2012-Corporate Day of Service (Boeing/Jeppesen, EKS&H, Norgren) SWAT at Cherry Creek State Park

Start Date-End Date: 07/14/2012-07/14/2012 Land Manager Office: CPW - Cherry Creek State Park Land Manager Contact: Jonathan Huey Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: SWAT with Boeing, EKS&H, and Norgren at Cherry Creek State Park Description: Annually this old trail near the Shop Creek trailhead located in the floodplains of Cherry Creek becomes flooded with water from the spring run-off. We will use this natural process in our favor to reclaim the land. Silt moves along with the flood water in the floodplains; we planned to slow down the erosive forces of the water and capture the silt on the land with the help of volunteers by hauling woody material from the wooded areas adjacent to the trail onto the trail closure sites. Woody material on the closure site will help slow the flow and knock out silt from the water and replenish it onto the land. In some areas, the flood water flows rapidly down the old trail and has formed gullies that require check dams. Volunteers will also be spreading leaves over the woody debris to help trap more soils and to create more fertile soils for plants to re-colonize the land. Latitude/Longitude: 39.63134, -104.839625 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 50 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 65 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 13 Total Volunteer Days: 78 Total Unique Volunteers: 78 Total Volunteer Hours: 506.5 Staff Hours: 128.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Volunteers learned about floods and floodplains. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Large rain event 1 week before project and the work design was re-scoped several days prior to the project day. Description of Accidents/Incidents: None Description of Work Completed: We had over 75 volunteers from Boeing, Jeppesen, EKS&H and Norgren. There were families and people of varying ages. These corporate groups also gave a financial donation to VOC. Volunteers moved several tons of road base and crusher fines to rehabilitated approx 500 ft of crusher fine trail damaged by recent heavy rains. They also closed 500 ft of old asphalt trail by building 34 large check dams and stopped a scour hole from causing additional erosion and tree loss. (Volunteers, including families and individuals of all ages, moved several tons of road base and crusher fine to rehabilitate nearly 500ft of trail damaged by recent heavy rains. Volunteers also hauled woody material to build 34 large check dams along an old asphalt trail in order to slow down water erosion, capture silt and convert the trail back to native riparian habitat.) Purpose/Highlight: An old asphalt trail near the Shop Creek trailhead located in the floodplains of Cherry Creek often becomes flooded with water from the spring run-off and heavy rains. VOC and State Parks used this natural process in our favor to reclaim the land to riparian habitat. We slowed down the erosive forces of the water with check dams to capture the silt which is naturally moved by flood waters. Volunteers hauled woody material from the wooded areas adjacent to the trail to construct check dams over the asphalt trail which State Parks want to bury and reclaim to native riparian habitat. These wooden check dams constructed by volunteers will slow the flood water and knock out silt from the water and replenish it onto the land. Breakfast from local Starbucks, Einsteins. Discounted sandwiches from Which Wich. Donations from Colorado State Parks, Christy Sports, and Moosejaw in Volunteer Appreciation Raffle as a small token of appreciation for the volunteers hard work. See post project evaluation in project folder.