Volunteer Story: Sue Baril

Volunteer Sue Baril has served Arches National Park in a variety of ways for 12 years.

NPS Photo

Picking up roadside trash is the least glamorous assignment most people can think of, but for long-time Arches National Park Volunteer Sue Baril it's exactly how she's chosen to spend her time lately.

Over the past 12 years, Sue has volunteered for a lot of different projects at Arches: staffing the front desk, leading guided hikes, monitoring raptors, repairing backcountry fences and roads, and even escorting a few lost cows out of the park. In 2018, she observed that a recent roads project had left behind chunks of old asphalt along roadsides and drainage's, so she sought staff approval to start cleaning it up.

Since then, VIP Sue has removed over 1,465 pounds of trash and old asphalt from along the park road. She is determined to walk (and clean) the entire 18 miles over the next couple of years. Park staff are extremely grateful for Sue's efforts, since this is the perfect example of much-needed work that staff would not be able to accomplish without volunteer help.