Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Burkley

WSCC would like to highlight an integral member of our volunteer team,  Mike Burkley, who has been volunteering his time, energy, and expertise with us for almost ten years. Having an extensive background in conservation work from his days volunteering with Utah-based conservation organizations for 20 years prior, Burkley knew that he wanted to be involved with North Fork efforts as soon as he arrived in Paonia in 2017. Luckily for us, Colorado Public Radio (CPR) had conducted an interview with then-director Alex Johnson regarding WSCC’s work, inspiring Burkley to pay a visit to our office and introduce himself. 

Burkley was a welcome gift to the center, as his past boots-on-the-ground efforts in Utah made him the perfect candidate for WSCC’s work on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) forest management plan and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Management Plan (RMP). He took on a surveyor’s role, going out to areas of importance decided on between him and WSCC and taking lots of photos and notes to be shared back. 

In 2018, following a year of solo expeditions for WSCC, Mike’s Hikes was launched and Burkley began to lead group outings with fellow volunteers and local community members. Mike’s Hikes has become one of WSCC’s most popular programs and has expanded significantly, with additional volunteers and experts leading hikes exploring topics like geology and ornithology, lending their knowledge of the land and skies to the myriad treks. The hikes are free to join and serve as a great way to learn about our public lands and meet new people.

Over the years, Burkley has taken on many additional roles, serving on the Board of Directors for five years, acting as the board’s treasurer, and, at current, sitting as chair for the Public Lands Committee. In light of all that he has contributed, Burkley was the recipient of the John Moore Conservation Hero award for 2024. “In the end, it’s just been working with our coalition partners from all over the state and even country that showed me the incredible people that are out there, not just here locally. That’s been the most rewarding thing for me personally,”  Burkley said.

It was his work on the GMUG plan that, having spanned many years and taken intense effort, stands out to Burkley as a rewarding example of WSCC’s partnership with outside organizations to improve management. “When we got the final GMUG plan back, I thought that was very rewarding because the agency’s decisions were a result of what our organization and I had worked on basically coming to fruition. I think that’s one that really stands out because it did result in, I think, some positive results, in this case from the Forest Service,” Burkley said.

Over the years, Burkley has enjoyed the tight-knit and community-focused nature of WSCC and all that comes with that. “Not only do I get sort of immediate results where I live and where people I know live, but I also get to feel like I have a bigger hand in those results and it’s a rewarding feeling,” Burkley said. 

WSCC could not be more grateful for Burkley’s work. He has been and continues to be a vital member of our team and community, bringing a love of conservation and decades of experience together to make a lasting difference in our North Fork valley. 

“Just being a part of the whole conservation movement, dating back 100 years, and looking into the future, it’s so incredible to be a part of the history and the people–the heroes– who are behind it, and some of these heroes are right here in Paonia.”