Click here to see more about us on the Eagle Summit Wilderness website!
You can donate via our website instead of Colorado Gives here!
Have you been on trails lately, and marvelled at how they were clean, dry and cleared of logs? Or maybe you had to go through major muddy sections and climb over so many fallen trees? Were you able to cross a rapidly running creek safely by using a bridge? Or did you have to ford the treacherous waterway? Were you able to find your way? Or did you get lost because signs were broken or too weathered to read? While much of our work is hidden, it is of immense value to the Wilderness and its users. Keeping users on the trail and safe is a major part of keeping Wilderness and its inhabitants wild. Help the Wilderness today with a donation! Click here to learn more about the impact of your donations!
Eagle Summit Wilderness Association is an official partner of the US Forest Service (USFS), and our mission is to protect, preserve, and maintain the 4 Wilderness area between Eagle and Summit Counties. We are 100% volunteer-based, and cover Eagles Nest, Holy Cross, Ptarmigan Peak, and part of the Flat Tops Wilderness. With about 200 active members, we achieve our mission by boots-on-the-ground field programs that focus on stewardship and education. Given significant cuts to the USFS governmental budget, they need our help more than ever, so we need YOU!!
Every summer, our Volunteer Wilderness Rangers patrol over 300 miles of designated Wilderness trails. We serve as official volunteer representatives of the US Forest Service, engaging with and educating the public, promoting Leave No Trace principles, and providing crucial statistical information to the USFS. In 2024, we volunteered over 2000 hours in 447 patrols and covered nearly 3000 Wilderness miles!
Our Volunteer Sawyers partner with the USFS to clear 18 Wilderness trails of fallen logs every summer. These trails go deep into the Wilderness, where chainsaws are not allowed. In 2024, we spent 894 hours clearing over 1100 trees!
Our Trail Projects Crew has been hard at work this summer. We partnered with the USFS to rebuild a large bridge over Missouri Creek. This was a complex 2-week project made up of 33ft long stringers on top of 8 foot sills. We also just completed a 2-year project on Meadow Creek, building a boardwalk, a bridge, 23 check steps, and 12 water diversions! These major projects are funded through grants ESWA applies for, and are partially matched by volunteer hours and donations! We also have 4 overnight Llama trips every summer to reach deep into the backcountry.
Our Advocacy team works with government agencies and other partners to protect and preserve the Wilderness for future generations. Major accomplishments include the recent protection of the local and native Bighorn Sheep herd!
Organization name
Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance
other names
ESWA, Friends of Eagles Nest Wilderness
1994
Tax id (EIN)
84-1305851
Category
Environment
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO Box 4504Mailing
PO Box 4504Headquarters
334 Hillside Dr.Summit County, CO, US