Adam Cornely Receives 2018 BLM Colorado Volunteer of the Year Award

If time is money, volunteers are priceless.

Adam Cornely is a prime example of the value of volunteers. Cornely has donated thousands of hours to help transform recreation in his town of New Castle, Colorado – a small town on the Colorado River, a few miles west of Glenwood Springs. As chair of New Castle Trails, a subcommittee of the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association, Cornely led the development of more than 16 miles of trails in New Castle, open to mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking. Twelve of the 16 miles of trails are on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the New Castle Extensive Recreation Management Area.

Cornely has been hard at work to improve recreation in New Castle since 2016, fundraising, coordinating volunteer work, working closely with the community and BLM, and improving the trail system for users. Cornely successfully worked with the BLM on Colorow Flow Trails, a new trails area that provides a skills building trails progression for young and beginner riders. This year, BLM Colorado selected Cornely as the 2018 Colorado Volunteer of the Year. 

“Adam has shown a firm commitment to improving his community through trail based recreation and a remarkable energy in overcoming hurdles to make that happen. It is a pleasure to work with such passionate people,” says Miles Gurtler, Recreation Planner in the Colorado River Valley Field Office.

Volunteers are vital to the BLM and public lands. Every year, thousands of volunteers donate their time, skills, and services to help BLM Colorado sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands. They keep campers safe, find homes for wild horses and burros, care for cultural artifacts, provide environmental education and interpretation, and perform countless other tasks.

Since 2006, BLM Colorado has presented a Volunteer of the Year Award to an outstanding volunteer each year. This award acknowledges volunteers who have made significant contributions to BLM Colorado programs, initiatives, and events. Cornely received the award on February 15, 2019 at the New Castle Trails Winter Conference Movie Night.

Cornely’s countless volunteer hours did more than just improve recreation on public lands; it brought a new sense of pride into the community of New Castle.