Description
Start Date-End Date: 06/24/2016-06/24/2016
Land Manager Office: USFS - Boulder Ranger District
Land Manager Contact: Beverly Baker
Funding Partner:
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: Help eradicate a noxious weed from this remote and rugged valley near Boulder.
Description: About the Stewardship Site
Spruce Gulch is a beautifully rugged valley on National Forest land in Boulder County. Unfortunately, the aggressive spotted knapweed has invaded the area in recent years and is poisoning nearby native plants and displacing wildlife.
About the Volunteer Experience
For the sixth consecutive year, VOC volunteers will dig up and pull spotted knapweed - which, in large part due to volunteers' long-standing efforts, has been noticeably reduced and is now primarily limited to riparian areas. This project is rated as moderate to difficult, as the worksite requires a hike up to 2 miles each way with a 600-foot elevation gain.
About the Overall Impact
The eradication of the invasive and troublesome spotted knapweed remains a priority in Boulder County and throughout many parts of Colorado. By taking part in this important work, you can help preserve Spruce Gulch's native Colorado ecosystem for generations to come.
Latitude/Longitude: 40.04970169067383, -105.21430206298828
Additional Information:
Camping Available: No
Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult
High Altitude Project: No
Desired Number of Volunteers: 35
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 43
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 1
Total Volunteer Days: 43
Total Unique Volunteers: 44
Total Volunteer Hours: 393
Staff Hours: 14
Stipend Hours: 0
Project Summary: On Friday, May 31, 2013 a group of 43 volunteers headed up Spruce Gulch to tackle removing the invasive species, Spotted Knapweed. This project is always one of the toughest in the VOC calendar, with hot weather, a long hike and some tedious work.
Successes and Challenges: None too noteworthy this year. We had some early departures from the site, which can be challenging due to it's remote, rugged nature. USFS has requested an additiona' "no early departure" policy. We can implement this should we continue this project into 2017, but likely at the cost of some volunteer signups.
Once again the Friday scheduling of this project managed to pull in many more vols than a Saturday typically does, as business groups seem to flock to this opportunity.
Lessons Learned:
Special Notes:
Stewardship Education: This will help reduce the aggressive nonnative weed, making space and habitat for native plant species to repopulate the area.
Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Tough to recruit leadership for this one. USFS likes that we're bringin out more volunteers but is growing uneasy with the lack of CLs. May have to reduce proejct size accordingly in the future.
Description of Accidents/Incidents:
Description of Work Completed:
Details
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