2014-Flood Restoration at White Ranch Park

Start Date-End Date: 07/12/2014-07/12/2014 Land Manager Office: Jefferson County Open Space Land Manager Contact: Kim Frederick Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help with critical flood restoration efforts at White Ranch Park, near Golden. Description: STEWARDSHIP SITE Located north of Golden, White Ranch Park is home to 20 miles of multi-use trails. Visitors to the park enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the Front Range to the east and the rugged Rocky Mountains to the west. The park also boasts abundant wildlife, stunning rock formations and Van Bibber Creek to the south. VOLUNTEER PROJECT - WHAT & WHY The September 2013 floods severely impacted White Ranch Park and eroded and washed out many of the park's most popular trails. Volunteers will take part in critical flood restoration efforts by helping to reconstruct sections of trail that were washed out during the flood event. Access to the work site will require a 1-2 mile hike. PARTNERS & SPONSORS Jefferson County Open Space Xcel Energy REI ?Lockheed Martin The Boeing Company Oracle The Anschutz Foundation Anadarko Clif Bar & Company OTHER FUN STUFF Meal: A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Latitude/Longitude: 39.830409, -105.277998 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 80 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 52 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 11 Total Volunteer Days: 63 Total Unique Volunteers: 63 Total Volunteer Hours: 398 Staff Hours: 30 Stipend Hours: 84 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: From an accomplishments perspective, this project was succesful. However, it was aggreed upon by VOC and Jeffco with only three weeks to go to the project date. As a result, it was difficult to recruit to the 80-100 requested by the county. I think a window of at least six weeks should be given if project partners want this many volunteers. Description of Accidents/Incidents: Only minor scrapes. Attended to by VOC staff via basic first aid. Description of Work Completed: The Mustang Trail in White Ranch Park is one of the oldest in the Jeffco Open Space system. After receiving severe flood damage in 2013, the county decided to completely rework the trail. They did this using machinery. Volunteers worked as a hand crew, turning the trail into a finished product by deberming and grubbing the trail, improving drainage structures and adjusting the outslope and backslope of the trail.