A volunteer group, which advocates for wilderness trails stewardship, is raising funds for the restoration of trails destroyed in the 2020 Cameron Peak fire.
The Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV), a nonprofit with no paid staff and about 320 volunteers, has launched a “Reopen Your Favorite Trails” campaign on GoFundMe.
The campaign will use donations to help restore trails, fall dead timber along trails, repair and restore bridges in an effort to reopen wilderness areas to the public, according to a news release.
“We all get absorbed by the beauty, the expansive views and the freedom to explore in the wilderness,” said Mike Corbin, PWV board chair, in the release. “Dealing with the impact of the largest fire in Colorado’s recorded history is way beyond normal everyday efforts and we need all the help we can get to restore these trails.”
Founded in 1995, PVW will work with the U.S. Forest Service and other local wilderness groups on trail restoration, according to the release. As of Wednesday afternoon, the campaign had raised almost $12,000 of its $25,000 goal.
Last year’s Cameron Peak fire, Colorado’s largest wildfire, burned more than 208,000 acres, including 122 miles of trails within the burn area in the Roosevelt National Forest. Forty-two miles of trials are “severely damaged,” according to the release.
“Over one third of these charred hiking trails will remain closed for years, unless they are rebuilt,” the release said.
Since 2005, PWV volunteers have donated more than 340,000 hours at a value of about $7.3 million, according to the group.
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