2014-National Youth Conference Youth SWAT: Little Thompson Flood Cleanup

Start Date-End Date: 07/22/2014-07/23/2014 Land Manager Office: Land Manager Contact: Jenny Sanders Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: 100-130 youth and adult volunteers will perform flood restoration on the Little Thompson River in Johnstwon, CO over two days. Description: 100-130 youth and adult volunteers will perform flood restoration on the Little Thompson River in Johnstwon, CO over two days. Latitude/Longitude: 40.315065, -104.924646 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 65 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 15 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 94 Total Volunteer Days: 109 Total Unique Volunteers: 65 Total Volunteer Hours: 327 Staff Hours: 30 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Volunteers got a brief talk about the floods of 2013 and how there work would be a big help in ensuring the recovery of the watershed and the community. Staff from VOC and LTWRC also took time thourghout the afternoon to speak with volunteers about flood related issues such as streamflow, river ecology and the larger impact of the flood on the local community. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Though they sent out some great volunteers, this group was alittle tricky to work with. They had a huge camp, and were sending out around 900 total volunteers each day. As a result, there was some confusion on the first day. Some of the volunteers that arrived thought they were going to a more easy-going project site and wore sandals. We were able to find some light duty on the farm to keep them busy. It was also tricky coordinating waivers. Since we couldn't have they parents of the all the volunteers sign our waiver, we had to request copies of the overall camp waiver for each volunteer that attended, which was a headache to sort through! Overall though, they got a ton of great work done. This camp only comes through every four years, so it may be a while before we hear from them again. Description of Accidents/Incidents: IT WAS HOT!!! On the first day, one older volunteer suffered from minor heat exhaustion on the walk back to the buses. Staff responded by having her rest in the shade and then ride the rest of the way in our air conditioned vehicle. NYC also had an RN on hand who helped in administering first aid. We took this incident to heart on the second day, pausing for more frequent water breaks and generally encouraging volunteers to drink water more often. Description of Work Completed: Volunteers cleared flood deposited debris from two properties along the Little Thompson River near Johnstown. This invovled removing woody debris, recyclable metals, and non-recyclable trash, and sorting into different piles. Volunteers also cleared debris that was deposited farther from the banks of the river, where the waters crested during the flood.