The Idaho Trails Association is a non-profit with a mission to protect and keep trails in Idaho open so every year volunteers work on projects all over the state.
I visited one of those trails in The Little Jacks Creek Wilderness on the Owyhee Front on BLM land. Perjue Canyon is one of my favorite trails and it's one of the projects this volunteer organization will tackle this year. We went out with a crew back in 2022 to see what it takes to do trail maintenance.
"It’s a great opportunity to get out and enjoy nature," said Tim Martin of the Idaho Trails Association. "It’s a great opportunity to meet other like minded individuals who love the outdoors, love the trails and it is a great team building experience."
Volunteer opportunities have already been open to ITA's 900 plus volunteers and they have a record number of people sign up. In fact, 23 of the trips are already full and on the public can sign up to volunteer this Saturday.
The Idaho Trails Association works with a number of different organizations including the BLM and the national forest. ITA has concerns moving forward after the Trump Administration laid off including 3,400 probationary employees from these agencies across the country in February.
"This year is going to be challenging and I think it is going to be challenging for our partners," said Martin. "There are going to be opportunities where our public lands are going to need the public support and ownership of their public lands and being involved whether it’s with ITA or one of the other organizations."
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hired back those workers with back pay after being directed to do so by the Merit Systems Protections Board. It's a temporary reinstatement for 45-days while it gets decided if the DOGE firings were lawful.
We still don't know what kind of impact this will have on public land, but the Idaho Trails Association has been working since the announcement in February to step in and fill gaps on a variety of different fronts.
"We are here to help with whatever we can do," said Martin. "We are trying to put together some tool caches in different areas in the state so we can have our leaders pick up and put together a quick team if there was an urgent need, say there was some trees down or a rock slide or something like that."
The Idaho Trails Association is also working with different agencies and non-profits to coordinate and communicate so projects don't overlap. ITA also has its own program and they will be looking for volunteers to sign up come Saturday.
"Find a group, get out there and enjoy the outdoors. Really engage with your public lands and be a part of it," said Martin. "We have a lot of diversity in the trips that we do and a lot of opportunities for individuals to get out into different areas."
If you are interested in signing up to volunteer, becoming a member or donating to the cause click here.Volunteering can be a great way to meet people, make a difference and find a new place to explore. ITA helped me discover Perjue Canyon.
