2016-Blue Heron Pond Trail Construction at St. Vrain State Park

Start Date-End Date: 04/30/2016-04/30/2016 Land Manager Office: CPW - St. Vrain State Park Land Manager Contact: Ben Pedrett Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help complete a new trail at this scenic Colorado State Park. Description: About the Stewardship Site St. Vrain State Park, one of Colorado's 42 State Parks that is conveniently located between Denver and Ft. Collins, offers an unrivaled mountain backdrop of the majestic Longs Peak. The park boasts 15 reservoirs and is a perfect place for anglers, campers, photographers, and birders. In fact, St. Vrain State Park is home to the only known nesting site of Great Egrets in Colorado. These beautiful birds are slightly smaller than Blue Herons, and were hunted nearly to extinction in the late nineteenth century. About the Volunteer Experience In 2015, VOC volunteers began constructing a trail around the Blue Heron Pond, the largest pond at St. Vrain State Park and one of the last ponds in the park to have a trail built around its perimeter. Volunteers are needed to continue last year's efforts, and will work in crews to top the new trail with crushed rock material. The work is easy- to- moderate in difficulty, and is appropriate for volunteers ages 12 and up. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. About the Overall Impact Once completed, the three-mile trail will improve fishing and bird-watching access, as well as offer Front Range recreationalists another superb hiking opportunity in the park. Latitude/Longitude: 40.162872, -104.987122 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 60 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 54 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 1 Total Volunteer Days: 56 Total Unique Volunteers: 55 Total Volunteer Hours: 281 Staff Hours: 13.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: The cold weather, wind, rain, and snow, made a valiant attempt to shut down the Blue Heron Pond Trail Construction Project at St. Vrain State Park over the weekend. Thanks to the incredible level of dedication and perserverence of our volunteers we can proudly say that we went out and came back victorious! Early Saturday morning the possibility of enough volunteers showing up at St. Vrain in the wintery weather to work in the sticky mud seemed very unrealistic. As the cold wind blew my waivers and registration forms around I was astonished to see almost 50 people had braved the roads and were now standing under our tent, huddled together for warmth, with hands wrapped around hot coffee mugs. The optimistic attitude of the group motivated everyone to trudge through the clay based mud, swing heavy mick mattocks, wield the shovel fulls of sticky soil, and navigatethecumbersomewheel barrows. When the snow started to fly sideways, the possibility of retreat seemed very real, somehow the group found it in themselves to continue on. I am not sure if it was the sheer desire to finish the 700' of trail that we were sheduled to build, the possibility of finishing early and going home, or the anticipation of hot pulled pork sandwiches waiting at the lunch area, whatever the motivation was, the work was accomplished. It was a true adventure and a test of one's ability to stand face to face with the elements. Successes and Challenges: Success: 700' of trail was completed. This now improves access to fishermen, hikers, and bikers that are enjoying the beuaty of the Blue Heron Reservoir. Challenges: Temperature's hovered around 40 degrees, but the wind chill factor was below freezing, and sideways snow did not help. The conditions on the ground were not ample to say the least. We were often standing in 4 to 5 inches of mud that we had to excavate out of the new trail tread. The sticky soil made it very difficult to work effectively, and even worse at the end of the day when we had to clean all of the tools. Lessons Learned: People are strong and dedicated individuals. Proper motivation can be found in a variety of ways. Special Notes: Retain more volunteers to assist with the cleaning of tools on a muddy project. Stewardship Education: Working at St. Vrain in these conditions is always a concern when there are people who are not prepared for the weather. First and foremost we have to take care of ourselves and the volunteers that we are working with. That being said, when weather conditions are not optimal the concern for the work, and the protection of the habitat starts to become less. It was challenging, trying to motivate people to work and keep them focused on the environmental impact that we were trying to mitigate. We managed to accomplish building the trail, which will encourage trail users to stay off of the nearby vegetation and therefore reduce habitat degradation and sedimentation in the waterways. On days like this one, with conditions the way that they were, we have to maintain the focus on how we work in these sensitive habitats. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: It was cold. Description of Accidents/Incidents: No accidents or incidents. Description of Work Completed: