This page explains the activity types in the Desolation Wilderness Volunteer Program.

Adopt-a-Lake

Take pride in a special lake area and help keep lake campsites clean.  Lakes with heavy use need more attention that Forest Service staff can provide.  This is a great activity for groups, families, friends working together or just individuals.  This can be a day hike of overnight camping.  Adopt-a-Lake involves trash pickup, cleaning or dismantling campfire rings, maintaining signs and identifying other tasks that need to be addressed.  With training some volunteers restore and re-vegetate impacted areas and/or educate visitors about Leave Not Trace ethics.  Scheduling of hours is at the Volunteers discretion and availability.  This opportunity will continue daily until the Volunteer Program stands down sometime in the fall.

Lakes identified for 2011 adoption are: Sylvia Lake, Lake of the Woods, Twin and Island Lakes, Grouse Lake, Middle Velma Lake, Maude Lake, Ropi Lake, Rockbound Lake, Rubicon Reservoir, Lake Aloha, and Avalanche Lake.
 

Adopt-a-Trail

Starting from early season you would begin inventorying the trail for maintenance needs, including but not limited to down trees, water bars, erosion, trail spurs, and safety hazards.  Scheduling of hours is at the Volunteers discretion and availability.  This opportunity will continue daily until the Volunteer Program stands down sometime in the fall.

Backcountry Naturalist

Hike in Desolation Wilderness and "Be Contacted" by visitors, answering recreation and resource protection questions and providing necessary response within the scope of your authority and skill level.

This opportunity is most effective when the volunteer is carrying a tool and performing resource protection or trail work. (How about a garbage bag and shovel!)

Scheduling of hours is at the Volunteers discretion and availability.

This opportunity will continue daily until the Volunteer Program stands down sometime in the fall.

Campsite Monitoring

Help complete the 10 year stewardship challenge by conducting an inventory of campsites at every lake in Desolation Wilderness.  After completing training you will be given a map and pictures of campsites that were taken 10+ years ago.  You must find the campsites by comparing the pictures with the landscape, then measure and re-photograph the site.

Campsite Restoration

Help restore heavily impacted campsites by placing ice burgs, down trees and branches, duff and more in the campsite.

Educaiton/Outreach

Education/Outreach includes Community Outreach, Interpretive Programs, and Environmental Education.

Encounter Monitoring

As part of the 10 year stewardship challenge we must conduct usage counts.  You will be given a specific section of trail on a specific date to hike and count all persons, dogs, and pack animals on the trail.  These numbers will be recorded in a log book.

Office

Provide Ranger Station visitors information and assist the office staff.

Trail Work

Help improve the trail system by constructing new trails, restoring/improving old trails, clearing water bars, and clearing down trees from the trails.

Trailhead Naturalist

A Trailhead Naturalist will staff a information table at busy trailheads providing current trail conditions, hiking opportunities, regulations, assist hikers in trip planning, and Leave No Trace ethics.

The Trailhead Naturalist will arrive at the trailhead by 08:00 and will pack up the information materials between 10:30 and 11:00 then proceed to hike up the trail for a short day hike to make contacts on the trail.

The preferred (priority) trailheads are Twin Lakes, Lions Creek, Twin Bridges, Echo Lake, Glen Alpine, Eagle, and Bayview other trailheads are available upon request.

Scheduling of hours is at the Volunteers discretion and availability.  This opportunity will continue daily until the Volunteer Program stands down sometime in the fall.

Training/Classes

Training/Classes is simply what it says, Training and Classes that are offered to the volunteers!