2015-National Public Lands Day Lower Cottonwood Trail Construction

Start Date-End Date: 09/26/2015-09/27/2015 Land Manager Office: USFS - Salida Ranger District Land Manager Contact: Brett Beasley Funding Partner: Salida Mountain Trails Programmatic Partner: Summary: Give back on National Public Lands Day and help complete a sustainable trail in the Arkansas Hills Trail System. Description: ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP SITE The Lower Cottonwood Trail project is located just 4 miles northeast of historic Salida and is part of the Arkansas Hills Trail System, a network of various trails easily accessible from the downtown area. Salida is an active mountain biking community that frequently uses this hub of amazing trails. The Cottonwood Trail area boasts exceptional views of the Sawatch and Sangre de Cristo Mountain Ranges. ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER WORK Come celebrate National Public Lands Day with us! This is an ideal volunteer experience for those who want to intimately experience the outdoors without making a long hauldriving or hiking to remote wilderness areas. In partnership with Salida Mountain Trails, VOC has undertaken a handful of projects in the past few years working on the Arkansas Hills Trail System. On this project, volunteers will complete the final section of trail that will serve as the connecting link between the newly constructed trail and the rest of the Arkansas Hill Trail System. This volunteer project will work on constructing 900 ft of brand new trail, adding to the network on existing trails to support the increasing recreation demands and needs of the Salida community. Free meals and camping provided. PARTNERS & SPONSORS USFS - Salida Ranger District Latitude/Longitude: 38.600782, -105.941763 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 60 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 73 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 5 Total Volunteer Days: 78 Total Unique Volunteers: 45 Total Volunteer Hours: 790 Staff Hours: 86 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Good trailwork accomplished, some no-shows - not sure why, but still finished work and had a great project team and no issues. Worked on the Cottonwood trail, for the 2nd time this year. Successes and Challenges: Successes: had a group returning from UCCS, easy group to work with and enjoy having on the project. Had front-range, colorado springs, and local Salida volunteers. Challenges: n/a Lessons Learned: n/a Special Notes: I believe one of our VOC signs was graffitied or stamped overnight. Not sure what to do about that - it's probably happened before. It was just a stenciled picture. Stewardship Education: Talked about the history of the area, the use, the wildlife, and the reasons for building structures the way we did. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: No concerns! Description of Accidents/Incidents: All was good and safe! Description of Work Completed: