2015-William Smith HS Youth SWAT: Hay Stacking @ Genesee Mtn Park

Start Date-End Date: 04/20/2015-04/21/2015 Land Manager Office: City and County of Denver - Parks and Recreation Land Manager Contact: Max Bader Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Kids will be stacking hay in a bison barn. Description: Kids will be stacking hay in a bison barn. Latitude/Longitude: 39, -105 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 10 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 4 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 16 Total Volunteer Days: 20 Total Unique Volunteers: 10 Total Volunteer Hours: 120 Staff Hours: 23 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On April 20 & 21, two adults and eight teens from William Smith HS in Aurora came out to Genesee Mountain Park. They were originally going to help with some trail work, but there was still 7-8 inches of snow on the ground at the park. The staff at DMP was super helpful, and got us a new project stacking hay bales. The bales had to be put into a new pile in their bison barn to make room for a new shipment of hay. After finishing the stacking on the second day, one of the bison caretakers gave the group a tour of the barn, and showed them the bison! Successes and Challenges: Our planned project didn't work out, due to Mother Nature. Max Bader, the ranger that had helped set up the project, was out of town. We had to scramble to find someone else at the park to help us out. All of the DMP staff was really great and eager to help out. Lessons Learned: We have talked with DMP, and moving forward we will be much more clear on back-up plans. They are excited to help us out with more youth groups in the future. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Matt Brown, DMP Operations Supervisor, was able to give the group an extensive tour of the bison barn, and the group also got to see the bison during their calving period.He was very knowledgeable and was great with the students! He explained everything about the handling of bison, from tagging and feeding, to weaning the calves and inoculating the herd. Students left understanding much more about the history of bison in North American and the hard work that goes into handling these animals (especially the moving of tons of hay each year to supplement their diet!). Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: