October snow is settling on the peaks of Central Idaho Wilderness Areas and the 2023 Wilderness Steward season is officially winding down. Idaho Conservation League’s Wilderness Stewards—a group of 60 dedicated, wilderness-loving volunteers—have achieved an impressive amount of work in only a few short months, doing their part to preserve and protect wilderness characteristics throughout central Idaho Wilderness Areas.
Under the motto “recreate with purpose,” these volunteers embark on independent patrols in the Sawtooth, Hemingway-Boulders, Cecil D. Andrus White Clouds, Jerry Peak-Jim McClure Wilderness Areas, as well as the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Salmon-Challis Recommended Wilderness Areas. Among their responsibilities, Wilderness Stewards help educate the public about rules and regulations, dismantle backcountry fire rings, pick up litter, and collect valuable data for the U.S. Forest Service. 
The 2023 Wilderness Steward season, by the numbers:
Since June, ICL Wilderness Stewards have…
- Covered over 1,058 miles of wilderness trails.
- Conducted 138 patrols and dedicated 975 hours of their personal time (equating to approximately 1.3 months of continuous effort)
- Encountered 2,831 other trail users, engaging with and influencing a significant portion of the public.
- Packed out 755 ounces (47 pounds) of litter.
- Cleared 114 illegal fire rings, mitigating existing human impact and discouraging future use.
- Cleaned 15 human waste issues.
For all of that incredible work, we’d say they are not only Wilderness Stewards… They’re wilderness heroes!
In the words of ICL Public Lands Director, John Robison, “Public Lands are more important now than ever. We have a responsibility to give something back because they give us so much.” ICL Wilderness Stewards set a standard of excellence in this essential work of giving back to our public lands.
Interested in becoming a Wilderness Steward? Here’s what the pros have to say:
When it comes to recreating with purpose, no one can talk about the Wilderness Steward Program better than the Wilderness Stewards themselves. ICL chatted with some seasoned volunteers to ask what they’d share with anyone interested in volunteering.
If the Wilderness Steward Program had to be summed up in three words, one of our Wilderness Stewards said those words would be “Educate, Advocate, and Protect.” Another concluded that those words would be “hiking with purpose.”
Wilderness Steward Ted Stout’s favorite part of being a Wilderness Steward is the opportunity to interact with fellow hikers, sharing the beauty of nature and working together to safeguard these precious areas. According to him, this work is most important because “rangers are stretched to the limit, and need all of the help they can get to maintain the wilderness.”
Wilderness Steward Joyce Fabre echoes Ted’s concerns: “I have been hiking in Idaho’s Wilderness areas for over 32 years. Over the years, I have seen many areas become overused. I think education can go a long way toward establishing a Leave No Trace ethic among new users.”
Joyce Fabre enjoys patrolling the picturesque Sawtooth and Cecil Andrus White Cloud Wilderness areas, focusing not only on the well-trodden paths but also venturing into the lesser-known off-trail regions. To anyone contemplating volunteering as a Wilderness Steward, Joyce’s advice is clear: “Give it a try, since you’re out there hiking anyway!”
And if you’re interested in becoming an ICL Wilderness Steward in 2024, sign up here to receive updates!
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