Poudre Wilderness Volunteers

POUDRE WILDERNESS VOLUNTEERS (PWV) IS A LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO NONPROFIT 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION FOUNDED IN 1996. IT ASSISTS THE CANYON LAKES RANGER DISTRICT OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE IN MANAGING AND PROTECTING WILDERNESS AREAS WITHIN ITS JURISDICTION. TO ACHIEVE THIS MISSION, PWV RECRUITS, TRAINS, EQUIPS, AND FIELDS HUNDREDS OF CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE AS WILDERNESS RANGERS AND HOSTS, EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, AND PROVIDING OTHER APPROPRIATE SUPPORT TO THESE WILD AREAS. PWV IS ONE OF THE LARGEST, MOST EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS OF ITS KIND IN THE NATION, HAVING AN ALL-VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION WITH NO PAID STAFF. PWV MEMBERS USE EDUCATION AND DIPLOMACY TO PROMOTE COMPLIANCE WITH WILDERNESS AND BACKCOUNTRY REGULATIONS AND LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES. IN ADDITION, PWV MAINTAINS AN ONGOING "KIDS IN NATURE" PROGRAM AND ENGAGES IN SUBSTANTIVE TRAIL RESTORATION CAUSED BY CATACLYSMIC FLOOD AND WILDFIRE EVENTS.

IN 2022 PWV CONTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 17,649 VOLUNTEER HOURS TO THE USFS, WORTH $585,248 TO THE USFS. PWV MEMBERS COMPLETED 831 TRAIL PATROLS WITH 7,971 HOURS ON THE TRAIL AND HAD MEANINGFUL CONTACTS WITH 9,579 BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL USERS. DURING 2022, PWV MEMBERS CLEARED OR REMOVED 58 ILLEGAL OR OVERSIZED FIRE RINGS AND DISCUSSED LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES WITH HUNDREDS OF VIOLATORS. MEMBERS ALSO REMOVED 2,167 FALLEN TREES ALONG MORE THAN 150 MILES OF TRAIL AND CONTRIBUTED 376 HOURS TO PULL NOXIOUS WEEDS ON NATIONAL FOREST LANDS. OTHER PWV PROGRAMS INCLUDED ADOPT-A-TRAIL AND ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY, CONTRIBUTING TO ITS MISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND PUBLIC OUTREACH. KIDS IN NATURE (KIN), AN UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILD OUTREACH/EDUCATION PROGRAM PROVIDING SUPERVISED ACCESS TO WILDERNESS TRAILS. PWV BEGAN HOLDING KIN HIKES AGAIN IN 2022. PWV PROVIDES OUTREACH, MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION. IN 2022, A GREAT DEAL OF PWV'S WORK WAS IN EFFORTS TO ASSIST THE FOREST SERVICE IN THE RECOVERY OF TRAILS FROM THE CAMERON PEAK FIRE IN 2021. THE FIRE COVERED 209,000 ACRES AND INVOLVED 120 MILES ON 20 FOREST TRAILS. DURING THE SUMMER PWV WORKED ON THESE TRAILS BOTH CLEARING TREES AND PERFORMING DRAINAGE WORK. THE FIRE DESTROYED THE VEGETATION WHICH CAUSED INCREASED EROSION WHICH DAMAGES THE TRAILS. IMPROVING THE DRAINAGE WILL STOP MUCH OF THE TRAIL EROSION IN THE FUTURE. THIS WORK WAS DONE BY BOTH PWV MEMBERS AND PUBLIC VOLUNTEERS.

NOT APPLICABLE SEE PRIOR.

NOT APPLICABLE SEE PRIOR.