WHY OUR WORK MATTERS
Our ‘Private Idaho’ has seen an unprecedented influx of recreationalists over the last few years. According to the Chamber of Hailey and the Wood River Valley, visitation to the SNRA went up 500% between 2016 and 2020.
Our goal here at PUG is to support the USFS with sections of trails that are difficult to access and therefore have been a low priority for maintenance. There are sections on these units that desperately need volunteer help: trails are disappearing, facilities are falling apart and are overall being abandoned. This state of decline is often cited as the political argument for divesting federal lands to the states or private interests. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: Congressional representatives purposely starve the agencies, or allocate funds to other uses, and accuse them of inefficiency, as steps in a long game of privatizing public lands.
Citizen stewardship with Forest Service oversight and collaboration is the best defense to this growing threat to our public lands. PUG is a “two-fer” – providing great project outcomes while developing advocates for public land and access.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“On a lonely semi trail in the Sawtooth Wilderness I happened upon an extraordinary man by the name of Dave Pinney. He and his companion were heavily laden with saws and pulaskis and were on their way over the pass to complete a section of trail clearing they had been chipping away at all summer on the Middle Fk Boise R. I asked if they were on contract for trail clearing. No, we are volunteers. Let that sink in. These guys are volunteers clearing trails for the rest of us. It struck me like a bolt lightning. Wow. They have a non profit called ‘Pulaski Users Group’. Funding is clearly an issue. When you see those cut logs and clear passage on those remote trails, think of these great people and if you can, help them!”
-Link Jackson
“Working with PUG over the past couple of summers has been super inspiring. Not only has it helped me expand my horizons by spending more time in the wilderness but also by allowing me to reflect internally on who I am and how I want to spend my time.”
-Meg Keating
“Working with PUG has provided the unique experience of giving back to the wilderness areas I grew up exploring. My childhood, like many others in the [Wood River] Valley, was spent out on the trails surrounding us. The chance to give back to these wilderness areas we grew up in has taught me to appreciate them even more because of the hard work it takes to maintain them.”
-Anneka Thompson
“To explore our inner landscape with the backdrop of these wild spaces is pretty profound. And to combine that with easing other’s access to our beautiful backcountry is a joy that fills so many cups. The more young people have positive experiences in the wilderness, the more voices these places have to stand up for them.” (Compassionate Leaders Turn Attention to Backyard)