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Wilderness Watch Cloud Peak Chapter Share
The Cloud Peak Chapter has remained a loyal partner to the Bighorn National Forest, contributing volunteer labor on several field projects, commenting on the Forest Plan revision and other proposals which affect wilderness access, developing and revising the Trails Illustrated map for the CPW, and helping to develop informational brochures and signs to educate the public on wilderness stewardship and regulations for visiting the Cloud Peak Wilderness. In 1999 the Chapter received the Forest Service Chief’s National Volunteer Award, recognizing our efforts. We are always looking for new members and field volunteers. To reach us by e-mail: bahrens50@gmail.com To contact us by mail, address your letter to: Cloud Peak Chapter, Wilderness Watch, PO Box 6773 Sheridan, WY 82801. Since its inception, the Cloud Peak Chapter of Wilderness Watch has been propelled entirely by volunteer members, no paid staff, to conduct a number monitoring projects in and around the Cloud Peak Wilderness in cooperation with the Bighorn National Forest. The 2012 campaign will need volunteers willing to be trained in the Forest Service Rapid Assessment Protocol for classifying and locating campsites. Some areas of the Cloud Peak Wilderness will require overnight packing into the Wilderness. The Chapter is also looking for volunteers willing to catalog the data or provide logistical support for the back country census teams. Training information follows: Training for Rapid Assessment and Census of Wilderness Campsites We need all volunters to contact the Chapter representative with their intention to participate and the number in your party. If you absolutely cannot attend any of the set dates but still have an interest as a volunteer, please contact the Chapter representative. All volunteers need to decide how they want to participate. We have some that simply want their maps, forms, and gear in an area that they are assigned or have an interest in. There are others who would like to coordinate with other volunteers in a group. Are you going to be a day-tripper or do you want to backpack in for several days? These types of participation all work if you let us know. We need coordination, safety, and consistency, so let us know what you have in mind. The Cloud Peak Chapter of Wilderness Watch will be involved in other monitoring projects in 2012 and beyond to assist the Forest Service in adapting the best practices for the stewardship of our wilderness resources with boots-on-the-ground volunteers. Bob Ahrens, Chapter Representative 
The Cloud Peak Chapter's Projects Trail Maintenance: Our adopted trail, from Sherd Lake to Old Crow Lake, receives annual maintenance. Volunteers must receive safety training before beginning work. Stream Health Survey: In 1998, the Chapter designed a program to gather baseline data on the water quality of streams within the Cloud Peak Wilderness, using techniques accepted by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The survey includes data on water chemistry, macro- and micro-invertebrates, and the physical condition of a short section of each stream. All field equipment has to be backpacked in to these remote sites, which is why they had not been studied before. Data from the 2000-2002 field seasons on eleven streams has been published in CD-ROM format, and is available to anyone having an interest in stream quality by writing to the Cloud Peak Chapter. By 2005, 21 of the approximately 30 streams had been sampled, and the project is continuing. It will add unique information to studies already available from downstream sites in Wyoming and the Bighorn National Forest. The Cloud Peak Chapter received a Bighorn National Forest Award for this work. Trails Illustrated Map: In 1996, the Cloud Peak Chapter raised $13,000 to create a topographic map of the entire Cloud Peak Wilderness, in partnership with Trails Illustrated. The Bighorn National Forest brought the need for this map to our attention, noting that wilderness users had to patch together several maps to get the complete picture. The group submitted revisions for the map in 2001, and continues to be the main Wyoming distributor to retail outlets and the USFS, providing a continuing source of funds to support the Chapter’s other projects. Educational Efforts: Our Chapter created and distributed educational brochures to help educate Wilderness users about the impact of campfires and regulations prohibiting campfires above 9,200 feet within the Wilderness. We continue to update and distribute these brochures in every Trails Illustrated map and in local sports stores. Also, we supplied the graphics and text for informational signs at popular trailheads, and continue to help maintain and update them. Bare Ground Survey: These ongoing studies provide baseline data to the Bighorn National Forest. Volunteers identify campsites in the Cloud Peak Wilderness and measure the area of bare ground created by human use. Over a period of years, the survey data help the Bighorn National Forest determine whether standards are being met in the Wilderness. Leave No Trace: As a public service, the Cloud Peak Chapter schedules training in the principles of “Leave No Trace”. This program educates visitors in ways to minimize impacts of their stay, to avoid activities that can damage the fragile vegetation of our high-altitude Wilderness. << Go Back |
The Cloud Peak Chapter of Wilderness Watch was organized in 1996 to work for good stewardship of the Cloud Peak Wilderness of the Bighorn National Forest, adhering to the philosophy of Wilderness Watch to follow the principles of the Wilderness Act. At that time, there were serious issues with the Bighorn National Forest’s management which threatened the continuity of wilderness stewardship.©2009 Wilderness Watch / PO Box 9175 / Missoula, MT 59807 / 406.542.2048 / wild@wildernesswatch.org / Site by Small Dog Solutions