CMC member Ed Seely named
Volunteer of the Year

Fort Collins, CO—Ed Seely, chairman of the Fort Collins group of the Colorado Mountain Club, has been recognized as Colorado’s Volunteer of the Year by the American Hiking Society. Nominated by the USDA Forest Service for his work on Greyrock Trail in the Adopt-a-Trail program, Seely was honored on June 5, National Trails Day.

Ed Seely, CMC Fort Collins group chairman
and Kristy Wumkes, partnership coordinator
for Canyon Ranger Lakes District,
on the Greyrock Trail in Roosevelt National Forest.

For more than eight years, Seely has worked with CMC and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado work parties on the Greyrock Trail to conduct trail maintenance and preservation. According to Kristy Wumkes, Forest Service volunteer coordinator, “I nominated Ed for this award because of his selfless work to help keep the Greyrock Trail open and safe for thousands of hikers each year. Ed has been a tireless contributor and organizer and the Forest Service greatly appreciates CMC’s hard work on this heavily trafficked trail, on National Trails Day and throughout the summer.”

Greyrock is approximately eighteen miles north of Fort Collins, up the Poudre Canyon in Roosevelt National Forest. Designated a National Recreational Trail, it is very popular with local residents and offers impressive views of the eastern plains.

Seely, also conducts safety and leadership workshops throughout the state and has been instrumental in defining requirements for Safety and Leadership certification. In addition, he has facilitated mountain hiking schools, works with the Larimer County Naturalist program, and guides up to a dozen hikes every summer.

The American Hiking Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of America’s footpaths. Their signature trail awareness program, National Trails Day, is now in its twelfth year. Locally, this celebration and trail support event draws scores of volunteers, outdoor enthusiasts, local clubs and retailers up to Greyrock to work on special projects.

If you are interested in learning more about the CMC Fort Collins group, e-mail Cathy Busch-Kinkaid at cabusch80525@yahoo.com.