Vern Gorzitze was a charter member of OCTA's Utah chapter, Crossroads, and has served as chairman of the chapter's Graves, Sites and Marking Committee since 1990. He helped to plan the successful convention in Salt Lake City held in 1994. He served as the chapter's president from 1998-1999. Vern was the chairman of OCTA's 2005 Salt Lake City Convention Committee, along with his duties as OCTA's Vice President during that time.

Vern has a special interest in the Utah trails. He helped design and supervised the construction of the Donner Spring Historical Site. This memorial originally included two kiosks with embedded interpretive panels along with site landscaping and wooden pole fencing. A third kiosk was added a year later. He also was instrumental in helping to create the interpretive panels at the Grantsville, Utah museum pertaining to the Donner-Reed party. Vern again added to interpretation of the trails in 1998 when he oversaw the construction of a kiosk at Bidwell Pass. Vern has also been active in marking the trail from Fort Bridger (WY) to the Nevada border.

In addition to his work for OCTA, Vern has been a member of Utah Westerners since 1969 and served two terms as their president. He is also a member of the Utah Historic Trail Consortium and helped found the Mountain Men of the Wasatch, as well as the Rocky Mountain Fur Company (American Mountain Men). He frequently makes presentations at schools on the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, in addition to presentations on the mountain men and the westward emigrant trails.