2013-Waldo Canyon Fire Restoration - 09/26/2013

Start Date-End Date: 09/26/2013-09/26/2013 Land Manager Office: USFS - Pike & San Isabel National Forests Land Manager Contact: Funding Partner: Habitat Management Inc. Programmatic Partner: Colorado Springs Utilities Summary: Help with habitat restoration and flood mitigation as part of the Waldo Canyon Fire restoration effort. NOTE: Registration for this opportunity is full. If you register, you will be placed on the wait list. Description: STEWARDSHIP SITE The 2012 18,500-acre Waldo Canyon Fire has already gone down in history as the single most expensive wildfire in Colorado state history. Of those 18,500 acres, 20% were burned so intensely that they were likened to moonscape by the Burned Area Emergency Response team. The severity of the damage will both dramatically slow the recovery of the ecosystem and present near-constant flood risks-risks which experts say may threaten the area for the next decade. VOLUNTEER PROJECT - WHAT & WHY In response to the destruction wrought by the Waldo Canyon Fire, volunteers will help with flood mitigation and fire restoration. These burn areas are now subject to severe erosion and mudslides which threaten Colorado Springs' municipal water supply, Highway 24, and public and private infrastructure.Volunteers will also help to minimize the loss of habitats already significantly harmed by the fire. Work will involve raking, mulching and reseeding the burn area in an effort to manage soil erosion. Volunteers may also have the opportunity to build erosion control structures to stabilize drainages prone to flooding. Sign up for one or both of our remaining 2013 Waldo Canyon Fire Restoration projects. PARTNERS Habitat Management Inc. SPONSORS Pikes Peak Community Foundation Colorado Garden Show, Inc OTHER FUN STUFF Meals: A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Latitude/Longitude: 38.917279, -104.8855 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 60 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 40 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 40 Total Unique Volunteers: 40 Total Volunteer Hours: 368 Staff Hours: 12 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: The project was full a week out and then there was an array of last-minute cancellations and people on the wait-list couldn't change plans with such short notice. From a recruitment standpoint, it is difficult to move people of the wait-list for weekday projects because work plans can't be changed short notice, maybe we should consider overfilling some weekday projects based on an expected atrition rate? Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: On September 26, volunteers returned to Waldo Canyon for the fourth and final project in the area this season. 40 Volunteers raked, seeded and mulched 5 acres of the burn area near Rampart Reservoir outside Woodland Park.