VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
2024 Season Volunteer Awards
This year, the RFOV Appreciation Party was held at Sunlight Mountain Resort during peak fall colors! Volunteers, partners, staff, and friends enjoyed delicious food, yard games, a photo booth, live jazz piano music, and the annual celebration of volunteer awards. Four super-star volunteers received golden pulaskis for all their hard work and commitment this season.
We also handed out two Lifetime Achievement awards to celebrate two men whose efforts and contributions to RFOV have been pivotal to where we are today.
Michael Hutton (left) was one of the original co-founders of RFOV and has served on the RFOV Board of Directors, teaches first aid to RFOV volunteers, and serves as a reliable and experienced crew leader on several community projects every year.
Randy Gold (right) has been a long-time member of the RFOV Board of Directors and helped to kick-start the Realtors for Stewardship campaign, bringing together realtors in the Roaring Fork Valley to support the stewardship of our public lands.
Volunteer of the Month: Beth Selzer
Beth Selzer, who earned the 2023 Most Active Volunteer award, continues to be an invaluable RFOV crew leader and volunteer on numerous projects every month. Beth brings a smile and positive energy to every project and is always excited to teach new volunteers about RFOV and the work we do.
Beth radiates the RFOV energy and is such a knowledgeable and amazing steward of our public lands!
SEASON OF GIVING
Colorado Gives Day 2024
Colorado Gives Day 2024 is December 10th, but this year's big kick-off for early giving starts November 1st! Join us to celebrate this annual state-wide movement of giving by making a donation and sharing our fundraiser with others!
Your 2024 CO Gives Day donation supports RFOV's mission to promote community-powered stewardship of our shared outdoors - bringing together over 1,400 volunteers, 10 project staff, and more than 20 land management partners to care for public lands from Aspen to Parachute.
RFOV’s 2025 Corporate Giving Program Kicks-off this Month!
RFOV is launching a fresh Corporate Giving Program for our 30th anniversary season!
If you enjoy the outdoors and want to be an active participant in caring for the network of public lands that makes our region so spectacular, RFOV would be honored to have your support as one of our core business partners in 2025.
Whether you’re investing in a Project Season Sponsorship, an in-kind gift, or a day of volunteering for your employees, your contribution makes a tangible impact to maintain, restore, and improve public lands across our region.
YOUNG STEWARDS
Youth In Nature
Last month, the 2024/25 Youth in Nature (YIN) cohort had their first session of the academic year at the Farm Collaborative in Aspen. The students received a tour around the property from Executive Director, Eden Vardy and Education Director, Corina Peterson. The group learned about cutting-edge permaculture practices and harvested some snacks along the way (tomatoes, figs, arugula, and more).
The next YIN session is with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES). Students will be meeting at ACES's Toklat property at the head of Castle Creek on October 19th.
GROUP PROJECTS & ADOPT-A-TRAIL
Community Stewards
RFOV's September Adopt-a-Trail partners crushed it! Osmia Skin Care continued to improve Ruthie's Run and other parts of Red Hill, Blazing Adventures dug drainages and pulled out invasive thistle on the Tom Blake trail, and REI Glenwood built check steps and maintained drainages on the Cross Trail, completing their 60-hour commitment of adopting the trail this season.
We also had two fun group projects last month! CCY Architects dedicated a weekday to planting trees in Basalt near the Willits rugby field, while the Aspen SkiCo Environmental Foundation made drainage improvements on the Seven Star trail in Snowmass.
Check out CCY Architects' article about their Group Project HERE!
For more information or to schedule a Group Project or Adopt-a-Trail day next season please reach out to cwoodward@rfov.org.
COMMUNITY TRAININGS
RFOV's First-Ever
Accessible Trail Design Training
Last week, RFOV hosted Dovetail Trail Consulting to lead a two-day Accessible Trail Design training for local land management agency staff.
As a community-building organization, RFOV wanted to learn more about how local trails and outdoor spaces meet the needs of the disabled community. Quinn Brett and Joe Stone shared their own stories and expertise, covering policy, program design, common barriers for adaptive athletes, and cutting-edge mobility devices.
Much of our time was spent examining popular local trails through the lens of an adaptive mountain biker - asking what works, what doesn't, and what can RFOV and local land managers do to improve the access and experience for trail users of all abilities.
This training opened many eyes to what it means to be inclusive and the steps RFOV and our network can take to make positive changes on our trails and in our communities.
Thank you to Quinn and Joe for leading this training and to representatives from the City of Aspen, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, the Town of Snowmass Village, the Town of Basalt, the Bureau of Land Management, Challenge Aspen, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and local artist, Jim Harris.
EASY WAYS SUPPORT RFOV
THE ASPEN PLEDGE
Simply by signing the Aspen Pledge, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) will make a donation on your behalf to Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers.
Go to citymarketrewards.com
Login or create an account
When asked to "Link your card", choose "Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteer" from the list of organizations
