Carbondale-based nonprofit Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) is gearing up for one of its biggest seasons to date. With the help of business partnerships and a state grant awarded earlier this year, RFOV has planned a whole slew of volunteer stewardship opportunities, training events and more. Sign-up is now open for everyone looking to lend a hand this season keeping our outdoor areas healthy and accessible.
Last year, RFOV engaged with over 1,400 unique volunteers who together with staff contributed over 11,000 hours to stewardship on 79 project sites. RFOV hopes to exceed those numbers this year, offering a wide variety of opportunities to help make volunteering accessible. A $300,000 grant awarded by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) will help pay for RFOV’s program director, without whom the organization couldn’t operate at its current capacity.
Additionally, one of the first events this season is a crew leader training on May 4 and 5. Whether one has volunteered with RFOV in the past or is a fresh face in the Valley, training to become a crew leader helps RFOV offer as many volunteering events as possible this season.
RFOV is also offering an “Intro to Restoration Skills” course on June 5. While the course isn’t a prerequisite for volunteering on projects, the evening-long class will help provide a background of understanding for how different restoration techniques work, and even how to apply them on one’s own property.
For those seasoned in the outdoors, one can register for overnight backpacking projects, like a one-night restoration trip on the Cathedral Lake and Electric Pass trails July 21-22, or a four-day trip on the backside of the Four Pass Loop Aug. 1-4. RFOV provides complimentary breakfast and dinner on its overnight trips, which are perfect for those looking to do some good in the backcountry.
For those seeking daylong events closer to town, whole families can engage with community projects as well. While the grown-ups perform trail maintenance and habitat restoration, RFOV will provide structured activities for the kids such as games and scavenger hunts. The Silt River Preserve restoration project on May 11 and maintenance at Rock Bottom Ranch on June 1 are both great opportunities to get the entire family involved.
This year, RFOV is also planning on opening up volunteer opportunities to visitors and tourists through a partnership with the Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance (RFVDA). The five tourism organizations of the Roaring Fork Valley — Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Snowmass Tourism, Basalt Chamber of Commerce, Carbondale Tourism and Visit Glenwood Springs — joined forces in 2022 to create a Valley-wide regional alliance.
Together with RFOV, RFVDA is launching the Regenerative Roaring Fork “voluntourism” program, through which tourists can participate in five conservation projects from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. The aim of Regenerative Roaring Fork is to shift the paradigm of tourism toward acting in service to the destination, emphasizing the environmental well-being of the community being visited rather than economic profit. The first of these RFVDA-sponsored events is May 7 at the Doc Holliday cemetery.
RFOV is also partnering with Independence Run & Hike to bring back the Mt. Sopris Run-Off this spring. Though the event has historically taken place during Mountain Fair in late July, the 10-miler and 25k races will take place on May 19 this year on the Prince Creek trail. Independence Run & Hike is organizing the event, and profits will benefit RFOV.
Overall, the staff at RFOV are looking forward to a productive season as they try to expand their outreach and make volunteering as accessible as possible. Funding from the GOCO grant is also being directed toward diversity, equity and inclusion consulting, as well as training for the construction of ADA-accessible trails. Ultimately, it is up to tourists and community members alike to get their names on the list, lace up their boots and help conserve our outdoor resources.
Find the complete list of upcoming volunteer opportunities at: www.rfov.org/calendar