Volunteering is a popular and fast growing way more people are spending their time. Volunteering can be as much a learning experience as a service adventure. If you have always wanted to volunteer in an outdoors role as a guide or in some way contribute in a nature interpretive role, there is an opportunity and a potentially exciting and rewarding one in an interesting mountain environment.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) northeast region education coordinator Mary McCormac paints an enticing picture of the setting and the role for the new Mt. Evans Interpretive volunteers that the CPW are seeking.

"Mount Evans at 14,264 feet at summit provides the perfect setting to observe wildlife living amid the severe climate of a tundra ecosystem. Volunteers will be working out of a station 2,000 feet below the summit, guiding visitors to wildlife artifacts, use of spotting scopes to view and inventory wildlife and plant and trees," McCormac stated.

Volunteers will be assigned to the Mt. Evans station on weekends from June through Labor Day and some weekdays for those whose schedule permits. Mandatory training is required and will be held May 15, 6-9 p.m. in Denver and May 19, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Idaho Springs. For more information contact Mary McCormac at mary.mccormac@state.co.us .

One of the first Metro Area fishing tournaments is scheduled May 17 at Aurora Reservoir. Bass Pro Shops, Cruisin’oldies radio 950 and City of Aurora is sponsoring the Saturday trout tournament for the first 850 entries.

In addition, participants and visitors will be able to shop, observe and enjoy a fishing and Outdoors Expo between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The tournament starts at 5:30 a.m. and concludes at 1:30 p.m. with awards ceremony at 2:30 p.m. The modest $30/per participant entry fee offers anglers the chance to get a whopping $10,000 cash prize for the single biggest (weight) trout that is caught during the contest. Register online at .