It is with great enthusiasm that I write this summer newsletter piece as the newest member of the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers team. When I learned in February that RFOV was looking for a development coordinator, I was delighted and surprised—delighted because its mission of recruiting volunteers to do trail and conservation work has always been near and dear to my heart; surprised because most non-profits seemed to be in hunker-down, rather than expansion, mode.
Upon further reflection, though, it should come as no surprise that RFOV continues to thrive in these challenging times. RFOV has always run a tight ship, relying largely on volunteers not only to do the heavy lifting of trail and restoration projects, but to do RFOV’s marketing and outreach, to work with land management agencies to identify the neediest projects, to train volunteer crew leaders, indeed to help with almost every aspect of RFOV’s operations. By involving locals in this way, RFOV has developed a loyal and ever-expanding cadre of volunteers who allow us to operate on a small budget—the smallest of any conservation-oriented non-profit in the Valley.
Moreover, in these tough economic times, as any Forest Service ranger can tell you, people are rediscovering that the best things in life indeed are free—a good trail through a beautiful landscape being one of them. And this is where RFOV comes in. At the same time that people are hitting the trails in record numbers, cash-strapped land management agencies are finding they can’t keep up with the constant maintenance and restoration work required on popular trails like American Lake or Smuggler Mountain—both of which RFOV is working on this summer—to keep them safe and enjoyable for the public with minimum impact to the surrounding landscape.
The alternative is what we see happening this summer at the lush and lovely Hanging Lake: closure. As difficult as it must have been to decide to close one of Colorado’s most popular trails, the Forest Service determined nothing less than a season of rebuilding and restoration (in which RFOV will play a part in September) was required to keep unwary hikers from getting hurt, and to prevent this extraordinary landscape from literally being loved to death.
Hanging Lake serves as a stark reminder that with ownership comes responsibility—that our magnificent public lands will remain ours to enjoy only if we commit to taking care of them. So take a moment to reflect on your favorite trails and places—perhaps a meandering bike ride through a stately aspen grove, or a soft, quiet climb through an old-growth forest—and consider what they mean to you, how they affect your quality of life here, and the fact that they are ours to use, free of charge, throughout the year. Then consider committing a day of service to these places by coming out on an RFOV project this summer!
