Wilderness Volunteers Needed

The task of providing stewardship for local wilderness is increasingly falling on volunteer groups, as U.S. Forest Service resources dwindle.

This summer the agency will only have two official wilderness rangers to patrol tens of thousands of acres in the Eagles Nest and Ptarmigan Peak wilderness areas, not nearly enough to cover all the territory on a regular basis.

To back up those meager government resources, local wilderness advocates banded together to form the Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness (FENW) 12 years ago. The group is going stronger than ever and will expand its roster of volunteers this summer to beef up its own wilderness stewardship program.

Volunteer applications are due May 12, with a training session scheduled June 10, said volunteer coordinator Maryann Gaug. Gaug said the friends group focuses specifically on designated wilderness - those areas set aside by Congress to be preserved in an untrammeled state for their natural resource and recreational values. That differentiates the group from the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, which also supports the Forest Service with various service projects outside the wilderness.

Gaug said the group hopes to add about 10 or 15 people this year to help conduct public outreach and education. Funding to administer the volunteer program comes primarily from the Summit Foundation, several local towns, the Arapahoe Basin environmental employee fund and the National Forest Foundation