Volunteer Stewardship

Protecting the natural resources of our public lands is crucial to the future of the Colorado Mountain Club. We are dependent upon the health and condition of our mountain environment for our backcountry recreational endeavors. To maintain a basis of support in conserving these fragile areas, it is very important for people to be able to personally experience them through their own form of responsible recreation and to participate in giving back to their favorite places. The Colorado Mountain Club’s Stewardship Program embraces this solution by organizing stewardship opportunities in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service,and other non-profit organizations around the state. Our goal is to find that critical balance between recreation and natural resource protection that will ensure the sustainability of our treasured back country for Coloradans today and for generations to come.

In 2012, over 600 trail volunteers contributed more than 7,500 hours of service.

The CMC State Stewardship Program seeks to implement volunteer projects that mobilize outdoor recreationists, create partnerships, link to our key landscapes, and contribute to the success of CMC Group stewardship programs through resource development and sharing. The Stewardship Program engages both members and non-members in volunteerism on public lands throughout Colorado and is funded by grants and private donations. We offer over 70 volunteer opportunities every summer, including one-day and multi-day trips. NO PREVIOUS TRAIL WORK EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Join us!

Leaders

We need qualified trip leaders for our State program. Can you safely lead a group in the frontcountry or backcountry? Are you willing to help our staff with logistics around food and carpooling? Are you up to date on your Wilderness First Aid certification? We can send you to Crew Leader and Trail Skills classes if you are interested. Some trips simply need current CMC Trip Leaders when our partners provide technical leadership. Contact our Stewardship Manager at 303-996-2764 or stewardship(at)cmc.org to get information about these opportunities.

Past projects include:

• Backcountry hut maintenance with 10th Mountain Division Hut Association
• Climbing and approach trail improvements at Colorado State Parks
• Trail mapping with Bureau of Land Management
• Tree planting and seeding with Mountain Studies Institute
• Campground restoration with US Forest Service
• Invasive species removal with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
• Trail construction and maintenance with Colorado Fourteeners Initiative
• Fence removal with Jefferson County Open Space
• Downed tree removal with Friends of Mount Evans and Lost Creek Wilderness