Salida Mountain Trails asks Chaffee County for extra funding, outlines trail maintenance workload

Salida Mountain Trails (SMT) leaders presented an update to the Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners on June 10, 2025, and asked the county to increase its annual support from $20,000 to $30,000 starting in January 2026 to help sustain staff and maintenance capacity across the county’s trail network.

The request follows a presentation of SMT’s 21‑year history, current programs and maintenance workload: SMT said it maintains about 70 miles of trails around Salida and reported roughly 400,000 annual trail uses. Staff and board members told commissioners the organization logged about 3,300 maintenance hours last year, including 1,500 volunteer hours, and expects to reach about 4,500 maintenance hours this year as staffing and volunteer capacity expands.

Mike Smith, the longtime county liaison with SMT, and John Tirwishkin, SMT executive director, described recent and planned work. SMT has added a seasonal crew leader and expanded its volunteer training program and business adopter partnerships. Projects cited included the Burmak Trailhead transformation (trash mitigation, right‑sizing parking and rock armoring), funded in part by a $60,000 Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) grant, and adoption of portions of the Rainbow Trail and Monarch Crest.

Hill Abel and other board members highlighted youth programs (Slide‑A‑U cycling, spring and fall sessions totaling about 180 kids a year), business sponsorships (more than 40 sponsors providing roughly $70,000), and a membership base of about 440. SMT said the organization seeks to diversify users and reduce social conflict on multi‑use trails by increasing hiking‑only routes and improving outreach and signage.

Commissioners and SMT staff discussed trail access issues that cross jurisdictions, including road and trailhead maintenance, motorized versus non‑motorized use and funding inequities between motorized trails (which receive OHV sticker funding) and non‑motorized trail maintenance. SMT representatives noted partnerships with Central Colorado Mountain Riders, BLM and U.S. Forest Service and said they are exploring statewide mechanisms to increase funding for non‑motorized trail maintenance.

Commissioners asked SMT to demonstrate how increased county funding would be used. SMT said the $10,000 increase would primarily support staff salaries and maintenance capacity; SMT reported it currently funds about $90,000 in salaries for roughly 1.5 FTE trail manager equivalents and seeks to grow to 4–5 staff to meet demand. SMT agreed to submit a formal written funding request to county staff in late summer.

County finance and grants staff told the board there may be ways to accommodate the request through annual budget processes and through discussions with the Chaffee County Community Foundation and Common Ground funds. Commissioners thanked SMT for the presentation and encouraged collaboration with county public works and fire districts on road access, trailhead facilities and public‑lands stewardship.

SMT requested continued CTF (Conservation Trust Fund or similar county small grants) support and follow‑up conversations about long‑term funding and the Chaffee County Trails System and Conservation Plan, a multi‑phase planning effort SMT said it is helping to lead. SMT requested the county’s continued written support for grant applications and said it will provide a formal funding request to staff this summer.

No formal county action or vote was taken at the June 10 presentation; the board said it would consider SMT’s formal request during budget discussions and to coordinate further with staff and partner agencies.