Become a Forest Steward or Volunteer

Some of our forest stewards and volunteers have donated their skills with heavy equipment -- BUT for most trail work, no special experience is necessary!  There are no age limitations - we encourage families to participate together.  We even provide lunch and snacks!  We are extremely flexible.  Weekend, weekday, and after-work times are available.  Whatever fits YOUR schedule!  Friends, neighbors and club members often sign up as a group to work on a trail.  Community service credit is also available for trail crew work.

For an application to become a Forest Steward or Volunteer, please click here.

We need trail crew volunteers on the Fraser to Granby Trail during the summer trail building season. This trail has been built primarily by outstanding community volunteers.  If you are interested in helping out, please contact us!

Program Description

In the summer of 2008, HTA will continue the Forest Stewards Programs on the National Forest lands in Grand County.  The programs include the following:  Adopt-A-Trail and Volunteer Trail Crew Leaders.  Additional initiatives for 2009 hope to include: Volunteer Ranger Patrols, Volunteer Outreach Educators, Youth Stewards, and Family Stewards.  Each initiative involves leadership training and education for the Stewards for the particular initiative, as well as cross training and education on all initiatives and other HTA volunteer opportunities.

Back to Top

Goals of Program

• Maintaining and improving Grand County’s natural resources

• Maintaining and improving a safe and sustainable trail system

• Improving the quality of the multiple-user experience, both for locals and guests , on our local public lands

• Increasing awareness of our local public lands and our related role in them

• Educating the users on issues such as responsible use and ethics, forest regulations and values, safety, and stewardship

• Taking inventory of various information, including the number and type of recreational users and the number and type of invasive plant species

• Provide leadership training and education for our volunteer stewards

• Connecting community members to each other and to our local public lands

Back to Top

The Need for the Program

The Forest Stewards Program is necessary to help maintain Grand County’s high quality of outdoor life and stable economy.

While the user days on these lands continue to dramatically increase, recreation funding for on-the-ground projects is unable to keep pace.  These programs will increase HTA volunteer base and help leverage our current stewardship efforts, in an effort to help reverse the declining condition of these lands that results from increasing user days and decreasing funds.

In addition, by participating in this and other HTA programs, community members will feel more connected to each other and to their local public lands.

Back to Top

Benefits to Volunteer Stewards

• A direct communication link with Forest Service managers

• An opportunity to make a difference on public lands and to contribute to the solutions of the challenges facing the Forest Service

• An opportunity to work with dedicated local citizens who share a common respect for the outdoors

• An opportunity to give back to the lands that you enjoy

• An opportunity to save the public lands for our future generations to come and use

• Demonstrate to young people a positive way to make a difference on your public lands

Back to Top

Job Description and Requirements

1. Adopt-A-Trail:  Adopt one or more trails and take part in trail maintenance.  You will meet with a USFS Ranger for training on upkeep of your adopted trail and go on one mentored patrol day.  On the trail training is required.  For further information about the Adopt-A-Trail program, please click here.

2. Volunteer Trail Crew Leaders:  Lead crews in the maintenance of trails.  You will scout trails, take inventory of trail maintenance needs, train a crew, and lead them on a monthly trail project.  You will participate in training sessions and in mentored trails days.

3. Volunteer Ranger Patrols:  Provide education outreach to the public.  You will make the public aware of how to enjoy our public lands, while minimizing their impact.  You will survey the number and type of users, the users’ needs, and quality of their experience.  Volunteers will not provide regulation enforcement.  You will need to participate in two training sessions and in one mentored patrol day.

4. Volunteer Outreach Educators:  This job includes being a host at trail heads, and in future years, facilitating for forums.  You will survey visitors’ needs and the quality of their experience.  You will need to participate in two training sessions and in one mentored trailhead host day.

Volunteers Will Provide:

• Transportation to and from the trailhead

• Personal gear, including food and water, hiking and backpacking gear, and boots

Qualifications Required:

• All Forest Stewards are representatives of HTA and the USFS and will maintain a positive, friendly, non-confrontational attitude with the community and/or the visitors they contact while volunteering.

• All Forest Stewards must be healthy enough to perform duties on or at trails and trailheads.  This may include standing, hiking, and lifting up to 50 pounds in rough terrain at high elevations (ranging from 8,000 to 13,000 feet).

Back to Top

Any apparel, tools or other merchandise provided to the volunteer by HTA or the USFS remains the property of HTA and/or the USFS.

For more information, please call 970-726-1013 or email hta@headwaterstrails.org.

Click here to apply!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP & SUPPORT!

Privacy disclosure: Forest Stewards/Volunteer Application data will be shared with the U.S. Forest Service.  If you have any questions concerning the use of your information, please contact us before filling out and submitting any of these forms.

Back to Top