Army Veteran

"Planting trees for 10 hours a day, outside in beautiful desert scenery with 7 of the most amazing, hard working people I know, was rewarding. I am grateful to be a part of it."
Johnny Braden ~ Wild Land Firefighter & Medic

"Volunteering with Natural Restorations was a wonderful experience. The entire event was very well organized and everyone was so friendly. There are some beautiful places in Arizona and I fully support any efforts to keep it that way!"
~ Wendy Lamestra, Volunteer

"I never thought I would be thanking someone for allowing me to pick up trash in the woods. Hands down one of the most fulfilling experiences I have ever had!"
~ Rick Ketcherside, Volunteer

"I enjoy helping Natural Restorations in their goal of cleaning up our environment. It gives me a chance to see different areas of AZ and to feel good about making a difference in our community. I feel sad seeing so much trash in nature. I feel happy seeing the same sites looking like the way nature intended when we are done. It is also free exercise to boot."
~ Brian Bovaird, Volunteer

"I'm not a morning person, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, I forced myself out of bed to volunteer with Natural Restorations, and it was surprisingly great. Spending the day in nature with good, like-minded folks was actually a great way to begin my weekend. Plus, seeing the difference we made before and after the cleanup was remarkable. Working outside to preserve this beautiful patch of nature left me feeling accomplished, rejuvenated, and energized for the remainder of my weekend."
~ Hans Fink, Volunteer

"The experience volunteering with the Natural Restorations is one that I will always remember. The land was cleaned up and restored to the beautiful original land it once was...