2015-Free Horizon Montessori Youth SWAT @ Red Rocks: Weed Pull and Planting

Start Date-End Date: 09/09/2015-09/09/2015 Land Manager Office: City and County of Denver - Parks and Recreation Land Manager Contact: Kelly Uhing Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Students will come out to Red Rocks to pull invasive species and plant milkweed. Description: Students will come out to Red Rocks to pull invasive species and plant milkweed. Latitude/Longitude: 39.666467, -105.204855 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 25 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 3 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 19 Total Volunteer Days: 22 Total Unique Volunteers: 22 Total Volunteer Hours: 77 Staff Hours: 8 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Wednesday, Sept 9th, 22 students and teachers from Golden's Free Horizon Montessori came out to Red Rocks Park to pull invasive species, plant milkweed plants and collect native seeds that will be propagated by Denver Parks and Rec. The group learned how to identify invasive weeds and native species, and what milkweed does for monarch butterflies. They were able to remove 3 acres of invasive weeds, collect 2 pounds of native grass seeds and plant 70 milkweed plants. We were working in an area that was heavily concentrated with poison hemlock, so the kids learned how to identify that as well. The day ended with a short hike, trivia and prizes. Successes and Challenges: Challenge working in an area with so much hemlock, but a good lesson for kids to learn. The teachers had no idea what the plant looked like either, and a few of them have lived in CO their whole lives. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Provided by VOC staff and Denver Parks and Rec staff. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: