2016-Colorado Front Range Trail Construction

Start Date-End Date: 06/18/2016-06/18/2016 Land Manager Office: Douglas County Open Space Land Manager Contact: Jackie Sanderson Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help build a section of this legacy trail that will ultimately span nearly 900 miles. Description: About the Stewardship Site This project will take place in Larkspur, a small town just south of Castle Rock, on a high-priority section of the Colorado Front Range Trail (CFRT). The vision of the CFRT is to create a multi-purpose trail from Wyoming to New Mexico, along the Front Range of Colorado. Once complete, the 876-mile trail will connect 15 cities and 14 counties, as well as scenic landscapes, cultural and historic points, parks, open spaces, and other attractions. To date, over 270 miles of the CFRT have been finished. About the Volunteer Experience Volunteers ages 12 and up will complete the work of a machine-constructed trail, working in crews to transform a rough cut trail into a finished product that ensures proper structure, slope, and drainage. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. About the Overall Impact In addition to bringing the CFRT a few thousand feet closer to completion, construction of this trail segment will further enhance the area's recreational opportunities. This portion of Douglas County is home to a wealth of hiking, biking, and horseback riding amenities. The CFRT is a legacy that will enrich Colorado's tourism and recreation resources by serving thousands of trail users annually. Latitude/Longitude: 39.267821, -104.894006 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 75 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 69 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 7 Total Volunteer Days: 75 Total Unique Volunteers: 76 Total Volunteer Hours: 553.5 Staff Hours: 58 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: The project day was very hot, very sunny, with little shade. However volunteers completed 2,600 feet of new trail and had a great time. Douglas County provided ice pops during the day and ice cream bars at the end which were huge hits and made all the difference. Though the original plan laid out 5,400 feet of trail, the amount accomplished during the day was impressive despite two main factors detrimentally effecting work output, weather and prep work. The original 5,400 feet was planned based on the assumption that Douglas County would machine work the trail in advance, and volunteers would put finishing touches on outslope and tread. However, the machine work was hindered due to equipment breakage prior to the project and therefore progress was slowed. In addition the heat during the day (the high was around 97 degrees) required crew leaders to take frequent shade and hydration breaks. Weather also caused us to break early at 2:00 pm instead of the planned 3:30 end time out of caution as multiple crews were flagging in the afternoon heat. Overall logistically the project was extremely smooth from start to finish. Tools and food rolled out effectively in the morning, registration went well, morning introductions were concise and pointed, and project work went ahead without questions. Successes and Challenges: Successes - Logistics were very straightforward and smooth. The project team and the PM all worked as a cohesive unit to accomplish the set up, project supervision and breakdown efficiently and effectively. Ice pops and ice cream bars were a huge benefit to morale and productivity, as well as volunteer satisfaction on the project. Bringing extra shade tents to place along the trail were a big benefit to volunteers. Challenges - Hot weather forced us to call the project early. However communications and setting expectations with the land managers before the project were effective in making this a non-issue for them. Intially the expectation from VOC and volunteers was that the trail would be machine cut, therefore making the work easy and quick to complete. With this as the expectation, the hope was to finish the entire 5,400 feet of trail in one day. However on project day we realized that the machine work was little more than mowing the grass for much of the trail, so work was considerably more difficult and slower. In the future, clarifying the exact nature of the machine work would help set better expectations for work to be accomplished between the project team and the land manager. Lessons Learned: Ice pops, ice cream bars, etc. are great motivators for volunteers on a hot day. Also, ice cold watermelon would probably go over like gang busters! Cold water also is a small but extremely nice touch for hot and sweaty volunteers. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Cheryll Mathews spoke in the morning about the significance of the trail, the importance of the work we're doing, and the plan for the future of the Colorado Front Range Trail. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: John Stidman was extremely lacking from my observation in the leadership of his crew. On multiple occasions I found his crew split up, using tools incorrectly, and without direction. Dean Winstanley who worked with his crew for part of the day also voiced concerns about his leadership. Near the end of the day I found his crew completely without supervision or direction, randomly working on things and standing around. I couldn't find John after looking up and down the trail. At the end of the day on my way out I found two of his volunteers sitting by the trail with a large pile of tools. They had no idea what the plan was, and asked me if a vehicle was coming to pick up the tools or if they should try to carry them. Beyond the obvious issues with volunteer experience, this seems like a potential safety concern and liability for VOC. Description of Accidents/Incidents: None Description of Work Completed: