And just like that, it’s officially summer! In June we saw the longest days of the year, numerous seasonal wildlife closures end, and volunteers, staff and participants make the most of these long, warm summer days and evenings. Wildflowers started blooming,and wildlife and humans alike are out enjoying the natural wonders of our public lands. Despite the hotter than average temperatures, earlier blooms and changing conditions, we’ve been able to make countless memories together on the Vail Valley’s beautiful trails.
Trail and Stewardship Crew
By the numbers, the TSC cleared 127 trees, cleared or built 26 drains, hauled away 940 pounds of trash, repaired 440 feet of tread and worked on countless other projects spanning the length of the Vail Valley. One exciting development, the TSC broke ground on the Creamery Ranch re-route, (see below) and established 420 feet of new trail over the course of two days. Work on The Creamery will continue through the months of July.
Adopt A Trail
The Adopt A Trail (AAT) program involves local groups, organizations and businesses directly with building and maintaining our bountiful trail systems here in the valley. With over 60 different AAT teams and 50+ trails adopted, the impact that this group brings to our trails cannot be understated.
AAT teams were busy throughout the month, completing 27 trail workdays with 23 partner organizations, totalling over 845 volunteer hours. The majority of volunteer efforts focused on corridor clearing and tread repair; essential work that keeps our trails accessible, inviting, and enjoyable for all users. Teams also made significant progress removing old barbed-wire fencing, hauling away more than 1,000 linear feet of wire weighing hundreds of pounds, improving both trail aesthetics and wildlife safety. Lastly, our AAT teams worked to clear and rebuild over 100 drainages across 8 different trails, which helps prevent erosion and preserve the integrity of the soil and tread. All of this work helps to connect local communities to their local trails – the love and dedication that goes into this program is incredible.
And drumroll please….shout out to our Volunteer of the Month, Jim Yurcack! Jim has been a rockstar with our Eagle D.I.R.T. Crew this season, showing up to every workday with a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and impressive trail-building skills. He’s always willing to tackle the more technical projects, including helping remove over 80 T-posts during a recent barbed wire removal project. Thanks, Jim, for all you do for VVMTA!
Oh wait. What’s that? Another drumroll please…congratulations you Team of the Month, GGRIT! As a new Adopt a Trail team this year, GGRIT has hit the ground running! They’ve brought out large groups to multiple workdays and tackled everything from building high-quality drainage features to uncovering a hidden rock garden on Game Creek. Their enthusiasm, growing volunteer base, and dedication to trail stewardship have already made a huge impact. Thank you, GGRIT!
Ladies Trail Crew
If you’re looking for a rewarding, meaningful, and fun evening, followed by some delicious food, look no further than Ladies Trail Crew (LTC). Once each month, women from across the Vail Valley come together to get dirty, work hard, give back, and pour their love into our trails. “This is the best night of my month!” one participant said.
In June, the LTC worked near the Wild West Trail in the West Avon Preserve to work on barbed-wire removal. The work was tedious and timely, and the women were able to remove 1600 feet of wire fencing, as well as 280 pounds of trash, leaving it looking dramatically improved and much safer for local animals.
Trail Ambassadors
Our small and mighty team of Trail Ambassadors (TAs), the Loraxes speaking for our trails, help educate users across the valley about responsible recreation and how we can all care for the places we love. Whether they’re educating trail users about Leave No Trace, answering a question or picking up trash, our Ambassadors work hard to keep our trails healthy and fun, and our community informed. Our TAs have hundreds of interactions with trail users, and even wildlife, over the course of our summer season.
June saw a spike in closure violations, from bikers caught mid-violation on Everkrisp, to repeated moto/mtb tracks at Two Elk, and bikes regularly chucked over the Whiskey Creek gate. Educating these trail users is critical from preventing future violations, and keeping trails safe for everyone. At the same time, our Ambassadors engaged in proactive stewardship like pulling bags of invasive garlic mustard near Everkrisp. Ambassadors are staffed at trailheads all over the valley; tell them hello next time you see them at your local trail!
Soul Dirt
Now we get to enjoy the rewards of all the hard work, dedication, and care that go into building and maintaining our trails. Through Soul Dirt, people of all backgrounds and abilities have the opportunity to explore the Vail Valley by foot or by bike, to reap the benefits of recreating outside in body, mind, spirit and community.
Soul Dirt partnered with Mountain Pride, Exploremos, Mountain Rec, Ellen Miller with GRGA, and the Shaw Cancer Center for a variety of hikes and rides. We kicked off June with a hike on Berry Creek with Mountain Pride, to celebrate the start of Pride Month with movement, community and identity. Most of our Soul Dirt rides were held at the Eagle Bike Park, where first-timers to seasoned mountain bikers can find their own level of challenge, fun and flow. We also explored the Arroyo Trails in Eagle Ranch, a great introduction to longer rides for those looking to build confidence and mileage.
Each ride, hike, and community event helps build confidence, strengthen relationships, and inspire lifelong stewardship of our public lands. By getting more people outside, Soul Dirt not only creates memorable experiences, but also cultivates the next generation of trail advocates who understand the value of protecting the places they love.
Looking Ahead
What’s been especially rewarding to see this month is how much our programs feed into each other. Volunteers who show up for one team keep showing up for another — women from the Three Sisters workday had first gotten involved through a Cycle Effect bike park night, another discovered a Soul Dirt event as a result of Ladies Trail Crew. Even our partner organizations are crossing paths on trail: on Berry Creek, Howard Head’s crew got a cheer from Cycle Effect riders passing by. It’s a small thing, but it speaks volumes; people aren’t just volunteering once and moving on, they’re finding a real home in the broader VVMTA community. As summer rolls into full swing, cooler temperatures and monsoon moisture should bring some welcome relief after a hot, dry stretch. Cooler temperatures make trail work easier and more enjoyable, and much needed rain will improve trail conditions all over the valley.
Hopefully tacky dirt awaits us all, as we have a busy and rewarding second half of the season across all our programs. The Trails and Stewardship Crew will keep the momentum going with continued progress on re-routing trails, restoring trail and tread health and other projects. Ladies Trail Crew will keep the monthly gatherings going strong, with more trail improvements and community building along the way. Adopt A Trail teams will continue building relationships with each other and the trails they love. Trail Ambassadors will remain out at trailheads as summer traffic peaks, educating visitors and protecting the spaces we all love. And Soul Dirt has more rides, hikes, and community events on the calendar, continuing to connect people to each other and with the life-changing benefits of trails.
