The Subnivean Zone: The World Beneath the Snow Winter in the Rockies can be harsh and cold. The days are shorter, the nights are frigid, and our forests appear to be quiet and barren—as if all the animals are hibernating or have evacuated to warmer climates. But there is more

How we Keep Fishing Line out of Waterways & Bird Nests For the past three years, FDRD volunteers have been assisting the Forest Service with managing the fishing line recycling bins throughout the county. We call it the Adopt-a-Bin program. Over 30 bins constructed of PVC pipes, are located at

Handrail Construction at Officers Gulch This fall we completed the first of many improvements to the Officer’s Gulch trail, with the help of the U.S. Forest Service and some fantastic volunteers. The bridge crossing the outflow of the pond had a broken handrail for the past several years. We completed

Summer 2021 Accomplishments It's no secret that our trails and forest are getting more use than ever before. Recreation in Summit County is on the rise and our organization's mission is increasingly important to both our community and visitors. Thankfully, FDRD was able to accomplish more than ever before during

What We've Learned About Native Seed Collection at Copper Mountain Have you ever wondered how plants naturally reproduce, or noticed seed pods on your favorite flowers after they're done blooming? FDRD has been partnering with Copper Mountain Resort for the past three years, helping with their native seed collection efforts

Local Youth Forest Stewards in Action FDRD started a brand new summer youth crew called Youth Forest Stewards (YFS). This crew of local, high-school aged youth meet once per month for an environmental service project with FDRD. Projects include trail maintenance, fence building, campsite restoration, wildlife habitat restoration, and more!

Spruce Creek Wheeler Trail Bridge Construction What does it take to build a bridge on the National Forest? The process started back in summer of 2020 on a scout on the Spruce Creek Trail with the USFS Trail Crew. They assigned two specific bridge projects to us at FDRD.

Summer '21 Mid-Season Update It's the end of July and believe it or not, we are already HALFWAY through our volunteer project season! It has been an incredibly busy summer so far, so we thought we'd give you all an update on what we have completed in just two months.

Camping With Black Bears in Summit County Camping in Summit County is wonderful... getting away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life to relax in the peace and tranquility of nature. However, camping here comes with some responsibilities that we might forget to think about when planning our

Why We Should Avoid Muddy Trails Spring has sprung in the high country, and this beautiful, warm weather has kicked off our annual snowmelt. A lot of our trails are becoming saturated with spring runoff, so it's a great time to remind you to AVOID MUDDY TRAILS! When there are