$23,960 raised by 67 donors
48% complete
$50,000 Goal
Our 501(c)(3) non-profit team is made up entirely of volunteers that never charge for services. Our financial support comes from fundraising events, donations and grants. We strive to provide the best assistance possible to victims that find themselves in need of life-saving aid in the backcountry. Please help us continue to safely save lives and reunite families.
Our mission is to provide our unpaid and dedicated volunteers with the necessary knowledge, training, equipment and resources to safely assist the La Plata County Sheriff's Department in search and rescue operations in backcountry and technical settings.
LPCSAR (La Plata County Search and Rescue) was formed in 1979 under the jurisdiction of the La Plata County Sheriff's Department. LPCSAR functions as a volunteer agency providing search and evacuation services in the La Plata County backcountry. As a member of the Colorado Search and Rescue Board, we also provide assistance to other search and rescue units in and out of Colorado. LPCSAR is a 501(c)(3) corporation and services are provided free of charge. The only charges that may be incurred are related to the transport of the rescued parties by aircraft or ground ambulance (which are provided by outside organizations).
La Plata County is 1,700 square miles and home to the Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the State of Colorado at 499,771 acres; to say we are remote is an understatement. LPCSAR consists of approximately 100 volunteers who are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Our volunteers traverse in the most inclement weather to rescue/recover injured, ill, lost, and/or deceased parties. Scores of rescues are undertaken each year involving LPCSAR members and thousands of volunteer hours are given without compensation. With the remoteness of the San Juan Mountains, air support is often required to complete the evacuation or recovery, again an example of how we come together as a community to serve.
We leave no tool untouched as our missions often involve technical rescues using ropes, backcountry skis, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and mountain bikes. When it comes to gear, we are not the best equipped yet we have the biggest heart and are always willing. For example, our communication equipment are approaching a decade old. We can all agree, just with the evolution of our cell phones, communication has come a long way in a decade yet these are the tools we have at hand. We work with what we have and strive to make the impossible possible with the goal of almost all our missions ensuring you get home.
We ask for your assistance as much is needed to equip our teams and provide the gear to execute and perform in the best and most efficient capacity possible. You have the opportunity to make a difference and it starts now! Funding for LPCSAR primarily comes from individual donations (YOU), fundraisers and grants.
If you made it this far, LPCSAR thanks you for your time and consideration. We hope you will safely enjoy all the beauty Southwest Colorado has to offer, but if there is an emergency, we will be there for you and your loved ones.
Organization name
La Plata County Search and Rescue
other names
LPCSAR
1979
Tax id (EIN)
84-0858399
Category
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
LPCSAR P.O. Box 1885La Plata County, CO, US