The Colorado Mountain Colorado Wilderness Kids (based in Denver) Club at a glance 269 Members Robin Commons and Rob Kelly, Co-chairs Shining Mountains (Estes Park) Gore Range (Vail) 300 Members 157 Members Madeline Framson, Chair Fort Collins George Christman, Chair 272 Members Paul Weber, Chair Aspen Boulder 191 Members 1,198 Members Carol Kurt, Chair Tonya Riggs, Chair Longs Peak (Longmont) 57 Members John Layman, Chair Weld County (Greeley) 29 Members Barb Wasung, Chair Denver 4,545 Members John Raich, Chair San Juan Western Slope Sneffels Pikes Peak (Durango) El Pueblo (Grand Junction) (Montrose) (Colorado Springs) 62 Members (Pueblo) 114 Members 36 Members 662 Members Ken Beegles, Chair 62 Members Mary McCutchhan, Chair Bob White, Chair Nancie Biery, Chair Eric Hunter, Chair SUMMARY OF Members: 8,123 Memberships: 6,443 CMC ACTIVITIES New Members 1,560 Participants on club day trips: 17,319 DURING Participants on multi-day trips: 491 Youth students in classes: 5,435 2006 Adult students in classes: 1,930 Participants at programs: 3,618 The Annual Report of the Colorado Mountain Club The President’s Perspective of the Year By Janice Heidel 2006 was definitely a transitional year for the ties that our membership recognizes as the Mountains on behalf of science, literature, CMC. As I reflect on this past year I recognize mainstay of the CMC. We spent the sum- art and recreation; stimulate public interest that all the members and staff of the CMC mer/fall understanding the current state of in our mountain area; encourage the preser- put us a notch above other organizations. We the organization using member input. We vation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural continue to fill an activity schedule twice a accomplished a major milestone in the process scenery; and render readily accessible the year with a stellar variety of activities. Many at our recent Winter Retreat. We realized in alpine attractions of this region. responsible for the education of our member- our work that we have a Mission Statement The Board reconvened in late February ship recognized that a 6-, 7-, or 8-week com- that has served us well for 94 years. But we to finalize our draft strategic plan. We will mitment to receive a certificate is difficult in realized that if we were to start a club, today meet with State Council in April to review this day and age. So they undertook the task the governing documents would include value the plan and ensure that all Groups have an of modularizing schools. The staff in Golden and visions statements. So we have our initial opportunity to influence the final product. and on the Western Slope amazes me every work complete: The minutes of that meeting will be published day—they embrace the club mission and pro- Values: recreation, safety, education/skill on the website. vide services and programs above expectations. building, conservation, and member satisfac- Reflection is always good, we are ready for The transition of officers in the middle of a tion. an exciting year. I challenge each of you to term as we saw this year was a challenge, but Vision: we connect people with the Colo- participate in a school, sign be to be a leader one that we accomplished well. rado mountain experience. We are the premier if you aren’t already, encourage one of your A recognized practice of all outstanding membership organization providing human- friends to join the CMC, sign up for a trip non-profit Boards of Directors is the develop- powered mountain adventures that are safe, in a group other that your member group, or ment of a strategic plan for the organization. enjoyable, and environmentally responsible. visit the American Mountaineering Center in You Board is highly motivated to create such Mission: The Colorado Mountain Club Golden to meet your staff. Be bold, take an a plan, and we embarked on that project in is organized to unite the energy, interest, and adventure, and know we are very much on our the spring. We believe the plan is necessary knowledge of the students, explorers, and lov- path towards the premier organization with to validate our fiduciary decisions as well as ers of the mountains of Colorado; collect and our mountain safe, enjoyable, and environ- implement the programs, schools, and activi- disseminate information regarding the Rocky mentaly responsible mountain activities. 3The Board of Directors of the Colorado Mountain Club. First Row, L. to R. David Hite, Sherry Richardson, Todd Whalen, Whynne Wyman, Executive Pikes Peak Director Kristy Judd. (Colorado Springs) Second Row, L. to R. 662 Members Lee Rimel, Janice Heidel, Eric Hunter, Chair Facilitator Art Bavosa, Ann Morgan. Back Row, L. to R. Jay Fell, Ed Seely, Earl Hughes, Art Hogling, Carol Kurt, Bill Brown, Kent Groninger, Kent Crites, Gavin Maurer, David Tabor and Peter Gowen. CMC Adventure Travel By Bea Slingsby Visit the CMC website under Adventure Travel to view It was a great year for CMC’s Adventure Travel. More approved trips for 2007. Be sure to check often. We approve than three hundred participants traveled on nineteen trips new trips each month. So far, we have fifteen trips approved throughout the world. Last spring an Adventure Travel Expo for 2007, and the list keeps growing. You can also sign up on- for all CMC leaders recruited many of them to become AT line to receive your own Adventure Travel e-newsletter. leaders. We had an overwhelming attendance of seventy- Happy Travels and we hope to see many of you on one seven people. of our trips this year! The Adventure Travel Committee is comprised of CMC 6Adventure Travel trips explore the farthese reaches of the world. volunteers who meet once a month to approve new trips and new leaders, keep the Leaders’ Manual updated, review evaluations from participants of trips, and handle other business that may arise. Committee members also lead various trips and strive to work on training leaders, return- ing and new. 2007 Adventure Travel goals include developing a home page for Adventure Travel on the CMC website and approval of “outfitter-led” trips. Consider experiencing the wonders of travel, hiking, and learning new cultures. From Yellowstone to Mt. Everest, we would love to have you join one of our excursions and have enjoyable memories of another world waiting for you. The CMC Press By Alan Stark, CMC Press Publisher The Colorado Mountain Club Press published four books last year, wrote strategic and business plans, met and exceeded sales goals, and re-established the CMC Press as one of the better publishers of Colorado guidebooks With a certain amount of luck, strong Board work, and getting back to small press basics, we published the seventh edition of The Colorado Trail thanks to Terry Root’s work and the third edition of The Colorado Trail Databook plus The Colorado Fourteeners and Rocky Mountain Flora by Jim Ells. Tom Throgmorton, the Garden Guy on KUNC, said, “Jim Ells’ great photos are the main attribute of this flora guide. Each plant is accompanied by a color flower photo. Many entries also have a close-up photo of an individual flower. This photo collection can key novice or experienced plant hunters into the correct plant description.” For 2006, books sales were $139,838—up sixty per- cent from 2005 sales of $87,339. The goal for 2006 was $110,749, which was beaten by $29,730 or twenty-seven percent. In 2006 the press sold 15,154 units—up thirty-three percent from 11,353 units sold in 2005. Press revenue per unit increased twenty percent, from $7.69 per unit sold in 2005 to $9.22 per unit sold in 2006. PROGRAM As we stated in our strategic plan, “We have had fun and not gone REPORTS crazy.” Conservation Department By Clare Bastable, CMC Conservation Director The Conservation Department at the Colorado Mountain throughout the state. We represented the voice of hikers, Club focuses its efforts towards conserving and restoring climbers, and other traditional recreationists throughout the wild places throughout Colorado and the southern Rocky state, working in conjunction with our sportsmen allies. Mountains. The department also works to protect traditional, Our Western Slope group also signed a Memorandum quiet backcountry recreation opportunities and to forge of Understanding with the Bureau of Land Management, strong connections between communities and the incredible setting up a unique partnership for stewardship and trail landscapes throughout the state. restoration work in western Colorado. This MOU provides In 2006, the CMC’s conservation department had many a model for agency partnerships that various CMC groups successes. It led a statewide campaign to protect Colorado’s will be pursuing in 2007. remaining roadless areas, which were put in jeopardy after The Colorado Mountain Club provides an important the repeal of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. voice for traditional recreation and conservation interests The club also continued to make progress towards the in the southern Rockies, and we are proud to be a regional designation of Browns Canyon and Rocky Mountain Nation- leader in our efforts to protect wild places. It is through the al Park as wilderness, and it began work on a wilderness outstanding participation of CMC members and volunteers campaign for outstanding wild lands in the White River that we are able to achieve protection for many important National Forest. landscapes in Colorado. In order to protect traditional quiet backcountry experi- ences, the CMC engaged in several forest management plans Education Department By Brenda Porter, Education Director Adventures in Learning classes provided natural history In 2006, the Youth Education Program taught academics instruction to more than one hundred CMC members and and leadership through mountain topics to 5,700 school the public, including: Colorado Geology, Glaciology, Wild children and their chaperones, with help from twenty-six Plant School, Nature Sketching, and Nature Writing.