With the beauty Utah mountains and canyons have to offer, a foundation has been established as an opportunity for community members to give back.
The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, which was founded in 2002, has a mission of continuously improving the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons through community awareness and personal stewardship for the environment.
The foundation has recently announced it generated 11,602 volunteer hours this year by offering an assortment of educational and environmental stewardship programs that heavily involved the community.
Jessie Walthers, Executive Director of The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, says 'each individual gives a lot of time.' Individuals can get involved by coming in the summer months and working on stewardship projects, such as weed-pulling or trail-clearing. These opportunities provide a way to care for the beauty of the surrounding canyons.
About 100 solid volunteers come every year to work, educate and improve the general canyon community. These 'regulars' make up most of the staff of The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation and allow for the organization to offer both free and cheap educational opportunities.
Many of the educational courses and activities also come from the large amount of volunteers. School field trips are offered and tend to be a large part of the foundation's success. Guests can also tour with a ranger or experience the wildflower festival. These activities allow for continued education of the canyon and its ecosystem.
Richard Middleton, a retired water engineer, is a regular volunteer who spends much of his time teaching kids through the large amount of activities the foundation offers. His passion for the environment with which he works resonates to the students he teaches.
'We hope that by the end of their tour, people have a far better understanding of how much is going on in the canyon and of the intense interaction between all the various components of the ecosystem,' Middleton said of his teaching opportunities.
Many volunteers have found a great amount of satisfaction in their work.
Christy Wall, another volunteer, has been working for the foundation for the past five years. She is a 29-year-old student working on her PhD who frequently spends her free time in the canyons. She does an assortment of jobs from weed-picking to educating children and taking them on snowshoe hikes. She has a deep love for the outdoors, her volunteer work, and believes 'education is the only way to change the world.'
The foundation offers a large variety of ways for people and organizations to serve. Many groups, ranging from Boy Scout troops to church youth groups, offer time to volunteer for the betterment of the community.
Walthers commends all of the volunteers for the hard work and love they give. She insisted if it weren't for the passion of the people, they wouldn't be successful. Walthers has a love for the canyons and the majesty they offer the community.
'It's a good way for people to give back,' she says.