2014-Fire and Trail Restoration at Lory State Park

Start Date-End Date: 06/07/2014-06/08/2014 Land Manager Office: CPW - Lory State Park Land Manager Contact: Cameron Landis Funding Partner: Overland Mountain Bike Club Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help VOC celebrate a 30 year legacy and partnership with Colorado State Parks as we return to Lory State Park for a day of trail and fire restoration. Description: 30th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE PROJECT This year Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado turns 30! This project is one of nine 30th Anniversary Commemorative Projects we are hosting to highlight VOC's long-standing history caring for Colorado's outdoors. STEWARDSHIP SITE The Overlook Trail was first constructed by Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado back in 1984. It was our first volunteer project after opening our doors as a nonprofit volunteer organization 30 years ago. Since that time, we have provided thousands of volunteers and volunteer leadership in helping maintain and care for Lory State Park. Close to Ft. Collins, Lory State Park offers beautiful foothills scenery and opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and more. Overlook trail is a moderate hiking trail boasting views of Horsetooth reservoir, Ft. Collins, and the plains to the east. VOLUNTEER PROJECT - WHAT & WHY VOC will celebrate our successful relationship with Colorado's state parks, and Lory State Park in particular, by returning for a multi-day effort to construct drainage features on the Overlook trail. Volunteers will work on fire restoration within the park by seeding, mulching and building log check dams to combat soil erosion. Work will also include the construction of rock walls in areas where erosion has compromised the sustainability of the trail, corridor clearing and the removal of invasive weeds, and basic trail and drainage maintenance. Access to the work site will require a 1 mile hike. PARTNERS & SPONSORS Colorado Parks & Wildlife- Lory State Park Overland Mountain Bike Club Xcel Energy REI The Boeing Company Oracle The Anschutz Foundation Clif Bar & Company OTHER FUN STUFF Meals: A light breakfast will be served on Saturday and Sunday. Latitude/Longitude: 40.590623, -105.183985 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 75 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 5 Total Volunteer Days: 78 Total Unique Volunteers: 59 Total Volunteer Hours: 784 Staff Hours: 60 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: Over the weekend of June 7th 42 volunteers helped restore an area in Lory State Park that was affected by the 2013 Galina Fire. Volunteers reinforced much of the trail with rock walls and steps to protect the walking surface from erosion. Participants also removed noxious weeds that had reemerged after the fire, installed log erosion barriers to help collect sediment to catch sediment and provide nutrient rich soil for native vegetation. In the coming weeks ponderosa pine saplings will be planted to help spur the regeneration of the forest along the trail.