Vail Valley Mountain Bike Association (VVMBA) is pleased to announce that their Adopt a Trail (AAT) program has expanded! Starting last spring, Adopt a Trail added a new program called the Trail Ambassadors! Between trail adoption and weekly trail work through VVMBA and Hardscrabble Trails Coalition, there are a lot of opportunities for people to dig in the dirt. VVMBA recognized that there were trail supporters out there that don t necessarily want to get down and dirty. So new this year, the Adopt a Trail Ambassador program was born in partnership with the US Forest Service. Ambassadors are a presence on the trail and in our community to help enforce trail closures, offer education about local flora and fauna and spread the Leave No Trace concept. This year s emphasis was on the spring wildlife closure from April 15 - June 20th, 2018. The trails included in this closure were the North Trail, Two Elk and Stone Creek. In a community meeting earlier this year including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some staggering statistics were shared. With the use of only a few cameras, the USFS documented 200 people using a closed trail over a 10 day period. It was unclear whether these people were local or not. VVMBA and USFS believes that community edu cation and enforcing the closures would reduce this problem. This led to the cooperative creation of the Trail Ambassador Program.
Field Ambassador Basics 2018 / 2019 Winter Spring Season ANY AMOUNT OF VOLUNTEER TIME IS APPRECIATED! A suggested amount of time includes being present at the closed trailheads for about 10-15 days over the winter/spring season to count visitors, dogs, cars etc. and answer questions about the closures (roughly 1 hour/visit) Suggested volunteer distribution over the next 8 months... 5 days enforcing the Everkrisp closure (Nov 23 - June 20) 5 days on any other closed AAT trails (Eagle & Avon Dec 15 - April 15) 5 days on USFS Spring wildlife closures (Vail area April 15 - June 20) When you volunteer is up to you, but we encourage being there at the more popular trail use times, (mornings before work, evenings after work or on weekends) No experience necessary, training provided Add your days to our shared calendar at least 24 hrs in advance Submit digital log information within 24 hrs after event The Spring 2018 program kicked off on April 7th with a half day training with the Forest Service at the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger Station. There are two categories of Ambassadors including Social and Field Ambassadors. Social Ambassadors visit groups or organizations that offer recommendations for recreational opportunities in Eagle County. This includes running & hiking clubs, ski & bike rental shops, hotels etc. Field Ambassadors are present outside on the closed trailheads and offer education on the seasonal wildlife trail closures and remind visitors about the basic concepts behind Leave No Trace (Pack it in, pack it out, stay on the trail, etc.) Field Ambassadors are also invited to hike the opens trails in the summer to spread the word and record statistics. Other topics covered at the training included seasonal wildlife migration, communication skills and how to handle certain situations including confrontations.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about trail closures in Eagle County and why they are closed. The dates of closures depends on wildlife movement as well as the land management entity, so they vary across the valley. This year, the same day trails opened in Avon, several closed around Vail, so the confusion is understandable. The Avon area trails are closed to protect mule deer from disturbance on their winter range. The Vail area trails closures are intended to protect mule deer and elk during migration and/or fawning/claving. Eagle County has a strong biking community and having a dry trail is tempting to people wanting to ride or hike. What they might not understand is that the closure isn t always about the trail condition. Deer and elk that have struggled to survive all winter, need access to specific familiar regions to refuel their depleted bodies and safely raise their new young. Closing some trails allows them a familiar safe zone to refuel and give birth. This year, USFS added large green gates and signs at the closed trail heads making it very clear that the trail was closed. Field Ambassador volunteers were also present on these trails to help people understand the reasoning for the new gate placement and offer suggestions for other open recreational trail locations close by. They also document any noticeable presence on and off the trails. This included people passing by the trail head as well as being on the closed trails. Other statistics collected include dogs being walked and whether they were on leash or not. Cars parked at the trailhead lots were also counted. The information collected was added to a master digital logging system that will help the USFS and VVMBA better understand what is happening on these trails without relying on cameras alone.
The Adopt a Trail Ambassador program is actively recruiting volunteers for the 2019/2020 season. If you have any other questions or would like to RSVP for a training, e-mail Michelle Wolffe at ecadoptatrail@gmail.com. 2018 Ambassador Statistics Total hours of volunteer time 194 Total days volunteered 125 People encountered 1,005 Dogs seen on trails 252 People seen on closed trails 30 Dogs seen on closed trails 14 Cars parked at trail heads 317 People s temperament 84% Great 15% Average 1% Negative
2018/2019 Seasonal Closed Trails Maps