2013-Strive Prep School Youth SWAT at South Valley Park Jeffco

Start Date-End Date: 04/26/2013-04/26/2013 Land Manager Office: Jefferson County Open Space Land Manager Contact: Tony Auciello Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: 160 14-15 year olds will perform an invasive species project to remove common mullein. Description: 160 14-15 year olds will perform an invasive species project to remove common mullein. Latitude/Longitude: 39.557748, -105.153486 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 175 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 14 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 120 Total Volunteer Days: 134 Total Unique Volunteers: 134 Total Volunteer Hours: 512 Staff Hours: 18 Stipend Hours: 36 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Jeffco provided education component Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: None Description of Accidents/Incidents: None Description of Work Completed: 120 high school students from Strive Prep-Excel High School spent their Friday morning on April 26th at South Valley Park eradicating common mullein. Jefferson County Parks and Open Space has been working hard to remove this invasive weed year after year, and these students made a significant dent in their noxious weed problem at the park. Over 4 acres of land were eradicated, making a fantastic visual difference to park users as well as helping restore habitat for native plants and therefore providing a more nutritious diet for the wildlife in the area. The students worked very hard all morning and both VOC and Jefferson County Parks and Open Space were impressed not only by the quantity of the work achieved over the course of a few hours, but the quality as well.