Volunteers working on summer projects in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex say they are thankful to have done the work. Depending on the project, they maintain trails, suppress weeds and do other work to conserve the wilderness. They share these sentiments in evaluations at the end of each project, said Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation executive director Carol Treadwell.

“They are thanking us for the experience and they did trail work for us for a week,” she said.

Maybe it’s because the volunteers are immersed in the wilderness for days on end. The experience away from civilization is probably more memorable than the hard trail work, she said.

One volunteer even said it was a “luxury.”

Most trips have the support of pack mules to carry food and supplies, making the hiking a bit easier. The foundation also makes an effort to feed the volunteers good meals with an interesting menu, Treadwell said.

The Foundation has an average of 40 projects per year in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex that encompasses 1.5 million acres over five ranger districts and three national forests. The summer projects in total cost more than $100,000. This includes pay for both the seasonal and yearly staff, gas to drive volunteers to the trailheads, meals and other purchases.

To pay for this, the foundation is constantly on the look for funding.

The Foundation asked the Cinnabar Foundation to help support the salaries of their year-round employees — program director Rebecca Powell and coordinator Sue Johnson. The two women fundraise for the projects, file paperwork for the volunteers and seasonal paid crew leaders, make meal plans and schedule the trips.

In July, BMWF received a Cinnabar grant for $3,000. The foundation then matched the grant with funds from other grants.

The nearly 400 people that participate in summer projects are “volunteer boots on the ground,” Treadwell said. The great thing about these trips she said, is the volunteers are invested in the public lands.