Backcountry Volunteering

Expeditions

Be prepared to shell out big bucks in addition to travel costs. Most of these trips are financed at least partially by the participants. However, they do basic research that otherwise would be difficult to finance.

Smithsonian Research Expeditions
Washington, DC
202-287-3210

University Research Expeditions Program
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720
510-642-6586

Patagonia Research Expeditions

"two weeks in the field living among and studying free-living guanacos and pumas in their native environment" mid-Nov to early-Dec each year. Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile William L Franklin, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (USA) wlf@iastate.edu

Adopt - A - Hut / Trail

A viable option if you are within a short driving/hiking time of a location.

Adriondack Mountain Club (ADK)
Need to attend workshop on basic maintenance skills including blowdown removal, side cutting, drainage cleaning, and NY state trail specifications.

Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

The Green Mountain Club (Vermont)

Friends of Bagby Hot Springs (located in Mt. Hood NF, near Portland)
PO Box 15116
Portland, OR 97215-0116
Norman.Goetz@reed.edu

Rails-to-Trails

West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council
P.O. Box 8889
South Charleston, WV 25303
(304) 722-6558

The WVRTC is a statewide coordinating 501(c)3 organization for rail trail groups in WV. We schedule two work week-ends a year for heavy rail trail maintenance. We only work on rail trails. Typical work week-ends have included: bulldozing and cribbing back slips with rail road ties; building decking on RR trestles, cleaning out culverts; digging ditches; mowing grass; installing car barriers. Contact: Marty Weirick mweirick@newwave.net