The 2026 CMC Conservation Summer Stewardship Crew Season Comes to a Close

CMC Conservation's 2026 Stewardship Trail Crew season has officially concluded! Since the last update, CMC's Brainard Lake-based crew has finished their final weeks, which was capped off with a large volunteer day with staff from Outdoor Prolink. 

CMC's Brainard Lake crew hosted 11 volunteer days each Wednesday this season from July 15th through September 23rd.  In those 11 days, volunteers logged a total of 550 hours of work at Brainard Lake helping the crew build and maintain trails in one of Colorado's most popular recreation areas. 

The final volunteer day on September 23rd featured staff from Outdoor Prolink, a Boulder-based company whose mission is to "outfit stewards of the great outdoors with high quality, affordable gear so they can protect and promote the wild places we love." 190 volunteer hours were completed during this event alone thanks to Outdoor Prolink staff, members of CMC's volunteer community, and CMC staff! It was an incredibly productive day where volunteers put finishing touches on a project where CMC's crew built much needed reroutes on the Little Raven Trail. 

Between all three of CMC Conservation's 2026 Stewardship Trail Crews and staff, 7,114 hours were spent on the trail completing essential maintenance and construction on our public lands. This is a stark increase from 2025, where CMC's one crew completed 1,840 hours of work according to CMC's 2025 Impact Report. Thanks to an increase in available funding and projects this season, CMC's Stewardship Trail Crew program was able to have such a great impact. CMC looks to continue this increased impact in 2027. 

If you are interested in working or volunteering for CMC's 2027 Stewardship Trail Crews, feel free to reach out to conservation@cmc.org. Details of work and volunteer opportunities will be posted on cmc.org this winter.