2015-APDC Youth SWAT: Historic Preservation at Plains Conservation Center

Start Date-End Date: 06/11/2015-06/11/2015 Land Manager Office: Plains Conservation Center Land Manager Contact: Adrienne Sedlak Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Students will come out to Plains Conservation Center to help with historic preservation on a building. Description: Students will come out to Plains Conservation Center to help with historic preservation on a building. Latitude/Longitude: 30.9, -105.3 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 20 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 2 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 17 Total Volunteer Days: 19 Total Unique Volunteers: 19 Total Volunteer Hours: 47.5 Staff Hours: 10 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Thursday, June 11th, 19 volunteers from the Asian Pacific Development Center (APDC) came out to the Plains Conservation Center (PCC) in Aurora. While at the PCC, they helped to restore a replica of an 1887 homestead sod house, by mixing dirt, straw, and water together, and patching it into holes on the outside of the home. This is how settlers would have repaired their homes, due to damage from animals and weather. The volunteers from APDC got to see the wildlife that PCC keeps, and were able to tour the inside of the historic home that they helped preserve. Successes and Challenges: There was a lot to see and learn, and the staff at PCC are very knowledgeable. We could have used a few more tools-- they told me I did not need to bring anything, but it would have been nice to have a few more wheelbarrows. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Lots of EE and history provided by the PCC staff. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Good partner to work with in smaller groups. Need to talk to another staff member about stewardship needs vs. just historic preservation. Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: Sod was "daubed" into the holes (mostly caused by birds), in a historically accurrate fasion, using a mixture of dirt, water, and straw.