Celebrating the CMC’s
amazing conservation volunteers

By Vera Smith

The Colorado Mountain Club is fortunate to have a membership that deeply cares about the future of the Southern Rocky Mountains. In this issue, we would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to Western Slope member Bill Hamann. Bill is an avid canyoneer and wilderness supporter who works tirelessly for the protection and defense of Colorado’s wildlands. We can always count on Bill to lead a hike to a threatened area or provide comment at a public hearing. Throughout last year, Bill participated in Mesa County’s wilderness hearings as a citizen stakeholder and has been a long time member of the Bangs Canyon Management Committee. In addition to all this, Bill has devoted much of his energy in the last year to fighting the construction of an extreme jeep trail near Grand Junction.

The CMC is not the only organization that applauds Bill’s talents and hard work. This November, the Colorado Wilderness Network gave Bill the “Wilderness Defender” award (in recognition of his apprehension of a felon dumping toxic waste on BLM land this past year).

Here’s a big thank you to Bill and all the other CMC volunteers who donate their time to protecting Colorado’s wild places and quiet recreation.