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Prior to 2000, San Gorgonio Wilderness Association funding was mostly provided by merchandise sales, funding from the Forest Service, and a program that permitted organization camps to pay a non-profit in-lieu of paying a lease to the Forest Service.

Funding from the Forest Service was slowly reduced year to year in response to budget cuts. SGWA was able to make slight adjustments to programming with little noticeable impact.

In 2000, a regional decision determined that SGWA was ineligible for the in-lieu payments due to being so closely tied to the agency. A third of our operating funds were lost in one fell swoop.

This seemingly devastating development turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The steps SGWA took in reaction to this funding crisis made the organization much stronger and sustaining, and better prepared to satisfy its mission.

This case study examines several steps SGWA took as it may be of value to other organizations facing budget issues.

The Forest Service has agreed to post a Friends of Allegheny Wilderness placard with contact information at the Hickory Creek Wilderness trailhead in the Allegheny National Forest in order to help us drum up more volunteers to do trail work.

The Selway-Bitterroot Foundation’s Wilderness Ranger Internship Program launched in 2009, and was a tremendous success.  2010 saw the program expand its training and produce another year of significant wilderness stewardship accomplishments.  Over the course of the summer, the interns worked side-by-side with both Forest Service staff and Selway-Bitterroot Foundation staff.  The diversity of leadership that the interns were exposed to provided valuable mentoring opportunities throughout the summer.  Being exposed to a diversity of wilderness leadership styles allowed interns to observe different techniques, tactics and strategies employed in wilderness stewardship.

Come Cold, Come Rain, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District Persevere.

Friends of the Dillon Ranger District (FDRD) partners with the Greenland Reserves Land Trust for an Adopt-A-Trail program each year. One of ten agreements that FDRD has with local organizations, the program helps to facilitate three to four days of trail work during the summer with GRLT.

On June 12th, eight volunteers constructed a new turnpike on the Buffalo Cabin Trail in the Eagle Nest Wilderness on the White River National Forest in Summit Count, Colorado. Despite very cold and wet weather, the volunteers worked very hard to successfully stabilize this section of trail!

www.fdrd.org

Team Conasauga Quickly Clears 200 Fallen Trees from Wilderness Trail

Two hundred fallen trees along 1,000 feet of Wilderness trail can seem like a nearly impossible task that might require several months of work to clear, using only traditional tools instead of chain saws and other power equipment. However, a dedicated group of volunteers from Team Conasauga and the Southern Appalachian Backcountry Horsemen came together to complete the task in less than a month.

The commitment to long hikes and hard work continued in 2009 with a project made possible by the Great Burn Study Group (GBSG), North Fork Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest, Nez Perce Biocontrol Center, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Five Bears Outfitters. The GBSG inventoried six trail systems in 2009 in the Kelly Creek drainage of the proposed Great Burn Wilderness of northwestern Montana to continue their partnership with the Clearwater National Forest. This area covers over 1000 acres of inventory.