2015-Canyon Verde Trail Restoration in the South San Juan Wilderness

Start Date-End Date: 07/27/2015-07/31/2015 Land Manager Office: USFS - Conejos Peak Ranger District Land Manager Contact: Gerard Sandoval Funding Partner: Step Outdoors Programmatic Partner: San Luis Valley Great Outdoors - SLVGO Summary: Spend a week in the breathtaking backcountry of the South San Juan Mountains. Space still available! Description: ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP SITE Tucked away on the Colorado and New Mexico border, the South San Juan Wilderness is the embodiment of everything the Wilderness Act of 1964 protects and preserves. Canyon Verde was formed by one of the many tributaries of the tranquil Conejos River, and the trail that parallels provides access to incredible high alpine meadows, waterfalls, and lakes. The project site is located aprroximately 8 miles from the parking area, so volunteers will backpack in and set up a base camp near the work site. The Conejos Peak Ranger District will pack in tools, food, and group gear on horses. This project will also be supported by Step Outdoors, an experienced backpacking guide service based in Pagosa Springs. ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER WORK Due to the isolated location of the Canyon Verde Trail, it has seenlittle maintenance in recent years.Volunteers will work to provide a long-lasting solution to a problem section of the trail. Work will include building rock mono walls to stabilize the trail, installing drainage structures to maximize the trail's ability to shed water, among other maintenance tasks.These improvements will help keep trail users on the designated route as well as keep the route in tact. Free meals and camping will be provided. PARTNERS U.S. Forest Service - Conejos Peak Ranger District Step Outdoors San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLVGO) San Luis Valley Federal Bank Latitude/Longitude: 37.214719, -106.542835 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 14 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 7 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 35 Total Unique Volunteers: 7 Total Volunteer Hours: 448 Staff Hours: 105.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: The project site was approx 8 miles from the TH in the South San Juan Wilderness. The Conejos Peak Ranger District provided pack support with USFS stock. Step Outdoors providing backcountry leadership and additional supervision. Volunteers replaced a user built wood retaining wall with a multi tiered rock retaining wall, widdened the tread and built 40' of rock mono-wall to help stabilize a section of the Canyon Verde Trail that traverses an avalanche chute. Project required a 6 hour drive from Denver. Successes and Challenges: Attrition. There was a waitlist the week before the project so I scrambled to get additional pack support which we did not end up needing because we ended up with close to 50% no-shows/last minute cancelations. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Volunteers that showed up asked about requiring a deposit. Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: