How volunteers are helping maintain forest service trails

By Samantha Wright,

Published December 5, 2023 at 1:29 PM MST

Gina Cretser, right, and other volunteers had to climb over a number of downed trees to get to their worksite

The U.S. Forest Service manages some 160 thousand miles of trails, and maintaining that sprawling system is a major undertaking. Volunteer trail workers have become an essential part of keeping the public’s access open to its vast wild areas.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse recently went out with a volunteer crew, and brings us this report.

Tags

Samantha Wright

As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

See stories by Samantha Wright

Murphy Woodhouse

As Boise State Public Radio's Mountain West News Bureau reporter, I try to leverage my past experience as a wildland firefighter to provide listeners with informed coverage of a number of key issues in wildland fire. I’m especially interested in efforts to improve the famously challenging and dangerous working conditions on the fireline.

See stories by Murphy Woodhouse

How volunteers are helping maintain forest service trails

You make stories like this possible.