Wilderness Resources and Links
This page contains resources and links for our IPWA volunteers, supporters, and partners.
** Please do not contact us to add your blog or website to our site. If you would like to become a corporate sponsor, please visit our Donate page. We do not post external links unless they are from organizations that directly relate to our programs and mission.
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Resources​​
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Handouts for the Public
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IPWA Brochure
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USFS Indian Peaks Backcountry Zones Map
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IPWA Brainard Summer Trails Brochure & Map
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IPWA Brainard Winter Trails Brochure & Map
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IPWA James Peak Wilderness Brochure & Map
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IPWA Fire Prevention Brochure
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James Peak Wilderness Topo Map
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Moose Safety
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Mountain Lion Safety
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Check out our Recommended Reading List, Maps and Apps page.
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To see an archive of past newsletters & announcements, visit the Newsletter Archives page.
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Contact us to subscribe to the our mailing list and never miss an update! (Volunteers do not unsubscribe)
Leave No Trace Information
Authority of the Resource:
https://lnt.org/research-resources/authority-of-the-resource/
The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace:
https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/
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Leave No Trace YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/LeaveNoTraceCenter/videos
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Volunteer Documents:​
The Volunteer Handbook and some helpful handouts are provided to new volunteers at training day (returning volunteers receive updates and can download the latest versions below). The Patrol Volunteer Agreements and Legal Forms are e-signed annually as part of the online training.
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Patrol Volunteer Agreements and Legal Forms​​
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Crosscut Sawyer Agreements and Legal Forms
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Volunteer Training Materials
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Links
Weather Conditions
Check out the website www.indianpeaksweather.net, a great source for weather and climate information for Nederland Colorado and the Indian Peaks area. This site was developed by Bryon Lawrence, Meteorologist and IPWA Volunteer.
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Bryon Lawrence also provided the following recommendations:
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Weather Underground is a great site because they provide current observations based on their MesoNet (an extensive network of automated weather and environmental monitoring stations).
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Weather Underground station at Comstock Mine near Nederland, CO at 9,895 ft (near the old Caribou townsite, this is similar elevation, temperature and weather for Brainard Lake and Hessie Trailhead):
https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/co/nederland/KCONEDER107
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Weather Underground station at the top of the Panoramic Lift at Winter Park (12060 feet), which would be similar in conditions to some of the higher passes in the Indian Peaks and James Peak Wilderness:
https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/co/winter-park/KCOWINTE9
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The weather service offers grid point forecasts, but the current conditions are not as representative of the location (the forecasts are really detailed though). Here is the grid forecast for Brainard:
7-Day Forecast for Latitude 40.07°N and Longitude 105.57°W (Elev. 10561 ft) (weather.gov)
Check out the SNOTEL Colorado Snow Pack Report.
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Also take a look at the Niwot Ridge TundraCam at 11,600 ft. The tundra cam is operated by the University of Colorado at Boulder's Niwot Ridge Long-term Ecological Research Program (NWT LTER). It lies above timberline on Niwot Ridge in the Front Range mountains, the peaks at the head of the ridge form the Continental Divide.
Local Agencies
U.S. Forest Service Boulder Ranger District: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=28178
Colorado Parks and Wildlife: http://cpw.state.co.us
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Colorado Alpine Research
CU Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research: http://instaar.colorado.edu
CU Mountain Research Station: https://www.colorado.edu/mrs
Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research: http://niwot.colorado.edu
Front Range Pika Project: http://www.pikapartners.org
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Search & Rescue Patrol Organizations
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group: http://www.rockymountainrescue.org
Bryan Mountain Nordic Ski Patrol: http://bmnsp.org
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Outdoor Recreation Organizations
Colorado Mountain Club: https://www.cmc.org
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers: https://www.backcountryhunters.org
Backcountry Horsemen of America: https://www.bcha.org
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National Environmental Stewardship & Volunteer Organizations
National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance: http://www.wildernessalliance.org
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: https://lnt.org
The Wilderness Society: https://wilderness.org
National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org
Defenders of Wildlife: https://defenders.org
National Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org
The Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers: http://www.wlrv.org
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Local Environmental Stewardship & Volunteer Organizations
Indian Peaks Group of the Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/colorado/indian-peaks
Middle Boulder Creek Coalition: http://www.middlebouldercreekcoalition.org
Boulder County Nature Association: http://www.bcna.org
Boulder County Audubon Society: http://www.boulderaudubon.org
Rocky Mountain Wild: http://rockymountainwild.org
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado: http://www.voc.org
Rocky Mountain Conservancy Conservation Corp: https://rmconservancy.org/learn-us/rocky-mountain-conservation-corps
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Local Outdoor Equipment
REI: www.rei.com
Neptune Mountaineering: https://www.neptunemountaineering.com
Red Fox Outdoor Equipment: https://us.redfoxoutdoor.com
Sister Wilderness Volunteer Organizations in Colorado
Grand County Wilderness Group (GCWG): Assist the Sulphur Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service in managing and protecting wilderness and backcountry areas in Grand County, including the Indian Peaks Wilderness accessed from the Western Slope. Volunteers host cabins at the Junco Lake Trailhead and Monarch Lake Trailheads on weekends and holidays in the summer months.
Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV): Assist the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service in managing and protecting wilderness and backcountry areas in Northern Colorado. To achieve this mission, Poudre Wilderness Volunteers recruits, trains, equips and fields citizen volunteers to serve as wilderness rangers and hosts for the purpose of educating the public, and provides other appropriate support to these wild areas.
Friends of Mount Evans & Lost Creek Wildernesses (FOMELC): Provides cooperative stewardship support to the U.S. Forest Service Pike and Arapaho National Forests and the Mount Evans and Lost Creek wildernesses.
Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance (ESWA): Partners with two Ranger Districts (Dillon and Holy Cross, both in the White River National Forest) to maintain three Wildernesses (Eagles Nest, Ptarmigan Peak, and Holy Cross), which are located in Summit and Eagle Counties.
Friends of the Wilderness Steamboat Springs (FW): Partner with the Hahns Peak/Bears Ears, Yampa, and Park's Ranger Districts to perform work in the Mount Zirkel, Sarvis Creek, and Flat Tops Wildernesses, which are within the Routt and White River National Forests.
Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC): Works with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies to build a strong community of supporters who want to see the CDT protected not just for today’s users, but for generations to come.