Overnight Toad Trip in Eagles Nest Wilderness

ESWA is partnering with the USFS for a new volunteer endeavor!  The Aquatics team needs our help to locate and count Boreal Toads, Colorado’s only alpine toad!  The toad is now considered endangered by the state, as the population has significantly declined in the last 20 years. The goal of this trip is to survey the population, and possibly also test for the chytrid fungus (one of the reasons for the decline).

This trip is planned for June 23-25, in the Piney Drainage area.  U.S. Forest Service rangers will guide the trips. Volunteers will need to be comfortable backpacking, with roundtrip mileage of at least 9 miles.  We are hoping to bring 8-12 volunteers, and training will be provided for the research.  As this is our first such outing, we ask that you bring a positive attitude, patience, and flexibility!

We will meet at the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger Station on June 23 in the am, and carpool to the Piney Drainage area. From there, we have a 4.25m hike to basecamp with about 1,000 feet of elevation. June 24th is Survey Day! We will start at 9am, with one group staying in the basecamp vicinity (hiking 1-2m during the day) and potentially a second group hiking to a more distant site 1.5m away. Instructions for surveying will be provided by the USFS. We expect to end the surveying around 3-4pm. June 25 we will hike back to our cars, and travel back to the Ranger Station, likely arriving around 3pm.

We are all responsible for our own food, cooking/eating gear, and camping equipment. Typically, the USFS requires use of bear-proof containers. Please let us know if you need to borrow one. We practice Leave No Trace camping so we don’t build campfires, but we generally eat together. Please consider bringing WAG bags for human waste.

Please contact anju.sidhu@gmail.com with any questions.