We are coming out of a rainy spring in the San Juans. The monsoons are already here, and with them, the strong winds carry aromas, revolve the leaves and also increase our curiosity to explore and enjoy the summer. Some of us can even smell the mushroom spores in the air as the wind blows. With all this rain, the fungi are also coming early to serve their role in the forest, just as the ambassadors of the San Juan Mountains Association are working across National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands to accomplish our purpose as stewards of the land.

Fungi play an essential role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by utilizing their remarkable abilities. They assist plants in increasing their water and nutrient intake, secure the diversity of a biome and even provide a food source for a variety of species, from microorganisms and insects to mammals, including humans. As we all explore the trails of the beautiful San Juan Mountains, fungi quietly work to maintain the well-being of their habitat.

As SJMA ambassadors, we are also working to protect and stabilize our environments. We work alongside our federal agency partners to balance out the relationship between people and the wilderness; between outdoor recreationists and our public lands. We strive to meet the diverse needs of the environment and do our best to maintain the harmony of all natural and recreational resources. We strive to keep your favorite trails clear and remove fallen trees and trim bushes, so you can go on that hike and absorb the nutrients of nature. We will ask you to stay on the trail in exchange, and pack out what you packed in, because all of us have a role in keeping a healthy ecosystem. When we enter the wilderness, there is an exchange. The call to reciprocity summons us all.

The fungi take good care of the network of living things, also because they need it to subsist and sustain themselves. People need nature. We venture into the wilderness seeking that singular nourishing experience, and nature generously grants it to us each time. As we give back active care and respect, we will have learned what these mushroom spores blowing in the air came to remind us. We all depend on each other.

As stewards of the land, the call is to minimize our impact and spread awareness of our reciprocal and dependent relationship with the land. As you follow Leave-No-Trace principles and make an effort to leave what you find and dispose of your waste properly, SJMA forest and Alpine Loop ambassadors carefully retrieve pieces of microplastics, glass, cans and more from the ground to help the soil restore itself. In the meantime, decomposer fungi recycle wood, converting them into carbon, minerals and nutrients that will nourish and replenish the same soil. That healthful soil will grow the trees, flowers and grasses that you love to observe while exploring your favorite trail.

SJMA’s role as stewards is rooted in this cycle of life, as we nourish one another. When you see us on the trails of the San Juan Mountains or the tundra landscapes of the Alpine Loop byway, come talk to us. We love hearing from you, your experiences in the outdoors and your insights, as well as sharing our best knowledge of recreating responsibly. Let’s continue to foster reciprocal connections within this ecosystem. Let’s cherish our precious public lands and one another.

Adela Pizarro-Conte serves as an Alpine Loop ambassador for the San Juan Mountains Association and is passionate about connecting people with the wonders of the natural world.

By Meg Burke

Memorial Day has come and gone, and the San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) field crews are out in full force. The unofficial start of summer is upon us, and we have already seen an uptick in visitors to our public lands. As our federal land managers scramble to salvage what’s left of their reduced budgets and crews, SJMA has ratcheted up our efforts to support our partners and public lands.
Working with the San Juan National Forest, Visit Durango, San Juan County, and our own donors, SJMA has secured funding to ensure the 14 bathrooms across the San Juan National Forest’s Columbine District will be open for the season. We are also working to secure ongoing funding for porta potties at Ice Lake Trailhead. Providing this much-needed resource to such a heavily visited area is vital to helping keep the forest clean and our watersheds healthy.

In addition to helping our public lands with “waste management”, SJMA has also increased efforts to help improve trail access. We have two SJMA Forest Ambassadors who have obtained cross cut saw certifications. With this skill, they can add to the efforts of our four-person Wilderness Crew, in collaboration with San Juan National Forest personnel, to clear trails and improve access into the Weminuche. During their first hitch out, SJMA’s Wilderness Crew cleared 82 downed trees from approximately four miles of the Lake Fork trail (from Pine River trail to Emerald Lake) – amazing!

While the Wilderness Crew is in the backcountry, the Forest Ambassadors work at the busiest trailheads and along the Alpine Loop, educating visitors on recreating responsibly while enjoying our forest and BLM lands, sharing essential messages on topics such as wildfire and campfire safety and caring for these destinations so everyone can continue to enjoy them. As they roam, it is a great asset to have the extra boots and eyes on the ground to complement the reduced boots-on-the-ground capabilities of our federal partners.

We all have a role to play in caring for and protecting our public lands. It is time to step out of the “somebody else will do it” mindset and support our public lands and the organizations that work so diligently to protect them. It will take everyone to contribute what they can, whether that takes the form of volunteering, making monetary donations, or becoming a member to support conservation organizations in your area. Through these turbulent times, please take a moment to remember what first ignited your passion for our wide-open spaces, and that we want to preserve that experience for generations to come.

Meg Burke is the SJMA Stewardship Director and lives in Mancos with her husband, and their many dogs and chickens.

By Nick McKey

I got the first text from a friend to go skiing on October 21st this year. Safe to say with this early cold snap, we’re all looking forward to the winter rituals after a hot summer. I’ll say, I’m a summer guy myself, I’d rather be on my bike, in a t-shirt, with the light not leaving until 9pm or later. But, with holidays on the horizon, and it invokes now-happy memories of my dad making me stand in the street making sure the wreaths on the front porch pillars at my childhood home back in Michigan were level.

The rituals I’ve been dropped into here at the San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) office are a little less Christmas Story. When I interviewed for my position in late June, I was told that I would be immersed in the holiday spirit starting in September with our “Christmas Trees for Conservation” fundraiser. This is SJMA’s only fundraising event, and it provides critical support for all of our stewardship and education programs. I’m so thankful for my old man helping me love the holidays. Every time we’ve driven out to Beaver Meadows, the location of our tree harvest, I have to remind myself that it’s not normal to want to play Christmas music in September.

Out in Beaver Meadows, a sleepy little spot northeast of Bayfield, we’ve been busy counting, measuring, and marking White Firs to stock our Christmas Tree Lot down at the D&SNGRR lot. These White Firs, whilst a staple of an idyllic pine forest, are the perfect ladder fuel. Unlike their larger, more fire-adapted cousin, the ponderosa, they don’t drop their lower branches, their sap is an incredibly efficient fire starter, and the juvenile pines are super adept at crowding around other trees. This makes the white fir a terrifying multiplier for any fire that would come through the forest. SJMA’s fundraiser has the added benefit of improving forest health, albeit in a small, but meaningful way.

Our goal is to take 450 of these white firs from the forest and put them in homes for the holidays. The humble white fir doesn’t drop its needles for quite some time after being cut, usually they’re fairly symmetrical, and we get them cut at the right height to fit just right for Durango homes. But obviously, cutting, hauling, moving, netting, and selling 450 Christmas trees is too big of a task for  SJMA’s permanent staff, and that’s where we ask the community to give us a hand! There’s a task, cookies, and hot drinks for everyone who wants to pitch in and help, whether you want to sell trees or get a peek into what fuel mitigation looks like!

We’re looking for all the help we can get on our cut day, which is Saturday, November 23rd at Beaver Meadows. Having worked in conservation for the last 4ish years, I can tell you that the more hands we’ve got, the more efficient we can be. Our biggest bottleneck is getting trailers to get them down from Beaver Meadows to our lot at the D&SNGRR, so if you’ve got a trailer you don’t mind potentially getting a little muddy, please consider signing up! If you’re not interested in driving trailers, we’ve also got a massive need for volunteers to help move and net the trees up at Beaver Meadows and to help set up the lot in town. If you’ve got the time and can switch from Thanksgiving spirit to Christmas and back on that Saturday, we’d love to have you join us.

Once the trees are down in the lot, we sell them from the 29th of November until they’re all sold, so if removing trees from the mountains isn’t your speed, we invite you to join us at the tree lot. There’s a job suitable for all skill levels every day starting on the 29th. Located downtown, in the middle of the holidays, it’s an engaging time slinging trees to folks. Looking through the pictures from past tree lots, I have seen so many pictures of old friends, so even though it’s my first Christmas Tree lot with SJMA, I know it’s going to be a hoot of a time with new and old friends celebrating the holidays, supporting SJMA, and helping our public lands.

Nick McKey, SJMA’s Volunteer Coordinator

By Aubrey Balcom

The Alpine Loop, a rugged byway winding through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, is renowned for its stunning vistas, rugged terrain, and remote beauty. But behind its breathtaking landscapes is a region rich with history and fragile ecosystems that require careful stewardship. As an Alpine Loop Ambassador for the San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) based in Silverton, Colorado, I learned that while these lands attract adventure-seekers, they also require a deep commitment to their protection.

Dating back to the 1870s, the Alpine Loop has long been shaped by Colorado’s mining boom. Today, remnants of this mining legacy—ghost towns, abandoned mine shafts, and machinery—serve as physical reminders of the area’s past. However, these historical features also bring modern challenges. The lingering effects of mining activities, such as erosion, contamination, and habitat disruption, make conservation efforts all the more critical. While history is important, balancing these legacies with ecological health requires careful management.

Beyond its historical significance, the Alpine Loop is home to some of Colorado’s most rare and delicate ecosystems, such as high-altitude wetland fens. These wetlands, often found at elevations above 10,000 feet, are incredibly rare but crucial to the region’s ecological health. Acting as natural water filters, fens trap pollutants and regulate water flow, which helps maintain the integrity of the surrounding environment. They also support unique plant and animal species that rely on their delicate balance. Protecting these ecosystems from disturbances is critical, as even small impacts can have significant consequences.

In addition to these rare ecosystems, the Alpine Loop hosts a variety of iconic wildlife. Beaver, for example, play a key role in shaping the landscape through their dam-building activities, which provide vital habitat for other species. Moose, once nearly extirpated in Colorado, have made a strong comeback in the area and are often spotted grazing in the meadows. Other wildlife includes yellow-bellied marmots, pikas that dart among the rocks, and a wide range of bird species that thrive in these high-alpine environments.

While monitoring these ecosystems, I was also fortunate to witness an extremely rare sight—a badger meandering over to its den at nearly 12,000 feet. This unexpected encounter reminded me just how resilient and interconnected these ecosystems are. The Alpine Loop’s wildlife, from the smallest pika to the rare badger, all depend on healthy, undisturbed habitats.

As an ambassador, my role was to educate visitors about their impact on this unique wilderness. Whether stationed at trailheads or driving the rugged Alpine Loop roads, I spoke with hikers, OHV riders, and campers about minimizing their impact on the land. Staying on designated trails, respecting wildlife habitats, and practicing Leave-No-Trace principles were essential to ensuring that these rare ecosystems remained intact for future generations.

In addition to education, I also monitored the health of the Alpine Loop by tracking visitor numbers, noting trail wear, and observing changes in the wetlands and tundra. By documenting these conditions and reporting them to BLM officials, I contributed to conservation efforts aimed at preserving the loop’s beauty and ecological integrity for future generations.

The stewardship of the Alpine Loop is a collective responsibility. From its mining history to its rare ecosystems and diverse wildlife, protecting this land is essential to preserving its beauty and ecological health. Through education, awareness, and responsible recreation, we can ensure that the Alpine Loop remains a wild, pristine wilderness for years to come.

Aubrey Balcom served as the Alpine Loop Ambassador for the San Juan Mountains Association, she is an environmental educator and Master of Environmental Management student at Western Colorado University, with a passion for wildlife photography and mountain exploration. You can find some of her photography work on Instagram: @aubrey_outside