Spotlight: Wilderness Volunteers

by KATIE BROOKS

Utah boasts some of the country’s most varied and beautiful scenes of nature. But in today’s world, even landmarks that have survived for thousands or millions of years need protection. That’s where Wilderness Volunteers comes in. This nonprofit organization was made for people who want to join the land’s cause and don’t mind getting their hands dirty—literally.

Wilderness Volunteers is a national 501(c)(3) organization with a chapter in Utah. Its mission is to take on the stewardship of America's wildlands through organizing and promoting volunteer service in cooperation with public land agencies. Wilderness Volunteers’ partners include the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wilderness Volunteers offers a unique and hands-on volunteer model: service trips. Every year during the months of March through October, volunteers can choose one of about 50 projects and travel on-site to serve for a week. Locations include everywhere from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to Haleakala National Park in Hawaii! In addition to the time working on the service project, the average trip also includes time for the participants to explore and enjoy the sites.

Each trip costs $299 per person. This price, which is lower than the actual cost, covers all food for the week (including snacks), tools, supervision of the projects, leader training, liability insurance, web hosting, cooking equipment, and other field expenses. Many items are donated to Wilderness Volunteers, including utilities, office space, and computers. Participants in the trip are responsible for travel to the location. They are asked to bring only their personal camping gear, a willingness to work hard, and a sense of adventure!

Participants in the Wilderness Volunteers service trips often leave in awe of how much work a group of 12 or fewer volunteers can accomplish in only seven days. By completing the clean-up and maintenance projects, along with teaching and following Leave No Trace® skills and ethics, Wilderness Volunteers and it supporters make an incredible difference. The group helps address the backlog of maintenance on public lands and helps increase appreciation for America’s wildlands.

Any nature fan over 18 and in good physical shape is welcome to participate in a Wilderness Volunteer trip. The organization’s website includes a list of the 2018 service trips, along with the difficulty level and gear list for each trip. Friends interested in helping but unable to attend a trip can also donate via the website. Those who do choose to attend a trip will love spending a week giving to a site and cause they have a passion for. You’ve never heard nature calling you quite like this.