Who We Are
Forest Park Conservancy is committing to meeting all stewardship commitments, ensuring that we protect the health and community of Forest Park.
Responding to an ongoing interest in small, independent opportunities for individuals or small, immediate groups, Forest Park Conservancy has created the Independent Volunteer program, which will work to help independently driven volunteers and those in their immediate circle manage the health of the trails, reporting of the developing needs of the forest, taking on projects to help manage the stewardship calendar and mitigate small damages to the trails, and consistently report on their progress.
What We Do
Independent Volunteers will be assigned at least one of 19 routes of trail throughout Forest Park. It is their duty to steward these trails, taking responsibility and ownership of their ongoing care whenever possible.
Volunteers will regularly walk and hike their trails, reporting on any changes, damages, or unsafe developments. While this work is similar to a Rapid Response volunteer, who is tasked to hike the trails and report changes and damages impacting the forest health, these volunteers will be empowered to coordinate directly with staff at FPC to perform acts of trail maintenance in order to protect and restore the trails.
Volunteers will learn how to address invasive species on and off the trails, manage the excess growth along the trails in the spring, the removal of organic material in the fall, some of the best skills to help mitigate the impact of water on soft surface trails, targeting bumps and holes, and eventually be capable of more technical skills in redefining the trails after months of years or erosion.
