Summary
Organization name
Friends of Wilderness
other names
FOW
2000
Tax id (EIN)
20-4597607
Category
Environment
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
P.O. Box 771318Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
Routt County, CO, US
About
Custom Tab
For twenty five years, Friends of Wilderness volunteers have coordinated with the Forest Service to educate the public and maintain the trails of the magnificent Zirkel, Flat Tops and Sarvis Creek Wilderness Areas in northwest Colorado. Help us celebrate our 25th Anniversary and make it our best year ever by making a tax deductible donation.
Testimonials
"Just wanted to extend a big thank you for the 2024 report you put together, and a huge thank you on our end to the absolutely essential amount of work FOW put in this year. The amount of hours and trees cut and time put in the Wilderness areas of the Routt is beyond huge. We couldn’t do it without you all, and all of your work from trails, to stewardship, and ambassadors is deeply appreciated. You all make a big difference for us. I hope fall is coming together for all of you well – just wanted to say thank you from our end. Please share the sentiment for all of your volunteers, you all are great."
Dave Mucklow - Routt National Forest - Mt Zirkel Wilderness
Today I completed an enjoyable hike from Slavonia TH to Mica Lake and back.
Thanks to your organization and its volunteers, I had a wonderful hiking trail void of any trees in my path. I also noticed a few other trail improvements around the switchbacks that were very helpful. Because of your efforts, and only because of your efforts, I was able to make it the lake and experience the wonders it provided.
Thank you, thank you.
Regards, Brian Fagan
Giving Activity
Mission
Friends of Wilderness partners with the U.S. Forest Service in managing and protecting the Wilderness and backcountry lands of the Routt National Forest and adjacent national forests.
Background Statement
Friends Of Wilderness (FOW) is a 501(c)(3) founded 25 years ago by Elaine Dermody. The history of the team is richly detailed in her memoir Wilderness Adventures. FOW started with just a handful of volunteer Wilderness Rangers working with the Forest Service, patrolling the trails and educating (and cleaning up after) visitors. As the team of volunteers grew, the partnership with the Forest Service became more formalized. FOW became more involved in trail maintenance, removing fallen trees from the trail system, improving trail drainage, and maintaining signage. A couple years ago, the challenge of surveying the advance of invasive weeds was taken on. In 2025, solitude monitoring was added to the list, to help the Forest Service comply with Wilderness management requirements.
Over the years, as Forest Service funding has decreased, FOW has stepped up to fill some of the gaps. In 2025 the funding cuts became acute, and FOW helped pay for Rocky Mountain Youth Corp employees to also do trail maintenance. It is unlikely that federal funding will be restored to prior levels. FOW wants to do more, but we need donations and additional volunteers. The next 25 years are going to be difficult. You can help FOW rise to the challenge by donating today.
For a more information and pictures of FOW's development, please see our webpage FriendsOfWilderness.org
Media gallery
Organization Data
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477