Truly Wild - Nevada's Jarbidge Wilderness

A photo from WV's 2011 project in the Jarbidge Wilderness

In the far northeastern section of Nevada, just below the Idaho border, lies the remote and rugged beauty of more than 110,000 acres of Jarbidge Wilderness. With soaring 10,000’ peaks looming more than 4,000’ above the Great Basin, this is an impressive wilderness area to visit. You are sure to find solitude, as this area is amongst the least visited wilderness areas in the lower 48 states, due solely to the remote location.

Jarbidge boasts many different plant species and lots of wild flowers

The aura of wilderness is in the fresh mountain air here. Indeed, the unicorporated community of Jarbidge is officially rated as having amongst the least polluted air in the country. There is an opportunity for tremendous bird watching, as the clear air and geography allow for sweeping, impressive views.  The geography is impressive, ranging from hoodoos reminiscent of Bryce Canyon to large granite peaks that feel like the Alps. A large range of ecosystems are present, from high desert to alpine. Large herds of deer and elk roam the area, as do the mountain lions that hunt them. Fish are abundant in the many lakes and streams that reside in this unusually wet area of Nevada.

A previous WV basecamp in the Jarbidge

The area receives substantial regular snowfall and the rough winters ensure the need for constant trailwork! Our project will be assisting the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest staff in maintaining trail in the striking Mary’s River Basin from August 22 - 29th. We’ll have pack support and will pack in around seven miles to camp, where we’ll make daily trips to work sites close by, so we can keep the trails accessible in this far out there place.

Join WV as we give back in the beautiful Jarbidge Wilderness

If a truly wilderness experience is what you crave, you can do no better than joining the service adventure in the Jarbidge Wilderness! Come breath the freshest air and  join us as we give something back in this remote, striking area. Learn more and signup here.

Project Spotlight: San Rafael Swell - April 19-25, 2015

Photo of the San Rafael Swell, from photographer Vera de Kok,  

Spaces are available on a spring WV service project in one of the most striking areas of the Colorado Plateau - the San Rafael Swell.  Geologically referred to as a massive domal anticline (a convex fold of the earth), the Swell is marked by slot-canyons, valleys, gorges, mesas, desert streams, geologic formations and buttes.  Despite being only several hours from Salt Lake City, the San Rafael Swell offers an incredible wilderness experience with a multitude of recreation opportunities and an abundance of solitude.

Randy Kahn took this 2014 photo contest winning shot of volunteers heading to work on the WV project in the San Rafael Swell last year.

Endangered Winklers Cactus (Pediocactus winkleri),
Photo by Daniela Roth, USFWS

The San Rafael Swell offers fascinating geologic formations, a history of ancient peoples, active wildlife and many endemic plants. Evidence of Native American cultures, including the Fremont, Paiute, and Ute, is common throughout the San Rafael Swell in the form of pictograph and petroglyph panels, many of which are accessible. The geology is so uniquely picturesque, it has served as a stand-in for alien worlds in many Hollywood productions, such as Star Trek  and Galaxy Quest. Unique geological conditions in combination with the arid climate have created microhabitats that support more than 40 rare and endemic plant species. Many of these plants are federally listed as endangered, such as the San Rafael cactus (Pediocactus despainii), Ute ladies-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis), Barneby's reed-mustard (Schoencrambe barnebyi), and many more.

Photo by Randy Kahn from last year's WV San Rafael Swell project

Our project will focus on a non-native plant that is abundant across the western US - the invasive and destructive tamarisk (tamarix). Tamarisk disrupts the structure and stability of native plant communities and degrades native wildlife habitat in extremely sensitive southwestern riparian areas by outcompeting and replacing native plant species (such as Cottonwoods and Willows), salinizing soils, monopolizing limited water, and increasing the frequency, intensity and effect of fires and floods. Tamarisk, as well as the other woody invasive plant common in the southwest, Russian olive, are nasty non-native plants that need to be removed to help restore wildlife habitat.

We'll camp by our vehicles at a remote site in the Sids Mountain Wilderness Study Area, picked out by our agency partners out of the BLM office in Price, Utah. From there we'll make daily hikes to work sites and explore the vast and wild San Rafael Swell. Learn more and come join us on a spring service project adventure in this remarkable place! And don't fret too much if the April dates don't line up with your calendar - we have a fall trip in the San Rafael Swell as well.

Another great shot from Randy Kahn from last year's project

See more great photos from the 2014 WV San Rafael service projects over at the WV Photo Gallery.

2014 Spring Schedule Released

The WV 2014 Spring Schedule is out now! We will be returning to many established projects, such as our award-winning project in Yosemite National Park, as well as introducing several new service projects, including Point Reyes National Seashore in California, Utah's San Rafael Swell and Red Buttes Wilderness in Oregon.

Supporters who make a financial contribution of $35 or more to WV get the first chance to sign up for projects, as registration is limited to supporters for the month of October. If you haven't donated to Wilderness Volunteers in the last 12 months, please consider making your financial contribution today.

We look forward to giving something back with you in the field in 2014!

Report From The Field: Sawtooth National Recreation Area

Report From The Field by Dave Pacheco

This past week, I co-led a group of intrepid Wilderness Volunteers into the rugged Sawtooth Wilderness to help the agency managing the Sawtooth National Recreation Area with some much-needed trail maintenance. We're proud to say this was WV's 15th project giving something back in the Sawtooths since 1999!

Under the long-time supervision of Liese Dean, Wilderness Program Coordinator, and Deb Peters, Assistant Trails Supervisor and expert packer, we backpacked in five miles to a campsite in the Stanley Creek area of the wilderness and immediately got familiar with our home for the week. Our first impressions were how incredibly clean the water flowed through this magnificent granite-based, Lodgepole pine forest -- some of the clearest water we had ever seen. And we couldn't help but be starkly reminded that the entire location, camp and work sites, were in a burned area from a 2007 fire.

For the next five days we made daily forays of up to eight miles round trip performing an assortment of

trail tasks. Volunteers took turns sawing out 55 downed trees across trails with a six-foot cross-cut saw, we lopped and brushed back overgrown vegetation from 5 miles of trail, and mostly we cleaned out debris and rocks from 244 water bars over that same distance. The water bar work was particularly important because of the unusual level of erosion from the past fire, and they are necessary to divert the water from gouging through trails.

Over the course of the week, we were thrilled with late night visits through camp by Mule deer and elk, and on the smaller scale we were entertained by pika, Clark's nutcracker, bluebird, and some very colorful Western tanagers. Thankfully, Thursday's storms that touched off wildfires across Idaho were well away from the immediate area, but they did make for some incredible evening red skies. The Sawtooth NRA is a place of many streams, deep glacial lakes, craggy peaks, and it's a place many of us will return to as we constantly explore wild America. If you're looking for a spectacular wilderness adventure, join us next year for another week in the Sawtooths!

See more pictures from this project and others via WV's online photo gallery.

Last Opportunities to Give Back with WV in 2013

Last week, we crossed the halfway mark for our 16th season of giving something back through weeklong service projects.  While there's still a large amount of work to be done, there aren't many spots available in the latter half of our season.  However, spaces are still available for these three neat places:

Mt. Rainier National Park, Sept. 8 - 14

Often referred to simply as "the mountain" by locals, Mt. Rainier is the most prominent topographical mountain in the contiguous United States. At 14,411' the massive stratovolcano can be seen from as far away as Portland, OR and Victoria, BC. Just under 60 miles from Seattle, the mountain and surrounding area offer tons of wilderness land to explore. Our service project in this very popular National Park is lending much needed restoration support to the Park Service. We will assist the restoration crew by transplanting native plant seedlings in subalpine meadows near the toe of Emmons Glacier. We will be car and tent camping down the road at White River Campground for the week, a developed site with amenities that is often noted for having breathtaking scenery. This is an active service trip appropriate for newcomers to backcountry volunteering and does not involve backpacking. Join us on the mountain in September.

San Gabriel Mountains Proposed Wilderness, Sept. 29 - Oct. 5

The San Gabriel Mountains are more than a scenic backdrop for the bustling city life of LA and the inland empire. These mountains support an interesting array of wildlife, many native species of plants benefiting from the range of microclimate and elevation variation, and also provide a much needed watershed for Southern California. Our service project in this proposed wilderness  is the removal of invasive Spanish Broom, which thrived following 2009's wildfires. We'll work with the Angeles National Forest's biology team to eradicate these invasives and also collect native seed for replanting.  Join us on the first WV project in the San Gabriels.

Big Bend National Park, Oct. 20-26

Big Bend National Park is unique as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan desert in the United States with more than 120,000 species of plants within its boundary. Lying on the Mexico border, the area offers an exceptional range of biodiversity with elevations ranging from 1,800' to more than 7,800'. The area offers much in the way of human history with archaeologists uncovering items dating back more than 9,000 years! Our service project will focus on trail maintenance and erosion controls on several key passages throughout the Park.  We'll stay in an established Park Service campground in the center of the Park, offering a great base to explore.  Learn more and join us on the last WV project of 2013, in Big Bend.

Praise from the Colorado National Monument

"...developing a relationship with Wilderness Volunteers has really paid off."

We received the following kind letter from S. Conrad Clements, Trails Work Leader for the Colorado National Monument.  We're extremely grateful for all the hard work our agencies put in protecting this special wild land and other unique areas just like it. We've had several successful service projects at the CNM and look forward to returning next year. You can see many photos of our most recent project within the Colorado National Monument at our gallery.

A Thanks to Wilderness Volunteers from the Colorado National Monument by Paul Goldberg

WV Visits King Range NCA on California's Lost Coast

California's Lost Coast, photo courtesy of Eric Mak

In late April, a Wilderness Volunteers group trekked on an 8 mile backpack to a beachside campsite deep into the rugged Lost Coast of Northern California.  The Lost Coast is the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in California. 68,000 acres are managed as the King Range Conservation Area by the Bureau of Land Management. The terrain is extremely rugged and the area experiences relatively frequent earthquakes due to the nearby Mendocino Triple Junction - the meeting of three tectonic plates just offshore.  Home to lush forests of Douglas-fir, Coastal Redwoods and Tanoaks, the area supports abundant wildlife including endangered coho and chinook salmon, steelhead trout and spotted owls.

Not a bad place for a hike, photo courtesy of Eric Mak

This was WV's inaugural service project with the King Range National Conservation Area. Participants worked on trail maintenance, including building new sections of trail and water crossings, as well as removing beach debris.

WV participants repair a major section of trail and build a water crossing, photo by Eric Mak

By all accounts the trip was successful! We received these kind words last week from Gary Pritchard-Peterson, the manager at King Range NCA.

We're very grateful for all the participants' hard work and are really looking forward to returning to the area next year!

Thanks from Canyonlands NPS via Twitter

Thanks to the @wildernessvols for your hard work removing tamarisk at The Confluence last week. (nh) twitter.com/CanyonlandsNPS…
— CanyonlandsNPS (@CanyonlandsNPS) May 1, 2013

WV's Dave Pacheco on KUED

If you were watching Utah public television station KUED during our online auction, chances are you saw our very own Dave Pacheco talking about WV's environmental do-goodery as well as the online auction that ultimately raised over $13,500 for our work!  Don't worry if you missed the video on TV, you can watch it below. And if you missed the auction, you can still pick up great items for a great cause by purchasing a WV hat, t-shirt, water bottle and more from our website (just click buy amazing merchandise to pull up the options).

Auction Begins Next Week!

We're really excited for our fundraising auction, which begins in just one week's time!

Items are still being added everyday.  We've got a great selection of hiking/camping gear, clothing, shoes, vacation lodging, art pieces and much, much more!

Still a few more days to donate an item - all you need to do is enter your information into this form. Donors include top brands, innovative start-ups and many wonderful individuals. We're so grateful for everyone's support of our work.  Thank you!

2013 Summer/Fall Schedule Released!

Goat Rocks Wilderness, Gifford Pinchot NF (2012)

We are super excited to announce the release of the full 2013 Service Project schedule!  It is a record setting year as WV will give something back in more wilderness areas in a single year than ever before, with trips from Hawaii to Vermont, Alaska to Texas and many, many areas in between.

We'll need your help to ensure that we complete all the tasks that our agency partners are asking of us, so head on over to our projects page to read more about each of the 2013 service trips and sign up for your top choice before it fills up.  **Also note that supporters of Wilderness Volunteers get early placement for their desired projects.

We can't wait to get on the trail and give something back with you and your friends and family! Check out this interactive map of where our 2013 projects or view the projects by date.

Any questions? Shoot us an email at info@wildernessvolunteers.org.

WV in the News

Dolly Sods Wilderness, Monongahela Nat'l Forest, WV (2012)

For the second straight year, Wilderness Volunteers spent a week clearing trails in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest - this time in the scenic Dolly Sods Wilderness.  The trip was a success, as we maintained several miles of trail and rehabilitated half-a-dozen campsites (amidst glorious fall foliage!). Needless to say, the US Forest Service is eager to see us return in 2013.

And so are our volunteers, especially this one, who has found inspiration in WV service projects to get involved with trail maintenance in his local community.  Visit NorthJersey.com to read more and learn what it's like to spend a week "Giving Something Back" with Wilderness Volunteers.

And stay tuned for a list of WV's 2013 Summer and Fall projects, which will be announced in early December!

Come See Us at REI in Northern VA on April 25th

Yosemite National Park, CA (2006)

Volunteers Mike & Jen Leonard and Rick & Marge Volpe will be at the REI Store in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia from 7-8pm on April 25th to share their experiences "Giving Something Back" with Wilderness Volunteers. They'll cover the basics of what we do, how you can get involved on one of our 2012 projects, and what you can expect on a "volunteer vacation" in America's national parks, forests, and wilderness areas. For more information and to register for this free event, click here. All are welcome - invite your friends and family.

Interested in spreading the word at your local outdoor store? Just ask the store manager or outreach director. We'd love the help! And stay tuned to the blog and newsletter for information on presentation materials and some simple steps to pulling off a successful event.

2012 Spring Projects are Filling Up!

Spring is upon us and WV's first two trips of the 2012 season are underway as of yesterday in Moab, UT and Arizona's Superstition Wilderness.

And there are plenty more to choose from this spring that are still in need of volunteers just like you - help restore sea turtle habitat in Hawaii, eradicate invasive plants in California, reconstruct hurricane-battered trails in New Hampshire, help maintain a precious archaeological site in Utah, and more.

Get all the details here. And as always, send any questions to info@wildernessvolunteers.org.

Take Gandhi's Word For It!

Cranberry Wilderness, Monongahela Nat'l Forest (WV), 2011

I recently came across these words in a book I've been reading:

"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." - Mahatma Gandhi

Well put. Each time I step into the woods for a week with Wilderness Volunteers, I find myself slowing down, reconnecting, and rediscovering. It's a priceless experience, and it's just one of many reasons to lace up your boots, strap on a pack, and head off on an adventure service project with Wilderness Volunteers. With week-long volunteer service trips in national parks, forests, and wilderness areas from Hawaii to Alaska, Maine to New Mexico and most everywhere in between, there's a trip for everyone and plenty of earth and soil in need of digging and tending!

I'll be swinging a pulaski and tending the trail in West Virginia's Dolly Sods Wilderness in early October - just in time to catch the onset of the incredible autumn colors in some beautiful country. It's reinvigorating just thinking about it and sure to be memorable.

But you don't have to take my word for it - take Gandhi's. And rediscover the great outdoors and yourself this year. Join WV in "Giving Something Back" on any one of the 50+ volunteer service trips available in 2012. Check out the complete project list and sign up here.

P.S. For more on the rejuvenating powers of WV, read self-proclaimed "WV Junkie" Nancy Cappelloni's account in the Winter 2011 newsletter.

Give the Gift of Adventure!

Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness, White River Nat'l Forest (CO) 2008

It's gift-giving season.

This year, instead of giving something that will be used up or easily forgotten, give a gift that will be anticipated for several months, one that will create memories that will last a lifetime. A gift that will be experienced by engaging all the senses in the natural world. An adventure in a beautiful setting.

Give a Wilderness Volunteers Gift Certificate.

The gift certificate is good for the project of their choice, with 50 to choose from from Minnesota to New Hampshire, West Virginia to Montana, Vermont to Alaska, Hawaii to Arizona. They'll be able to look over the projects, decide which is best for them, and send in their application. Over the next months, they'll get ready for the project by working on being in shape and collecting their gear. When the project starts, they'll meet some great people and work together on a project, share meals and soak up the majesty of America's public lands. They'll return home with pictures and stories to be shared and remembered for a lifetime.

Joseph Campbell, the mythologist and chronicler of how stories bring meaning to life, wrote, "I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” "The Power of Myth", Anchor Press, 1991.

Buy a Wilderness Volunteers Gift Certificate at this link.

Questions? Contact us at info@wildernessvolunteers.org or call (928) 556-0038.

We wish you a wonderful holiday and adventurous New Year!

Breaking News You Can Be Excited About!

Glacier Nat'l Park, MT (2010)

The 2012 Trips are on the Website!

All 51 of them! From Minnesota to New Hampshire, West Virginia to Montana, Vermont to Alaska, Hawaii to Arizona and everywhere in between, there's a trip for anyone and everyone. Check them out today.

Considering taking a trip for the first time, or trying to convince a friend or relative to join you? Check out the 2011 Fall Newsletter for some great volunteer and agency testimonials. Thanks to Nancy, John, Katy, Karen, Peter and Rick for sharing their thoughts and experiences.

And thanks, as always, to all of you for "Giving Something Back."

P.S. Don't forget to make your end of the year donation to Wilderness Volunteers. Supporters have the first chance to sign up for projects in December.

Building Bridges...Literally!

Check out the work done by Wilderness Volunteers in the Wind River Mountains, located in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest.

Nice work!

Spring 2012 Trips Are Up!

Cranberry Wilderness, WV (2011)

From Utah to Oregon to New Hampshire to New Mexico, check 'em out here - all 14 of them!

Summer and fall trips to follow in early December. Stay tuned to the WV homepage and the blog for more details.

A chance to give something back to the land

Dave Peters is fascinated by volunteering and by his favorite place to visit, southern Utah. Like most participants on Wilderness Volunteers service projects, he spends a lot of time deciding where he's going to go on his next journey and he gets the most out of "giving something back." Unlike most though, Dave has a unique voice and acumen for the written word -- he's a former staff writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and currently writes web content for Minnesota Public Radio.

After recently participating in the Wilderness Volunteers Beef Basin service project in southeastern Utah, Dave wrote some choice commentary for MPR about his adventure, some of which is posted below. Click here to read the entire piece at MPR.

"It wasn't the broiling desert scene I had envisioned when I headed to the Southwest after a long Minnesota winter.... My group was on a break from trail maintenance in a remote place called Beef Basin in southeast Utah, south of Canyonlands National Park. The nearest pavement was 50 miles of high-clearance dirt, sand and rock roads away. In the words of Wilderness Volunteers, the group that had organized us, we were there to "give something back." And we were working at it. Under the guidance of a Bureau of Land Management ranger, we cleared trails, blocked paths cut by cattle and hikers, tore down illegal fire rings (sometimes built with the hand-hewn rock of former ruins), hauled out old beer cans (in itself an interesting archeological study), fixed barbed-wire gates to keep out cows, and more....I find the place fascinating so I go there as often as I can. You can find your own way to give back, all over the country. Wilderness Volunteers, a nonprofit based in Flagstaff, Ariz., runs trips from Mount Rainier to Maine to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. It's pretty cheap, it gets you into the wilderness and it lets you become part of a constituency of quiet, something the land desperately needs."