Description
Start Date-End Date: 08/31/2013-08/31/2013
Land Manager Office: City and County of Denver - Parks and Recreation
Land Manager Contact: Bob Finch
Funding Partner:
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: Help us give Summit Lake Park, one of Colorado's dearest possessions, some much-needed TLC.
Description:
STEWARDSHIP SITE
At an elevation of 13,001 feet, stunning Summit Lake is not only the highest park in the Denver Mountain Parks system, but is sometimes cited as the highest lake in the United States as well. Nestled in a glacial cirque below the 14,264-ft peak of Mount Evans and overlooking the equally-stunning Chicago Lakes, Summit Lake Park is justly designated as one of Denver Mountain Park's Star parks. Its 160 acres are also home to a delicate alpine tundra ecosystem that boasts rare tundra flowers.
VOLUNTEER PROJECT - WHAT & WHY
Because of the severity of environmental conditions at high altitude, it often takes up to 100 years for individual plants to grow a mere inch. Yet a single misplaced footstep can set these plant communities back centuries. Thanks to VOC's 2010 work, much was done to consolidate foot traffic onto a single, sustainable trail. But there is still much to be done if we are to preserve this priceless wonder. We return to Summit Lake Park to perform some ecological restoration in order to speed up the habitat's recovery by transporting sub-alpine plugs. What's more, we will be repairing the historic Summit Lake stone shelter. Specifically, we will be adding armoring to the shelters floor.
PARTNERS
Denver Mountain Parks
SPONSORS
Denver Parks & Recreation
Which Wich Superior Sandwiches
Lowe's Home Improvement
OTHER FUN STUFF
Meals: A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Latitude/Longitude: 39.600118, -105.637096
Additional Information:
Camping Available: No
Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate
High Altitude Project: Yes
Desired Number of Volunteers: 50
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 31
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 7
Total Volunteer Days: 38
Total Unique Volunteers: 38
Total Volunteer Hours: 380
Staff Hours: 57
Stipend Hours: 0
Project Summary:
Successes and Challenges:
Lessons Learned:
Special Notes:
Stewardship Education:
Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers:
Description of Accidents/Incidents:
Description of Work Completed:
On August 31, 40 volunteers made the trek to Summit Lake on the popular Front Range 14er, Mount Evans, to restore delicate high alpine tundra and install a stone floor in a historic structure. Volunteers transplanted 89 plants, restored 112 ft of buck and rail fence, and installed 176 square ft of rock flooring. The work will help restore an extremely sensitive area that sees thousands of visitors a week during summer months.
Details
| 12 and older |
