2015-Rutherford Trail Restoration

Start Date-End Date: 08/29/2015-08/30/2015 Land Manager Office: Clear Creek County Open Space Commission Land Manager Contact: Martha Tableman Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help improve the historic Rutherford Trail outside Georgetown, making it more sustainable and fun for all. Description: ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP SITE The Rutherford Trail was once the Chicago Lakes Wagon Road, which connected Georgetown with the historic town site of Silverdale. It follows the tight canyon of the tumbling South Clear Creek. Easily-accessible, this hidden jewel instantly transports the user to a world far away from the sights and sounds of I-70. ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER WORK Continuing our 2013 project on the Rutherford Trail, this project will address the soggy and oftentimes muddy hillside that covers much of the trail. The improved trail will expand recreational access in the area and make for a safer, more sustainable experience. Volunteers will construct a boardwalk through boggy sections of the trail as well as improve and widen the trail and clear corridor. Access to the project site will require a .5 mile hike. Free meals and camping 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 Clear Creek County Latitude/Longitude: 39.706098, -105.697504 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 45 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 81 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 3 Total Volunteer Days: 84 Total Unique Volunteers: 56 Total Volunteer Hours: 721.5 Staff Hours: 49 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On August 29th-30th, 54 volunteers, 1 member of the Clear Creek County Open Space Commission (Smoky Anderson) and 1 sawyer helped to improve the soggy and muddy hillside along the Rutherford Trail. The volunteers were able to complete the entire project by 2:13 PM on Sunday! They constructed 199 feet of timber puncheon (boardwalk), installed 3 rock culvert drains, put in 10 rock steps and improved over 100 feet of trail. Successes and Challenges: The project site was incredibly muddy in sections where the boardwalk was being put in, but the volunteers were incredibly hard working and helped to get every single part of the project done in just two days! Volunteers worked alongside a creek and it made for a very beautiful backdrop during the work day. The number of volunteers dropped from Saturday to Sunday, but due to limited crew leaders, this was actually a positive in terms of getting work done efficiently. Limited crew leaders made the project a little difficult. On Saturday there was one crew under Smoky Anderson that was left alone repeatedly and were frustrated at the lack of direction (and conflicting information at times). The TA, John Birkey, stepped in a bit in the morning to help guide the volunteers and help with their section. In the afternoon, Tool Manager Jim Jacobson helped do trail maintenance with a section of the crew to help out. On Sunday, Smoky was not given a crew so that he could focus on other things. Sunday went much more smoothly with the crew leaders and crews. Overall, the volunteers seemed to really enjoy the work and appreciate the progress made. Clear Creek County Open Space Commission also had a sawyer, Rick Gaubatz, help cut down trees for the boardwalk and to help clear the corridor. He and Smoky helped get a lot of the supplies together for the project. Saturday night we had a wonderful history talk given by Cindy Neely, a former teacher from the area. She explained how the area was a campsite in the past for silver mining and how the Rutherford Trail came to be. She was a big hit with the volunteers! We also had a guitar player, Nick Regester, who played songs and sang by the campfire after dessert. The volunteers also loved that! Smoky Anderson helped get the two guests over for the project. He was incredibly helpful in not just getting tools together for the project (drills, bits, timber, etc.), but also very willing to help get the entertainment for Saturday and providing swag for the volunteers. Smoky was a pleasure to work with! Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: None. Description of Work Completed: