2015-Genesee Bison Trail Construction

Start Date-End Date: 05/16/2015-05/16/2015 Land Manager Office: City and County of Denver - Parks and Recreation Land Manager Contact: Bob Finch Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: NOTE: Registration for this opportunity is FULL. If you register, you will be placed on the wait list. As space becomes available, we will move individuals off the wait list. Description: ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP SITE Beautiful scenery, panoramic views, and home to where the buffalo roam (and deer and antelope play...) make Genesee Mountain Park a popular Front Range attraction, just 30 minutes from downtown Denver. It is the oldest and largest park in the Denver Mountain Parks system, and includes 46 mountain parks and more than 14,000 acres of parklands in the mountainsand foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado. ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER WORK Volunteers return to Genesee Mountain Park, in which its bison herd is undoubtedly its biggest draw,to play an important role in constructing a new trail. This new trail will connect the northeastern portion of the park to the Chief Hosa side, which will give visitors access to a scenic loop that covers almost the entire 2,000 acres in the park. Volunteers will build a natural surface trail in an area that will enhance the visitor experience, improve safety, and increase the variety of recreational activities in the area. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. OTHER WAYS TO HELP It's not all sweat and toil! There are lots of ways you can participate on project days, including as an assistant crew chef. Assistant crew chefs have a fun, vital, and very appreciated role on the project team - keeping volunteers happy and well-fed! Please emailSteve Wallfor more information. PARTNERS Denver Parks & Recreation - Denver Mountain Parks Latitude/Longitude: 39.703364, -105.291617 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 120 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 102 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 18 Total Volunteer Days: 120 Total Unique Volunteers: 120 Total Volunteer Hours: 878 Staff Hours: 55.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: 119 volunteers continued work on the new trail system at Genesee Park, the largest in the Denver Mountain Parks system. Once completed, the multi use trail will give visitors access to most of the park's 2400 acres, including scenic views of the surrounding front range and bison enclosure, and a family-firendly, beginner mountain biking opportunity. Volunteers completed an amazing amount of new trail, constructing approximatley 3900 feet, and connecting the loop to the section built in 2014! Successes and Challenges: Overall a very succesful day! Volunteers accomplished more than expected and put in some quality work. Their was some poor weather that kep some volunteers away, but it wasn't bad enough to seriously effect the project. We also had some challenges managin volunteer numbers for this project. The initial amount of "desired" and "max" number inputed were highly overestimated and it became a struggle to ensure enough crew leaders were recruited. In the end, thanks to VOC and DMP staff support, we were able to pull enough leads together to manage the project succesfully. Lessons Learned: For a project of this scope, 120 is probably a good "desired" number, and the max should not be set at anything more than 20% higher (~140). Project manager should also keep a close eye on large projects and work with outreach staff to ensure they don't fill up beyond the capacity of a 10:1 vol. to CL ratio. Special Notes: Former Cairn student, Ben Papadapolous, did a great job of getting sing ups for Cairn info at this project! Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: New trail construction. ~3900 ft. 24-36 in wide full bench construction.