2024-04-23T15:37:11-07:00 2023-12-31 990 2023-01-01 841333391 POUDRE WILDERNESS VOLUNTEERS POUD 9702130483 2519 S Shields St Ste 1K 202 Fort Collins CO 80526 James Medlock Treasurer 9702130483 2024-04-06 James Medlock 999009999 1 1 11 1 AAL2 2023 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z James Medlock 3438 Golden Currant Blvd Fort Collilns CO 80521 43002 0 X pwv.org X 1996 CO Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) is a Larimer County, Colorado, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996. It assists the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service in managing and protecting wilderness areas within its jurisdiction. To achieve this mission, PWV recruits, trains, equips, and fields hundreds of citizen volunteers to serve as wilderness rangers and hosts, educating the public, and providing other appropriate support to these wild areas. PWV is one of the largest, most effective organizations of its kind in the nation, having an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. PWV members use education and diplomacy to promote compliance with Wilderness and backcountry regulations and Leave No Trace principles. In addition, PWV maintains an ongoing "Kids in Nature" program, a Trails for ALL program for disabled individuals, and engages in substantive trail restoration caused by cataclysmic flood and wildfire events. 14 14 0 272 0 0 38464 39183 0 0 -976 3819 140 0 37628 43002 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 823 65906 50336 65906 50336 -28278 -7334 260849 265696 -198 1260 261047 264436 X Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) is a Larimer County, Colorado nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996. It assists the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service in managing and protecting wilderness areas within its jurisdiction. To achieve this mission, PWV recruits, trains, equips, and fields hundreds of citizen volunteers to serve as wilderness rangers and hosts, educating the public, and providing other appropriate support to these wild areas. PWV is one of the largest, most effective organizations of its kind in the nation, having an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. PWV members use education and diplomacy to promote compliance with Wilderness and backcountry regulations and Leave No Trace principles. In addition, PWV maintains an ongoing "Kids in Nature" program and engages in substantive trail restoration caused by cataclysmic flood and wildfire events. 1 0 45556 0 Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) is a Larimer County, Colorado, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996 to assist the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the United States Forest Service in managing and protecting the wilderness and backcountry areas within its jurisdiction. To achieve this mission, PWV recruits, trains, equips, and fields citizen volunteers to serve as wilderness rangers and hosts for the purpose of educating the public and providing other appropriate support to these wild areas. The Need Federal appropriations for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are not sufficient to cover the costs of forest management and conservation. Furthermore, the USFS doesn't have enough staff to adequately patrol and monitor the Wilderness and backcountry trails in our area. Meanwhile, backcountry use within the Canyon Lakes Ranger district continues to rise, reflecting population growth and demographic changes along the front range. The Concept Many duties of a USFS ranger can be accomplished by carefully chosen, well-trained citizen volunteers. PWV recruits local citizens who care about and use the region's outdoor resources. Members commit to a minimum of six days of service each year "hiking or riding with a purpose." PWV members have no law enforcement authority but use education and diplomacy to promote compliance with Wilderness and backcountry regulations as well as Leave No Trace principles. PWV members wear uniform shirts with identifying patches and name badges that make them a highly visible non-official USFS presence on the trails. They are trained to handle various emergency situations that might be encountered in the backcountry. PWV is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. The Results PWV has grown from 105 founding members in 1996 to approximately 270 members in 2023. Poudre Wilderness Volunteers patrol approximately 290 miles along 70 trails in 650,000 acres of Wilderness, general National Forest and National Grassland lands. PWV's efforts include establishing a: * Trail Crew to address insufficient USFS funds and personnel to clear fallen trees and other damage to trails. * Weed Crew to help the USFS in locating, controlling, and eradicating noxious weeds. * Kids in Nature Program to support the USFS Kids in the Woods program. * Restoration Program when wildfires and floods ravaged the Canyon Lakes Ranger District. * Trails for ALL Program to foster safe, fun, and education connections to the outdoors for people of all abilities. * Environmental stewardship and public outreach via the activities of other PWV programs such as Adopt-a-Trail and Adopt-a-Highway. PWV in 2023 PWV continued to pursue its mission of assisting the Canyon Lakes Ranger District programs managing and protecting the wilderness and backcountry areas in 2023. In support of our core effort of patrolling trails and engaging the public, we contacted more than 10,200 trail users while completing over 1,700 patrols. These contacts allow us the opportunity to support backcountry users with advice, information, restoration efforts focused on building bridges, constructing rock walls and steps, erosion control on the trails, and information and education on Leave No Trace practices and on USFS regulations. We continued our efforts to maintain trails last year at a high level, removing over 1800 trees from trails and clearing brush and limbs from over 66,500 feet of trails. Furthermore, in 2023 restoration efforts focused on building bridges, constructing rock walls and steps, erosion control on the trails, and installing grade dips and drains. PWV worked 7 days to improve drainage on our trails. We also worked 6 days with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy's Youth Conservation Corps, building 2 bridges. This amounted to 1600 hours of trail work to restore the trails. In 2023 PWV contacted more than 10,200 backcountry users while completing over 1,700 patrols. Total volunteer hours ...................... 29,821 Total number of patrols/reports .......... 1,729 Meaningful contacts w/ trail users ...... 10,254 Fallen trees removed from trails ......... 1,877 Feet of trail cleared of brush/limbs ..... 66,554 Pounds of trash removed ................... 425 Illegal fire rings removed ..................... 69 Violations addressed or reported ......... 567 Patrols identifying or pulling weeds ...... 116 Constructed .... 2 bridges, 145 feet of rock wall, 51 steps, 47 drains, 26 grade dips A Successful and Different Organization PWV has gained regional and national recognition for its contributions, including the Larimer County Environmental Stewardship Award, Take Pride in America Award for Non-profit Organizations, and the USFS Volunteer Group Award. PWV has no political or hidden agendas. Our single purpose is to protect the region's Wilderness and backcountry areas through on-trail service and public education. We are not an environmental advocacy group. PWV has a rigorous and comprehensive training program for its recruits and veteran members. No other organization providing volunteer rangers for the U.S. Forest Service has as many members, provides as many hours on the trail, or does so much without any paid staff. 0 0 Not applicable see prior. 0 0 Not applicable see prior. 0 0 0 45556 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 14 14 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CO X X James Medlock 9702130483 2519 S Shields St Ste 1K 202 Fort Collins CO 80526 X Mark Snyder Chair/Director/Officer 0 0 X X 0 0 0 Sean Orner Chair Elect/Director/Officer 0 0 X X 0 0 0 Bruce Williams Past Chair /Director/Officer 0 0 X X 0 0 0 James Medlock Treasurer/Director/Officer 0 0 X X 0 0 0 Ruth Janitscheck Secretary/Director/Officer 0 0 X X 0 0 0 Jeanne Corbin Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Pete Ramirez Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Rich Cappello Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Joe Cox Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Steve Musial Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Jeff Randa Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Jim Branch Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Jennifer Collins Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 Dan Schultenjann Director 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 39183 32 39183 0 3819 3819 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43002 3819 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2412 0 2412 0 527 0 527 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1018 0 1018 0 Outreach, Membership, Education, & Trails 46379 45556 0 823 50336 45556 3957 823 60335 54083 93581 41527 0 0 9789 2981 0 0 0 8000 10267 1128 1392 9632 8669 963 963 62013 1046 1046 86007 91424 260849 265696 -198 1260 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -198 1260 X 228463 244022 32584 20414 261047 264436 260849 265696 -7334 12436 0 -1713 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 48627 48704 93352 38463 39183 268329 616 -199 373 140 0 930 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 49243 48505 93725 38603 39183 269259 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 269259 11989 1521 -976 3819 16353 0 0 0 0 0 11989 0 1521 -976 3819 16353 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61232 48505 95246 37627 43002 285612 0.94274 0.95075 0.05726 0.04925 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9632 0 8669 963 0 0 0 0 963 Operating Reserve Cash 20234 F Operating Reserve Equities 8072 F Operating Reserve Fixed Income 33104 F Operating Reserve Other 603 F 62013 Endowment 91424 91424 Form 990, Part III, Line 2 Poudre Wilderness Volunteers has initiated a program (Trails for ALL) with other non-profit organizations supporting those with disabilities. The Trails for All program brings those with disabilities onto the trails in the United States Forest Service's Canyon Lake Range District. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 4 The Board of Directors changed the by-laws date on which new officers and directors take office. Prior to the change, new officers and directors took office during the Board's meeting in October, in which the election of the new officers and directors occurred. After the change in the by-laws new officers and directors take office on January 1 of the next year. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 Members of the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers are volunteers who support the activities of the United States Forest Service's Canyon Lakes Ranger District. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a Members of the Board of Directors and Officers elect new members and officers during the Board of Directors meeting in October. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b The Executive Committee may make decisions between Board of Directors meetings. When the Executive Committee has made a decision between Board meetings, the by-laws require the decision to be presented to the Board at the next monthly meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 8b When the Executive Committee makes a decision, it is presented to the Board of Directors during their next meeting for approval. The by-laws allow each committee to vary by 10% above the annual budget without the Board's approval. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The Treasurer, Bookkeeper and previous Bookkeeper review Form 990. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 PWV's annual financial statements (statement of financial position, statement of financial activity, and budget v. actual) are approved no later than the February Board meeting. The financial statements are part of the minutes of the February Board meeting, which are posted at https://pwv.org/about-us/documents-minutes. The organizational handbook, by-laws, and endowment fund policies are available at https://pwv.org/about-us/documents-minutes.