2015-Quandary Peak Trail and Ecological Restoration

Start Date-End Date: 09/12/2015-09/13/2015 Land Manager Office: USFS - Dillon Ranger District Land Manager Contact: Ben Hanus Funding Partner: Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Programmatic Partner: Summary: Restore this popular 14'er trail and its surrounding sensitive alpine tundra that have been severely impacted by overuse. Description: ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP SITE Located six miles south of Breckenridge, Quandary Peak is one of Colorado's most heavily hiked 14'ers. Its close proximity to Denver and relatively short climb to the top make this mountain popular and accessible. Quandary's beautiful summit provides big views down McCullough Gulch, and on a clear day the tips of Mt. Bross, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Cameron, and Mt. Democrat are visible. ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER WORK The weekend will consist of two separate projects addressing the overuse of the trail and degradation to the fragile ecosystem. The first work area is located at 11,800 feet, where volunteers will help close an unsustainable trail that was formed by erosion and heavy human foot traffic.The majority of work will consist of transplanting willows and grasses, hauling dirt, and building restoration checks to retain soil and transplants. The second work area is located at an elevation of 12,500 feet. Unfortunately, the condition of Quandary's peak is being altered by the excess number of hikers using the approach trail to reach its summit - up to 1,600 hikers on a summer weekend! As a result, areas of extensive and informal trails are causing damage to the fragile alpine tundra. To address the issue, volunteers at this site will domaintenance work that includes trail narrowing and installing check steps. Free meals and camping provided. PARTNERS & SPONSORS U.S. Forest Service Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Latitude/Longitude: 39.3973, -106.1064 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 27 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 45 Total Unique Volunteers: 27 Total Volunteer Hours: 386 Staff Hours: 57.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Sept. 12th-13th, 27 volunteers, and 7 members of the Colorado Fourteneers Initiative worked on restoring the Quandary Peak trail that has been degraded by heavy foot-traffic and erosion. The volunteers were able to transplant 304 plants (willows and grasses), seed 5,300 square feet of the closed trail area, build 1,200 cubic feet of a tundra support wall and construct 3 check steps that were 6 feet wide each. Successes and Challenges: Even though the project site was a 1.5 mile hike in (took about 45 minutes to an hour to get there), the volunteers worked hard and got a significant amount of work done. CFI did a fantastic job crew leading and explaining the work that needed to be done (and why). Volunteers really enjoyed the food provided by VOC Crew Chef, Rose Beyer, and also enjoyed some beers by a campfire at the end of the day on Saturday. The radios did not work well between the project site and the trail head, but were useful between crews at the project site. I, Lauren Riegler, was able to get water on Friday and Saturday from a nearby ice rink (Stephen C West Ice Arena). The employees there were very kind and helpful. I was also able to get a banner from The Summit Foundation on Friday (with no difficulties) to display at the campsite throughout the weekend. Dropping back off in Breckenridge on Sunday was a little difficult due to limited open hours of the library (the foundation's office is closed on the weekends, but within the library), but only had to drive 40 minutes out of the way at the end of the work day to drop it off. Unfortunately, 7 volunteers left after Saturday's work, so we were a little short on Sunday. But the remaining volunteers worked hard and got tons of work done. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: CFI explained to the volunteers that the alpine tundra ecosystem was fragile and described why the work needed to be done (heavy traffic and erosion) to really emphasize the importance of their work. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: One volunteer had a finger pinched by a large rock on the morning of the first day. She was a registered nurse and bandaged the finger herself. She continued working throughout the day and even the following day. She said her finger was sore, but she was fine. CFI and VOC gave her bandages and antibiotic cream for her finger throughout the weekend. Description of Work Completed: