Years ago, I attended a state conference that would bring together park employees and open space advocates. It was marvelous for the cutting-edge ideas shared among participants. I had the opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of our local Friends Groups.

New residents might not know that Friends Groups are somewhat unique to this region. These are volunteers who take on myriad tasks in coordination with city, county and state park employees. Many of these groups have been around for decades.

When well-organized, these volunteers save park staff hours of work. Occasionally, they will fund projects that might never be accomplished. Or, at the very least, they ease the burden on underfunded parks budgets.

At the state conference, park staff from around the state were amazed by the large number of Friends Groups in this region. Some were unsettled at the prospect of managing so many groups of volunteers.

I understand that. Our Friends Groups are diverse with a wide range of skill sets and interests. What they share is a passion for our public spaces.

There is great value in nurturing effective Friends Groups to accomplish critical tasks and seed support for future initiatives.

Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park is one of these amazing groups. In addition to trail maintenance and developing sawyers to help with wildfire mitigation by cutting and thinning forests; they run an effective Trail Ambassador program and raise money to fund innovative projects that benefit roughly 260,000 annual park visitors.

Friends of El Paso County Nature Centers enable county park staff to offer more field trips and programs for children and families. Their wildly popular Trailability Hoppers and annual Bird Festival are two of the many programs the Friends help make possible.

In Colorado Springs, we have standouts such as Guardians of Palmer Park, Friends of Ute Valley Park and Friends of Garden of the Gods. Whether it’s assisting visitors, cleaning up dog waste, removing invasive weeds, leading walks or raising money to support their work and the work of park staff, these groups are committed and tireless in their efforts to improve the ecological health of these public spaces and make them more enjoyable for all of us.

This summer, Friends of Ute Valley Park will mainly focus on reducing the risk of wildfire. Their efforts could not be more timely.

The Guardians regularly and creatively find local sponsors and materials for projects the city parks budget can’t cover.

Friends of Garden of the Gods was created in 1992 to support preservation, maintenance and educational programs for the garden. Each year, they’ve raised and contributed thousands of dollars. The group’s leadership plans to meet with members to possibly reset priorities because successful Friends Groups understand that volunteers must share in the goal-setting and decision-making. Then they are more willing to donate their time.

Were I choosing our next county or city parks director, I would ask them “How important are Friends Groups?”

If you love our parks, open spaces and nature centers and are ready to take that relationship to the next level, consider volunteering for a project or program this summer. Our Friends could use your help.

Davies is the former executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition.