Stewardship programs throughout the San Juans
By Mike Wight, Associate Director
As the rivers continue to carry our snowmelt downstream, and the high country begins to open up, I’m finally getting a second to reflect on a busy couple of months hiring, training, and preparing for SJMA’s stewardship programs. This year represents continued growth and expansion of our programs, coupled with increased training and capacity for field programs with both seasonal staff and volunteers!
We hope you caught last month’s update on volunteer opportunities, written by Marly Saunders, SJMA’s Volunteer Coordinator, who has been busy training and connecting with volunteers to promote stewardship at Chicago Basin, Ice Lakes, Blue Lakes, naturalist interpretive events, and solitude monitoring in the Weminuche Wilderness. If you haven’t already, check out sjma.org/events to view the array of events on our calendar and to sign up to volunteer!
In April, we brought on Meg Burke, our two year alumni Forest Ambassador, as our Stewardship Program Manager. She wasted no time interviewing and selecting a rocking team of ten Forest Ambassadors, and four Wilderness Stewardship Crew Members. We kicked off a two week training for seasonal staff on May 15th, providing CPR, Wilderness First Aid, a session from the Leave No Trace traveling team, and a multitude of guest speakers from the San Juan National Forest (thank you!) to cover topics including recreation management, wildfire safety, public engagement, trail maintenance, and area collaboratives Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative and the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. Special thanks to Regina Whiteskunk who spent a few hours with our team discussing the cultural history and context of the region!
On May 30th, our Wilderness Stewardship Crew began clearing trails on the east side of the Weminuche in collaboration with Rio Grande National Forest staff- covering 15 miles of trail and clearing 132 logs in their first three days! On June 2nd, our North and South teams of Forest Ambassadors began covering area trails and events across the San Juans. Our crew will rotate between more than 35 trails and trailheads providing public education and information on Leave No Trace, wildfire safety, responsible recreation, and forest restoration projects, while completing trail maintenance and clean up activities. SJMA’s “southern team” will rotate between low-country trails such as Purgatory Flats, Chicken Creek, Boggy Draw, Pine River, Vallecito, Junction Creek and as the snow melts, they’ll be stationed at Ice Lakes, Andrews Lake, Cross Mountain, Navajo Lake, Highland Mary Lakes, and more. Thanks to support from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forest, we’ve expanded SJMA’s Forest Ambassadors on the northern side of the San Juans. Not only will they be stationed at Blue Lakes, but they will also be at access points to Sneffels, Uncompahgre, and Lizard Head Wilderness areas, the forks of the Cimarrons, and Woods Lake, as well as Silverton area trails and Animas Forks. If you’d like to know more about what our Forest Ambassadors are doing, just ask them when you see them, or better yet, sign up for SJMA’s June 13th or 14th volunteer ambassador trainings for Ice Lakes, Blue Lakes or an upcoming fire ring clean-up project in the Cimarons on June 23d and 24th in partnership with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Ouray Ranger District (sjma.org/events). Wherever you recreate this season, please remember to follow Leave No Trace Principles, and drown any campfires, perhaps kindly reminding others to do so as well. Together, we can protect our beloved San Juan region for future generations!
- Published in Stewardship
Hurray for snow – now get out there and have fun, be safe!
By Mike Wight
Ah, winter… As the white stuff piles up around us this year, I’m excited to get out in the mountains – to sled, ski, and explore the backcountry. When white-capped, the San Juans are majestic, but can also be dangerous. Tuning in to local avalanche conditions and following some basic safety precautions can make the difference between a day of winter fun and an avoidable accident.
This winter, all of us at San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) are excited to kick off our second winter season at Andrews Lake and welcome our new Snow Ambassador, Hannah Green, who is stationed at our Mobile Basecamp at the Andrews Lake winter parking area on Molas Pass. We’ll be stationed in the area every Friday through Monday until the end of March to provide information to visitors using this popular spot for winter recreation.
Hannah brings great experience to this position as she served as a SJMA Forest Ambassador in 2021, volunteers for San Juan County Search and Rescue, and holds an Recreation Avalanche Training level 2 certification. Stop in to say hi this year when you are in the area, grab a hot drink, and check in on what’s happening with the snowpack on the daily. Hannah will be primarily based at the Andrews parking area, but roving area trails and trailheads to interact with both motorized and non motorized visitors, to share information on winter Leave No Trace, Wilderness boundaries, groomed snowmobile trails, and more. This position represents a partnership between SJMA, CDOT, and the San Juan National Forest with a purpose of promoting safe and responsible use of our shared resources. Thank you to San Juan Sledders Ken Hilfiker for developing a detailed map of the Andrews Lake area and nearby motorized use trails for us to share this year!
In addition, SJMA and Mountain Studies Institute are excited to offer our Snow Science and Social interpretive snowshoe hikes once again this year. Starting January 14th, these free events will be offered every other weekend through mid March. Free to the public, these events offer a combination of snow education, travel awareness, winter ecology and fun! Finish with a hot beverage around a fire, check out our new Mobile Basecamp and meet our team! Registration is required, and details can be found at https://sjma.org/events/. Snowshoes can be provided for those that need them.
If you don’t have an opportunity to swing by the Mobile Basecamp or attend one of our winter events, remember to be safe out there, regardless of your activity.
A few tips for winter safety: Plan ahead and Prepare!
- Check the avalanche forecast and local conditions at https://avalanche.state.co.us/ .
- Let someone know your plan for the day, including an exact location and time of return. Check in with them when you are back.
- Carry the right equipment for any situation- extra layers, food and water, first aid kit, emergency gear repair, wag bags, and a communication device.
- Stay off slopes above 30 degrees, and areas with steeper slopes above.
- Educate yourself! Consider an avalanche awareness course, such as those offered by our local Friends of the San Juans.
- Remember- just because someone else went there, doesn’t mean it’s safe!
Mike Wight is SJMA’s Associate Director.
- Published in Stewardship
Preparing for Christmas tree fundraiser
By Mike Wight
As the seasons change in Southwest Colorado, I’m reminded how much I look forward to stoking the fire, sitting back, and enjoying the radiant warmth. Fall is a time to prepare, and stock up for the winter months. For me, the simple act of wood cutting, splitting, and stacking is a satisfying way to build confidence that all will be well in the coming months. We’re fortunate at the San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) to have our own kind of satisfying wood harvest each fall – preparing for our Christmas Trees for Conservation fundraiser. This month, we’ll bring together over 70 volunteers- old friends and new- to help gather white fir from the Junction Creek Road beyond Animas Lookout. It’s one way we help prepare the forest for the year ahead.
Rocky mountain white fir (Abies concolor), adorned with bluish silvery-green needles, is a popular choice for Christmas trees, due to their attractive triangular shape and excellent needle retention. White fir is a softwood tree existing in an elevation range between 7,900 and 10,200 in Colorado, and growing up to 1.5 feet per year. Unlike our local ponderosas, white fir trees retain their lower branches, which – while attractive – can have serious implications for forests in the path of a wildfire.
Over the past two centuries, the harvesting of larger diameter trees, coupled with wildfire prevention, has caused an abundance of fuel loading and an increase of Abies concolor on the landscape. In the past, white fir were considered undesirable by the lumber industry, which meant they were not harvested- adding to the hardy populations we see today. In the face of a wildfire, the establishment of these trees increases the horizontal continuity of fuel loads. White fir, in particular, acts as a wildfire ladder fuel, quickly transporting flames from the ground into the canopy- which if conditions are wrong, can result in a rapidly moving, potentially catastrophic wildfire. By thinning the population of white fir, we can help reduce this risk.
On November 19th we’ll thin over 350 white fir from the proximity of Junction Creek Road, contributing to the spacing between forest fuels by enhancing a buffer to the natural fuel break that is the road. The Christmas Trees for Conservation event is just one of the ways that SJMA is working with the San Juan National Forest and our community to preserve our beloved landscapes in Southwest Colorado. We need your help! Please consider volunteering up for a morning or afternoon shift on Saturday, Nov 19th! We especially need drivers with 16 foot open trailers to help us transport trees to town this year. You can sign up here: https://sjma.org/events
When we bring these trees to town, we’ll again set up sales at the D&SNGRR parking lot at the corner of Camino del Rio and W. College Ave. Along with Balsam Fir trees from Wisconsin, the local white fir trees will be available starting November 25th. The SJMA Christmas Trees for Conservation lot will be open Sunday- Friday 12-6pm; and Saturday 9am-6pm. This is SJMA’s signature fundraiser, now in its 10th year, and proceeds contribute to our stewardship and conservation education programs. We’re grateful to the D&SNGRR, along with other marquis sponsors, including Target Rental, Southwest Ag, Inc., Durango Local News, and Bob’s Johns, for their support of Christmas Trees for Conservation.
So, as you look ahead to winter months and the coming year, consider stoking your own fire by contributing to SJMA, and bringing a white fir from the San Juan Mountains into your own home to enjoy. You’ll feel the radiant warmth from helping the forest, and your community, by adorning your home with a beautiful Christmas tree this year.
Mike Wight is the Stewardship Director with San Juan Mountains Association.
- Published in Stewardship, Trees, volunteers