Peak Steward Training with Colorado 14ers Initiative

Event date: This event has already passed.

This joint program from Walking Mountains Science Center & Colorado 14ers Initiative teaches participants the unique ecology of Colorado’s Alpine Tundra, and how to engage as stewards of this delicate ecosystem. This training prepares participants to serve as a US Forest Service and CFI volunteer Peak Steward, educating 14er hikers on Leave-No-Trace, ecology, & alpine stewardship.

Location: Walking Mountains Science Center (Avon, CO) & Half Moon Pass Trail in the Holy Cross Wilderness
Registration: $10 per person, includes a sack lunch & CFI baseball cap. Lunch includes vegetarian and gluten free options; an order form will be sent prior to the event date.

Program Overview
Your day will begin at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, where transportation will be provided to the Half Moon trailhead in the Holy Cross Wilderness. The morning will be spent hiking to Half Moon Pass, where we will learn about alpine ecology, the principles of alpine stewardship & leave-no-trace, and the role of the peak steward program in protecting Colorado’s 14ers. After lunch will we return to Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon and cover the logistics of serving as a US Forest Service & CFI volunteer.

Peak Steward Program 

Through CFI’s “Peak Stewards” program, volunteers play a vital role in educating the more than 300,000 hikers that climb Colorado’s 14ers each summer. Peak Stewards serve as ambassadors in the field, contacting hikers while climbing Fourteeners to reinforce Leave No Trace practices, as well as monitoring visitor actions for the Forest Service.

This one day field training covers an overview of alpine plants & ecology, Forest Service visitor regulations, Leave No Trace practices developed specifically for the high-alpine Fourteeners, and visitor contact skills.

Once trained, Peak Stewards commit to spending four days per season making contact with hikers out in the field or doing outreach events. Volunteers can choose when and where they work, but are encouraged to devote attention to high-use Front Range peaks on heavily used summer weekends.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Days
Following this training, all participants will have the opportunity to continue with the Peak Steward Program and sign up for volunteer stewarding days on any of Colorado’s 14er trails. Anyone who commits to the program will receive a CFI nametag for service days on the trail!