Description
Start Date-End Date: 05/22/2014-05/22/2014
Land Manager Office: USFS - South Platte Ranger District
Land Manager Contact: Robin Bay
Funding Partner: Colorado Springs Utilities
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: Help with fire restoration efforts near Colorado Springs!
Description:
STEWARDSHIP
The 2012 18,500-acre Waldo Canyon Fire went down in history as the single most expensive wildfire in Colorado state history, only to be eclipsed by the Black Forest fire in 2013. 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- WHAT & WHY
In 2013, volunteers seeded and raked severely scorched areas of the Waldo Canyon Fire burn scar. This year, volunteers will return to the same area, working directly below last year's project site to plant willows and small shrubs to stabilize the drainage area. Volunteer efforts will help to stabilize the land and prevent the soils from eroding and negatively impacting water sources downstream.
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Habitat Management Inc.
Colorado Springs Utilities
U.S. Forest Serviece
Xcel Energy
The Boeing Company
Oracle
The Anschutz Foundation
Pikes Peak Community Foundation
Clif Bar & Company
Latitude/Longitude: 38.917279, -104.8855
Additional Information:
Camping Available: No
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
High Altitude Project: No
Desired Number of Volunteers: 40
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 32
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 30
Total Volunteer Days: 62
Total Unique Volunteers: 62
Total Volunteer Hours: 265
Staff Hours: 22
Stipend Hours: 36
Project Summary:
Successes and Challenges:
Lessons Learned:
Special Notes:
Stewardship Education: Volunteers learned how to identify what willows were ideal to harvest, and how to harvest and plant them properly. They also learned how these efforts would have a positive effect on restoring the watershed.
29 students from Manitou Springs High School came out for a service day. In addition to the education listed above, the students got to learn how they can make a difference in their local natural resources through stewardship.
Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers:
Description of Accidents/Incidents:
Description of Work Completed: Volunteers spent the day harvesting and planting willows. The morning consisted of trimming branches off existing willows outside of the burn zone. In the afternoon, these branches were hiked into a nearby burnt drainage and transplanted. Approximately 2000 of these willow "stakes" were harvested and transplanted. These efforts will help to reestablish vegetation and limit flood damage in this key and severely burnt portion of the Colorado Springs area watershed.
Details
| 16 and older |
