ST. GEORGE — Red Cliffs Desert Reserve’s newest trail stewards gathered at the Chuckwalla trailhead on a warm winter morning to learn the ropes with veteran trail steward Larry Cazier.

“He’s one of our most experienced and level-headed trail stewards,” said Ammon Teare, the outreach coordinator for the reserve. “We thought he’d be a good one to whip you all into shape — I’m just kidding. You’ll do great. We’re just grateful you all turned out this morning to come with us.”

Cazier said he’s been a trail steward for about eight years.

“I love it,” he added.

Cazier, the seven new stewards, plus Teare and his family, followed the Chuckwalla trail to Beck Hill and Paradise Rim before taking the Turtle Wall trail back to the parking lot.

After a period of stormy weather, the skies were partly cloudy. An earthy scent filled the air — petrichor. Teare explained that petrichor is the name of the much-beloved scent Southern Utahns can detect after a rainstorm.

Stewarding trails

The reserve trained about 10 new stewards, with three still needing to attend hands-on training. With all the trainees onboarded, Teare said the reserve would have about 41 on its roster in total.

“We really treasure our trail stewards,” Teare texted St. George News. “The work they do is incredible, and we feel fortunate to have a solid corps of volunteers.”

Trail stewards’ primary responsibility is to submit reports after hiking reserve trails, typically within 24-48 hours of their venture, Teare said. The reserve considers stewards active if they submit about 12 reports or more a year.

The report includes maintenance issues and the number of hikers, bikers and climbers seen on the trail, and whether they’re following the reserve’s rules — valuable information for reserve staff.

“We can factor that in if there’s any sort of cleanup opportunities or trail maintenance that’s really pressing to make sure we’re addressing the greatest need at the time,” he said.

Other issues noted in reports could be natural. For instance, stewards may let reserve staff know if a large number of silverleaf nightshade plants are growing at the edges of a trail.

While native, the plants are considered invasive in some areas and situations. They’re toxic to humans and animals, Teare said.

“When they start to see stuff like that crop up, or maybe an overabundance of tumbleweed or cheatgrass, they can let us know, and we can put that on our priority list,” he said.

Cazier said he typically picks up litter before hitting the trail.

“You’ll find all kinds of stuff, including evidence of illicit drug use — the whole gambit,” he said. “So, whether you pick up that kind of stuff is up to you. I typically do it with gloves — put it in a bag.”

Trail stewards can be identified by their vests, and recreationists sometimes stop them with questions about the trail. They also may remind visitors to leash their dogs, and Cazier said he likes to praise pet owners who already do.

“That involves some real decision-making. Some people will take that and adhere to it — thank you for it,” he said. “Others are going to get back in your face.”

Additionally, stewards can help with various projects. For instance, some were trained to assist with the reserve’s raven surveys, counting nesting sites to inform population models.

In 2023, the active stewards donated 1,559 hours of their time, hiking 91 different trails through the reserve and in LaVerkin’s Confluence Park. Volunteers reported over 12,000 encounters with recreationists, Teare said at the Habitat Conservation Plan’s advisory committee meeting in January.

Trail stewards Becky Johnson and David Russell are recent transplants to Southern Utah, having moved to the area from Texas in June. They moved into their home in Washington County earlier this month and joined several hiking groups.

“(Being a trail steward) seemed like a good opportunity,” Johnson said. “My sister had signed up, and they got the email that there was going to be a training, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, we have to get our applications in.’ They don’t do trainings very often, so the timing was working out just perfect.”

Johnson’s sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Mike Coe, moved to Washington County in 2019, building their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nancy Coe said they “fell in love” despite a rocky start and also opted to become stewards.

“We were looking for volunteer opportunities,” she said. “We worked in Big Bend forever, and for years, we were the river volunteers — we were on the river. But we gave that up. … We looked at various things, and we actually talked to the BLM at one point, but this is just literally in our backyard. ”

How can Southern Utahns volunteer their time?

Teare said while the reserve is “not currently seeking new stewards to train, we invite interested parties to reach out in the Fall when we’ll likely be preparing for another round of training.”

Still, those interested in volunteering may find other opportunities at the reserve and elsewhere.

“We love volunteers,” Teare said. “And there’s plenty of things for volunteers to do, especially if they have something they’re passionate about. … We’re always open to people who want to volunteer who have a project or something they want to pitch to us. And then we can take that suggestion and make sure it gets done in an official manner.”

Southern Utahns can contact Teare via email to discuss potential projects with reserve staff. To apply to become a trail steward, click here.

Volunteers can also check for openings on the websites of Utah State Parks, Friends of Snow Canyon and Zion National Park. Additionally, individuals can check volunteer.gov or Volunteer Match for potential opportunities.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.