The Eldorado National Forest Interpretive Association (ENFIA) is a non profit organization that is dedicated to helping the Eldorado National Forest serve the public. ENFIA entered into a formal agreement with the National Forest Service and the Eldorado National Forest in May, 1988, to assist in the educational, historical, scientific and interpretive activities of the Forest Service. Responsibilities include:

• Conducting general meetings of the membership once a quarter. These meetings provide an opportunity for the membership to have a direct impact on the operation of the organization.
• Providing funds for Eldorado National Forest projects that are of an interpretive, historical, or scientific in nature. Such projects must be proposed or supported by a forest service employee to be considered by ENFIA's Board of Directors.
• Publishing a newsletter three times a year. This newsletter is used to keep the membership informed about what ENFIA is doing and what is planned for the near future. In addition, the newsletter often contains other forest-related information that the membership might find useful.
• Providing outings that might be of interest to our membership. These are forest related and are usually conducted by Forest Service personnel or other experts. They are open to our membership and, often, to the public.
• Providing various volunteer activities on the El Dorado Forest for ENFIA members.

If you have any questions/suggestions, feel free to contact Mary Knowles at jbkfmk@hughes.net or 530-622-4666.

Over the past 20 years we have developed projects which help inform docents, visitors and the membership about the history, the natural history, and the many special features of the Forest. Some of those projects include:

• Carson Pass Information Station construction which has been our major project for the last 10 years. The Eldorado National Forest provided most of the materials needed but ENFIA provided the labor. See (PDF) file for more information.
• Silver Lake Cabin maintenance. This cabin is used by the volunteers who staff the Carson Pass Information Station. These individuals need a place to stay overnight when they are on duty for more than one day and the cabin at Silver Lake provides that place. See (PDF) file for more information.
• The Traverse Creek Restoration Project is a stream reconstruction management project that is increasing the native marsh and riparian vegetation along a section of creek in the Traverse Creek Botanical Area. See (PDF) file for more information
• The Bridal Veil Picnic Area Interpretive Trail Restoration Project was a combined effort between ENFIA members Ford and Ellen Osborn and Eagle Scout Patrick Terwedo. The trail was re-mapped and re-constructed with a new parking area and signage. For more information see (PDF)
• "Hiking The Greater Carson Pass Region", written by Dick Brock, an original ENFIA volunteer. This book details where all the trailheads and trails are located in the area from Hwy. 89 on the east to west of Silver Lake and from Hwy 4 on the south to Hwy 50 on the north. It is the most comprehensive guide within the covered area.
• Dick gave the copyright to ENFIA who had it published. It is available for sale at all Eldorado National Forest Offices that have retail outlets For more information see (PDF).
• Joel and Mary Knowles researched and wrote three brochures that are published by ENFIA. These are made available at no cost to the public.
• ENFIA has also paid for publishing Forest Service materials and then distributed them free to the public at the Carson Pass Information Station. Two of these materials are the multi-page fold-outs on the Carson Pass area. One provides information about the geology of the Round Top Mountain area and a similar brochure provides information on the botany of the area.
• Lola Schuette assembled and annotated a comprehensive collection of samples of wildflowers that grow in the Carson Pass area. This collection is available for study at the Carson Pass Information Station.
• Maintain a web site for the benefit of ENFIA's membership and the general public. Since you are currently looking at ENFIA's web site you are taking advantage of an opportunity to learn more about our organization. As with the newsletter, the web site attempts to provide information to our membership and the general public that is both informative and useful.