Public Lands Stewardship
Each year, San Juan Mountains Association organizes stewardship programs that directly improve Southwest Colorado’s public lands. For decades, our volunteers have been the heart of our programs donating tens of thousands of hours to conduct visitor outreach, promote Leave No Trace principles, and even provide trail maintenance.
Now, thanks to our partnerships and generous donors and members, SJMA has expanded our stewardship programs to include skilled seasonal workers. Starting in 2020, SJMA hired a group of skilled backcountry specialists to form the Wilderness Stewardship Crew. And new to 2021, we hired a team of SJMA Forest Ambassadors which dramatically increases our presence on public land. Each summer, the Ambassadors work with SJMA volunteers, amplifying the positive impact of these programs.
Wilderness Stewardship Crew
The San Juan Wilderness Stewardship Crew is a group of highly skilled backcountry conservation specialists who are capable of operating in remote wilderness locations throughout the high country of the San Juan Mountains. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the crew educates wilderness visitors on “leave no trace” practices, conducts trail work, and monitors wilderness characteristics throughout the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests. The crew works throughout the Weminuche, Hermosa Creek, South San Juan, and Lizard Head Wilderness areas implementing effective wilderness management strategies.
In 2020, thanks to donations to the Weminuche Wilderness Stewardship Fund, SJMA hired our first Wilderness Stewardship Crew. This four-person crew naturalized 200 campsites, cleared 160 downed trees, hauled out 259 pounds of trash, designated and cut out 8 campsites, surveyed 590 campsites, and conducted 173 hours of public outreach to visitors.
In addition, thanks to the National Forest Foundation’s matching funds, SJMA hired a Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) crew to clear two of the four avalanche debris fields blocking the Elk Creek portion of the Colorado Trail. With help from USFS Wilderness Ranger Kristina Schenck and her crew, this spectacular effort resulted in clearing upwards of 500 catastrophically downed trees.
In 2021, we expanded the San Juan Wilderness Stewardship crew to a six-person team, allowing us to increase our reach in both the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests. The crew spent several weeks in the Weminuche Wilderness, working near the Continental Divide on the Rio Grande National Forest doing restoration work on trails damaged in a recent fire. Within the San Juan National Forest Pagosa and Columbine Districts wilderness areas, they monitored wilderness conditions, maintained trails, surveyed the increasing number of user-created trails, and educated the public as they go.
Last but certainly not least, the crew helped the San Juan National Forest wilderness crew and the Southwest Conservation Corp clear the 3rd and 4th avalanche debris piles that have been blocking the Colorado Trail since 2019.
Forest Ambassadors
Starting in 2021, in partnership with the San Juan National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, SJMA launched our first Forest Ambassador Program which expanded the successful Ice Lakes Education Basecamp model to the most popular trailheads and trails throughout San Juan National Forest.
The Forest, Alpine, and Snow Ambassadors dramatically increase the presence of staff on public lands, offering visitor outreach and education efforts to encourage how to recreate responsibly on these beautiful and sensitive lands.
The Forest Ambassador program is only possible thanks to our members’ support and an innovative grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and our partners Mountain Studies Institute, Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and San Juan National Forest.
This program establishes a model for private public partnership that agencies, nonprofits, volunteers, and local businesses can all get behind.
Forest Ambassadors
The SJMA Forest Ambassadors greet hikers at trailheads, alert visitors to fire restrictions, educate them about how to responsibly visit sensitive alpine environments, keep trails in top shape as they go on patrol, and monitor conditions so we can better manage these exceptional places.
During warmer months, Forest Ambassadors cover the busiest trails in our region, as well as the Alpine Loop, the popular motorized route between Silverton and Lake City. These ambassadors dramatically increase the presence of staff on public lands, ranging from the lofty heights of Lizard Head Pass, to the forested trails of Boggy Draw, to the wildly popular high country peaks around Silverton.
Furthermore, the ambassadors team up with SJMA volunteers who amplify the positive impact of this program. This program helped organize volunteers at the ever-popular Blue Lakes trailhead on the GMUG National Forest.
Alpine Ambassadors
Partnering with the local BLM office, the SJMA Alpine Ambassadors station at Animas Forks, as well as travel the Alpine Loop, the popular motorized route between Silverton and Lake City. Their main focus is talking to trail users about “Staying the Trail”, what it means, why it’s important and the lasting damage when a vehicle drives across tundra and other sensitive alpine areas. They also helps visitors by answering questions about road conditions and how long it takes to go from one location to another. Always prepared, they carried an air compressor as well as a portable battery jump starter in case someone needs some assistance.
In addition, the Alpine Ambassadors picked up trash, naturalized many illegal campfire pits, and helped the BLM with sign placement and setting up and cleaning vault toilets.
Snow Ambassador
SJMA is thrilled to continue our Snow Ambassador program! Since visitation to the San Juans doesn’t stop during these snowy days, neither should our outreach and education efforts.
Based out of SJMA’s Mobile Basecamp at the parking area just north of the Andrews Lake, SJMA’s Snow Ambassador will provide forest and backcountry information at Molas Pass and Red Mountain Pass from winter recreation opportunities and daily CAIC avalanche forecasts. This winter, stop by and say hi Friday through Mondays!
Every other Saturday through March, join SJMA and Mountains Studies Institute for our new Snow Science & Social winter education series. Head out on a backcountry tour to learn more about about forest health, watersheds, climate change, and the future of snowpack in the San Juans. Check out our Winter Information and Activity Guide!
Forest Ambassador Video
The 2021 SJMA Forest Ambassador program was highlighted in a video created by Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run and Altra Running, with the support of Altra Elite Athlete’s Meredith Edwards and Jason Schlarb, in order to bring awareness to ongoing land use/ conservation efforts in Southwestern Colorado. Check it out!
Ice Lakes Educational Basecamp
Ever since Ice Lakes Trail was designated a “Leave No Trace Hot Spot” in 2016, San Juan Mountains Association wanted to have a presence at the trailhead to encourage trail users to embrace Leave No Trace ethics. In recent years, Ice Lakes has suffered a number of impacts from the high number of visitors and faced numerous management issues. Pet and human waste, toilet paper and trash have been found in the basin while trail braiding and fire scars have affected the sensitive high-alpine environment.
During the summer of 2019, thanks to Outdoor Research and Backcountry Experience, SJMA got our first chance to have a steady presence at the trailhead. Outdoor Research donated their Tiny Home to us which became our first educational basecamp. In 2020, we continued our presence at the Ice Lakes Trailhead encouraging an unprecedented numbers of visitors to stay on designated trails, pack-out all waste, and respect fire restrictions.
During the busiest months of the year, SJMA staff and volunteers have spent 1000s of hours talking with visitors, installing signage, cleaning up pet and human waste, and doing light trail maintenance as well as conducting a major effort in 2019 to clear avalanche debris from the massive avalanche that plowed through the Clear Creek drainage blocking several switchbacks.
Often, visitors happily show the volunteers trash they picked up along the way, making the trail more beautiful for future visitors. Overall, visitors were very thankful that our volunteers were there to educate folks about proper trail and backpacking etiquette.
This program has been considered such a success that in 2021 we are expanding the education basecamp model to cover the most popular areas in our region.
Check out this informative video that our friends at Backcountry Experience created showing how SJMA, Outdoor Research and Backcountry Experience worked together during the summer of 2019 to promote Leave No Trace Principles and help protect Ice Lakes Basin.
In 2016, the Ice Lakes Basin and trail were designated a Leave No Trace Hot Spot. A Leave No Trace Traveling Team evaluated the area for a week in 2016 and made recommendations for preserving the area. As part of their visit the trailhead sign was installed and some trail work was done.
Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities
SJMA offers many stewardship volunteer opportunities from conducting visitor outreach through our most popular volunteer program, the San Juan Volunteers (previously known as Wilderness Information Specialist, WIS) to adopting a road to celebrating public lands days by giving back in the form of light trail work.
For more information about all of our volunteering opportunities, as well as the stewardship options, check out our Volunteer Page.
