This award is given in recognition of successful efforts to influence public policy relating to trail planning, trail protection, trail development, or maintenance.
Gunnison Trails Non-Profit Organization has been the backbone to community partnerships in the Gunnison Field Office. Most of this is due to the director of Gunnison Trails, Dave Wiens.
Dave may be famous world-wide for beating Lance Armstrong in the Leadville 100 but he is famous in Gunnison for being a public land steward and community leader. Dave is one of the most humble giving individuals that I have ever met. He is a diplomat amongst trail users and recreationists making him a spokesperson for many who don't feel they are being heard.
Gunnison Trails is a non-profit trail advocacy organization established to assist land managers and other organizations in maintaining existing trails, educating users on responsible trail-based recreation and pursuing new opportunities for biking, running and hiking trails which promote sustainable trail use throughout Gunnison County.
Gunnison Trails, with the direction of Dave Wiens, works endlessly on public lands completing trail maintenance and construction projects, route obliteration projects, cleaning up trash, and organizing youth education opportunities. Gunnison Trails organizes evening trail work days with little direction from BLM staff contributing 480 hours of volunteer service for these work days in 2012.
This year Dave organized a Western State Colorado University Freshman Orientation project on BLM with a total of 1098 hours of volunteer service to complete a trail reroute project at Hartman Rocks Recreation Area. He also instigated and taught a high school trail maintenance class through Gunnison High School Outdoor Education Program with a total of 166 volunteer service hours on BLM. He has initiated route obliteration projects with a total of 115 volunteer hours.
Dave has taken the lead on working directly with local grazing permitees to help with recreation and grazing conflicts. He also participates in Gunnison County Trails Commission and has been appointed to sit on the Gunnison Sage Grouse Strategic Committee as a representative from the recreation community and volunteers to organize the Gunnison Sage Grouse Festival. He is always looking ahead at future possibilities for trail users.
It often amazes the Gunnison Field Office how much time and energy Dave Wiens puts into be a trail advocate and public land stewardship. Everything he does for the BLM in Gunnison is as a volunteer and he has taken volunteerism to the next level. He volunteers to organize volunteers. Dave has been doing this for years and years with little recognition.
The Gunnison Field Office would like to recognize Dave Wiens and his efforts to assist the BLM in public lands management as a "Trail Advocate." The Gunnison Field Office would not be where we are without his outstanding efforts.
615 views • posted 01/16/2018
