2011-Browns Canyon Trail Reroute

Start Date-End Date: 06/24/2011-06/26/2011 Land Manager Office: Land Manager Contact: Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Visit the beautiful granite gorge of Browns Canyon with VOC! Description: Visit one of Colorado's most spectacular sites on this mid-summer project. Browns Canyon is a beautiful granite gorge popular with a wide variety of recreational users groups in Colorado. The trail into the canyon has become highly eroded and unsafe for hikers and horseback riders. User-created trails have begun to wander off the main walkway through delicate habitat and private property. Join VOC in creating a safe and sustainable reroute to this scenic canyon. This exciting VOC project includes an optional rafting component on Friday afternoon after a morning of trail work. Those not interested in rafting Friday afternoon are encouraged to pursue other recreational activites in beautiful Buena Vista. Camping is provided Thursday night through Sunday afternoon. Meals are provided beginning with Friday morning breakfast and ending with Sunday lunch. Latitude/Longitude: 38.8422178, -106.1311288 Additional Information: Project went very well. Great local support from Salida and Buena Vista communities. BLM had great local partners that supported the project by bringing their own in-kind donations to give away during the Saturday drawing. Raft trip went very well but their seemed to be some staff concern regarding the cost. Would suggest figuring out what we should charge to do a future rafting drip and doing these again as multiple volunteers said they chose this projecst just for the rafting component. Camping Available: Physical Difficulty: High Altitude Project: Desired Number of Volunteers: 100 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 283 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 11 Total Volunteer Days: 122 Total Unique Volunteers: 122 Total Volunteer Hours: 2834 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Local "Friends of" Group presented on area and the proposal to make it a Wilderness Area. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Project went very well. Great local support from Salida and Buena Vista communities. BLM had great local partners that supported the project by bringing their own in-kind donations to give away during the Saturday drawing. Raft trip went very well but their seemed to be some staff concern regarding the cost. Would suggest figuring out what we should charge to do a future rafting drip and doing these again as multiple volunteers said they chose this projecst just for the rafting component. Description of Accidents/Incidents: One of our long time volunteer youth group leaders approached staff on Saturday evening and said that one of her youth had been offered alcohol by a volunteer. The youth group leaders said that youth helped on the volunteer''s crew during the day moving large rocks and became friendly. The youth was offered private alcohol at the volunteer''s campsite. Staff went to investigate and confronted the volunteer. The volunteer at first denied that he had done anything wrong and then admitted it. He was asked to leave the project and did. Followed up with the youth group leader to talk about ways to avoid situation like this in the future. Best practice seems to be better communication with all youth group leaders if they are bringing youth on a project that any alcohol might be present just so they are aware. Description of Work Completed: Volunteers built 20 rock steps, 4 rock walls, and 1 mile of trail, 4000 feet of which was newly constructed trail. The project included an optional rafting component on Friday afternoon after a morning of trail work with the Dvorak Rafting Company. On Saturday, volunteers were treated to the Ruby Mountain Boys, a local band and one of whom is a VOC volunteer.