BOISE, ID – The Idaho Conservation League is asking for volunteers to join its Wilderness Stewards Program to protect and enhance wilderness areas in Central Idaho.
After completing training, volunteer wilderness stewards will conduct patrols where they remove waste, clear illegal fire rings, naturalize backcountry campsites and collect data about trail use, according to a press release issued earlier this month by the Idaho Conservation League.
“As land management agencies governing these wilderness areas have seen — and expect to continue to see — dramatic shifts in capacity so far this year, a stable, consistent base of volunteers to look after our Central Idaho trails is key to keeping these shared spaces maintained,” Idaho Conservation League officials said in a written statement. “If you spend some of your summer recreating in Central Idaho’s beautiful wilderness areas and are concerned about the use, accessibility, and wildness of these spectacular places, this program is for you.”
Applications for the Wilderness Stewards program are available online and are due by May 2.
New wilderness stewards volunteers are required to complete training June 7 at the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters in Ketchum. After they are accepted into the program, wilderness stewards will be asked to complete four patrols between June and September.
Wilderness stewards patrol the Sawtooth Wilderness, Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness, Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness and recommended wilderness areas in the Sawtooth and Salmon-Challis national forests.
The Wilderness Stewards Program began in 2016.
Since the program launched, wilderness stewards have packed 200 pounds of trash out of Idaho wilderness areas, cleared or naturalized 761 illegal fire rings and removed 182 human waste issues, according to the Idaho Conservation League.
Wilderness stewards also share Leave No Trace principles with other trail users they meet. Since 2016, wilderness stewards have engaged with 120,775 other trail users, the Idaho Conservation League reported.
Founded in 1973, the Idaho Conservation League is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with offices in Boise, Sandpoint, Ketchum and McCall that works to protect air, water, land and wildlife.
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