Where You’ll Be:
This multi-year volunteer effort takes place in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains on public lands near South Fork and Del Norte in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. The valley includes high-elevation wetlands, shrublands, and forests that support a wide range of wildlife, including sandhill cranes, bald eagles, elk, mule deer, coyotes, and beaver. Moose and wolves have also been documented in the area.
Nearest Town: South Fork, CO 81154
The exact project location will be shared with registered volunteers two weeks before the project.
What You'll Do:
Across the western United States, barbed wire fences are widely used to manage livestock, but they can create dangerous barriers for migrating wildlife such as elk and deer. This multi-phase project aims to reduce those impacts and improve wildlife movement through key winter range areas.
This year’s volunteer project focuses on Phase 2: Fence Surveys and Prioritization.
Volunteers will work in teams to survey existing fence lines and identify sections that pose the greatest barriers to wildlife movement. Using the Survey123 mobile app, teams will map fence segments and record details such as fence type, condition, wire height, sharp corners, flagging, smooth or barbed top wires, and the height of the bottom wire.
Volunteers will also document signs of wildlife, including tracks, trails, or direct sightings of animals.
At the end of the workday, Wildlands Network’s Western Program Director will share more about the organization’s work and its conservation efforts in the San Luis Valley.
Project Phases Overview:
- Phase 1: Pre-field planning and logistics: This will involve calculating fence segment lengths, identifying road access for each fence segment, parking areas, and other logistics for field operations.
- Phase 2: Fence surveys and prioritization (this project)
- Phase 3: Camera monitoring before and after fencing adjustments: Once we have identified the fence segments to be modified or removed using volunteer surveys, we will deploy 45 remote trail cameras along select fence lines for a migration season before and after the treatment.
- Phase 4: Fence modification and removal projects in 2027: Two additional volunteer projects will be hosted in 2027 where we will complete the modification and removals to the identified 15 miles of fence.
- Phase 5: Data processing and analysis: All photographs collected from trail cameras will be processed to analyze the effectiveness of the project and compare outcomes with pre-work documentation.
Food and Camping:
Enjoy breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, with dinner on Saturday. Bring your own dinner on Friday night, and enough snacks for the weekend.
Free campsites are available on Friday and Saturday nights, and volunteers are encouraged to arrive at base camp before 8 pm on Friday.
Support This Project as a Crew Chef Helper!
We provide full meals on our overnight projects to ensure volunteers are well-fed and ready for a day of volunteering — and we could use your help to make it happen!
View this document to learn more about how to support and sign up.
Why It Matters:
This project is a collaboration with Wildlands Network, an international nonprofit working to reconnect and restore wildlife movement across North America.
Each year, large herds migrate between summer and winter ranges in the San Luis Valley. Fences can disrupt these essential movements, increasing injury and mortality for wildlife. Fence improvements such as raising bottom wires, lowering top wires, and replacing barbed wire with smooth wire allow animals to cross more safely while still meeting land management needs.
The data collected during this project will help prioritize future fence modifications and removals, directly supporting wildlife migration in the region.
Eligibility Requirements:
Ages 16+
For overnight projects, all youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.
Project Difficulty:
This project is considered moderate; please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.
Physical Considerations: This project will include hiking 3-5 miles on uneven surfaces while using a mobile phone to complete surveys.
Access Factors:
Vehicle Access: 2WD vehicles can access the campsite, but 4WD vehicles may be necessary to carpool to the worksites.
Other Notes: Tent camping OK. Car and Van camping OK. Large vehicles or tow-behinds OK. This project will be at 8400 ft. elevation. Portable toilets and potable water will be available at camp.
