Get involved with the lands you love by volunteering for the BLM
By Denise I. Adamic
Though the calendar may say March, spring has sprung throughout much of Colorado.
For many Coloradans, the warm weather and change in seasons stir an urge to get outside and give back to the public lands they love. Volunteering with the BLM is one way to scratch that itch to get out and get involved on your public lands.
Colorado has one of the Bureau’s leading volunteer programs in the nation. Last year, nearly 4,000 volunteers worked on public lands throughout the state. Volunteering on public lands varies by season and location.
Generally, volunteer opportunities include: building and maintaining trails, assisting biologists with research, performing office support tasks, maintaining interpretive sites, serving as campground hosts or trail guides, inventorying and identifying plants, re-vegetating wildlife and riparian areas, installing signs and fences, constructing or maintaining facilities, assisting with habitat improvement projects, monitoring watershed studies, and preserving and cataloging cultural artifacts.
There are also annual events where people can get their volunteerism fix, such as National Public Lands Day (NPLD).
First held in 1994, NPLD is the nation’s largest annual hands-on volunteer event. NPLD offers a way to educate the public about environmental and natural resource issues and the necessity of stewardship. It also provides an opportunity to build partnerships in local communities while improving public lands through the hands-on work of volunteers working with land managers. This year, NPLD is on Saturday, Sept. 26, so keep an eye out for NPLD events in your area or visit the Web site: www.publiclandsday.org
Volunteering on your public lands not only scratches your itch to give back, it also helps land managers get their jobs done. Last year volunteers contributed 172,354 hours of work – that’s more than 82 people working full time for one year! In addition to the time that volunteers contribute, their efforts have an economic impact. Volunteer work last year was equivalent to nearly $3.4 million of paid labor. Thanks to all those volunteers, many more projects were completed than would have been possible otherwise – thanks Colorado!
While all of our volunteers are outstanding, some are exceptional. Ken Emory from Montrose is one such volunteer, and BLM recognized him in February as the 2008 BLM Colorado Volunteer of the Year. Last year, Ken volunteered more than 280 hours – that’s equivalent to seven weeks of full-time work. Ken also coordinated volunteer projects on public lands that totaled 629 hours and $11,800 of paid labor.
No need to worry that you don’t have the time to donate weeks of full-time work. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities that are just a few hours a weekend --- every bit helps! Giving back to your public lands today can help ensure others can get out and get involved tomorrow.
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