Every Tuesday this summer, beginning June 9, volunteers will slip on sturdy footwear (and possibly don a raincoat) for a day in the woods for a good cause, improve both the aesthetics and ecological integrity of Jasper’s trail system. 

Organized by Friends of Jasper National Park, in partnership with Parks Canada, summer Tuesdays will be an opportunity to get people involved in trail care, said Sue Cesco, general manager of the non-profit organization. 

“Basically what we’re doing on Tuesdays is that people can come out and join us for just about a full day,” said Cesco, “we start at 9:30 in the morning and go to about three o’clock.” 

Meeting at the trails office, volunteers will spend about half-an-hour in the morning getting instructions and introductions to “give everybody an idea about what the trails project is all about,” said Cesco. The goal for the morning briefing is also to acquaint volunteers with the tools and tool safety, but no power tools are used, added Cesco. 

After introductions, volunteers carpool to the site where work begins on such things as trail delineation and making sure the trails have good drainage, which might include creating trenches and crests to assist water runoff. Other activities include rock armouring and signage work, said Cesco. 

Each month, volunteers will focus on different areas of Jasper’s trail network. “For June, what we’re going to look at is the Discovery trail... we’re going to be working on some of the signage that we need to make sure it’s completed,” said Cesco, adding that “we’re also going to be looking at helping out with the Lake Annette trail down the road as that starts to develop.” 

Last year’s trail volunteer days were “quite successful,” said Cesco and were biweekly, unlike this year. Over the course of last summer, 93 volunteers put in 360 hours of work into the trail system. “We had some people that repeated quite regularly,” said Cesco, adding that “we had one fellow that just about came to every single one.”

Volunteer days are not just for Jasperites however. Last year, tourists volunteered to take part in the trail care initiative, said Cesco. 

A modicum of physical fitness is required because the activity is “rather strenuous,” said Cesco, but “we try not to choose areas that are too far away from trailheads, so that there’s not a lot of hiking.”

“If you like to use the trails, come on out and lend a hand keeping them in good shape,” said Cesco. The Jasper Trails Plan is an ambitious initiative and lots can be accomplished that doesn’t require funding, so volunteers are key to the project’s success, said Marci DeWandel, communications officer for the JTP.

To volunteer, contact Friends of Jasper National Park at 780-852-4767.

Friends of Jasper National Park will also be receiving a $1,000 donation from the recipient of Fairmont’s environmental award Saturday at noon at the Environment Fair.