Helping you enjoy the outdoors responsibly
Returning VVMTA staff, Emily Carney and Melanie Morone, have been working for the last month to help support enforcement of seasonal trail closures at trailheads. They’ve been working throughout our county to help educate users, manage our game cameras, and play a critical role in promoting the safety, enjoyment, and preservation of our trails.
Emily Carney
Melanie Morone
A Reflection from Our Staff
As trail ambassadors, we’re here to provide educational resources, share cool nature facts, help you find open trails, and send out gentle reminders that dog leashes keep everyone safer. The start of the season is tough because we hate saying “no,” but until June 21st, we are stationed at closed trailheads. It’s important that we all respect these closures. Think of us as friendly human detour signs in stylish VVMTA hats. And yes, we promise it’s worth the wait. When we respect closures, wildlife and wild places thrive—for us and for future generations.
As I write this, we are sitting at a seasonal trail closure, enjoying a lovely afternoon rain shower. And believe me- despite mastering the art of saying “trail’s closed,” we are so excited to see you all at an open trail soon! – Emily
In addition to our staff, we are honored to have Ellen Miller, Michelle Wolffe, and Stacey Robberson as our volunteer trail ambassadors for the summer. With the ever growing increase in outdoor recreation, it is more important than ever to have ambassadors who can interact with trail users, answer questions, and provide guidance on how to minimize the impact on the environment.
Read our recent blog post about how to “Respect the Wild” and why we have trail closures.
What have our trail ambassadors been up to?
Spring Stats:
- Trail Ambassador Shifts: 30
- Trail Ambassador Contact Hours: 192
- Trail User Encounters: 235
- People from Eagle County: 170
- People Outside of Eagle County: 46
- Pounds of Trash Collected: 10
- Number of Pieces of Trash Collected: 359
Whether it’s asking for a trail recommendation or taking a look at our resource table, be sure to say hi to our incredible team of educators!
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Contact Natalie at natalie@vvmta.org to learn more!
