2018-Cowdry Draw Trail Restoration @ City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks

Start Date-End Date: 10/05/2018-10/05/2018 Land Manager Office: City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Land Manager Contact: Beau Clark Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Spend a Friday in South Boulder to repair a popular multi-use trail. Description: About the Stewardship Site: Cowdrey Draw is a roughly 1-mile stretch of trail in South Boulder that connects the Marshall Mesa trail system to County Rd. 66 and other Boulder County trails. As part of a larger loop nicknamed the "Dirty Bismark" by the mountain biking community, the trail is extremely popular - especially on weekends - with hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrian users for its close proximity to Boulder and sweeping views of the Flatirons and Indian Peaks range. About the Volunteer Experience: On this Friday project, volunteers ages 14+ will work to re-establish the trail tread after a machine has come through to recut the heavily eroded trail. Tasks will include raking and broadcasting soils, restoring old trail tread, and fine-tuning new trail tread. Volunteers will be treated to spectacular views as well as breakfast and lunch. About the Overall Impact: Volunteers will perform much-needed maintenance on Cowdrey Draw, which has been put off for years due to the 2013 floods that devastated the area. Its poor soil type makes the trail particularly hard to maintain, and increased mountain biking has led to trail braiding in areas where the "flow" of the trail on a bike is not quite right. The trail was not initially designed with mountain bikes in mind, and volunteers' efforts will help update the trail to be a sustainable, more appealing trail for users of all types. Need-to-Know Details: Minors:All youth under 16mustbe accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on single-day projects. Parking, Food & Facilities:Volunteers will be required to hike 2 miles to the project site. Cancellation:Our land manager partners rely on VOC volunteers to accomplish critical stewardship needs, and our projects often have wait lists. If you need to cancel, pleasecontact Jamie Burkeat 303-715-1010 ext. 116 as soon as possible so we can free your spot for another volunteer and have a full workforce. Latitude/Longitude: 40.050833, -105.282806 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 40 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 36 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 1 Total Volunteer Days: 37 Total Unique Volunteers: 37 Total Volunteer Hours: 296 Staff Hours: 29.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: The day started early, as I woke up around 4:45am to start the coffee. I arrived on site and Jackie was there to help me set up a cold breakfast and lunch station. The view was much better than anticipated for such a short drive. The mountains peaked out from behind the hills, the wind moved the tall grasses, and the sunrise was a bright pink. Volunteers trickled in during registration. Beau and his team from City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks arrived and scoped out the work site. Beau's seasonals were the Crew Leaders for the day, and we got started shortly after 8am. Jackie and I worked on taking down all the food tables and registration. A few latecomers filed in, and we directed them to the appropriate crews. Once we were done cleaning up, Jackie headed back to Denver. I joined Beau in walking around and checking up on Crews. Around noon Beau had to leave and I decided to join a crew to work, as it looked like everyone was doing fine. The work was going so quickly that we were on the tails on the Dozer the entire afternoon. Personally, I did not like the way in which we cleaned up after the Dozer. Several Crew Leads had volunteers raking the dirt directly down hill from the critical edge. I thought this looked sloppy and eventually will kill vegetation along the edge. While I gave my feedback to rake into the trail and then disperse, I didn't put too much energy into this effort- as it was the city's own Crew Leads instructing volunteers. Several trail users, mostly bikes, came through the work site during the day. This posed a little bit of a safety concern, making sure that we got tools and wheelbarrows out of the way on time. It ended up find and several users extended their gratitude. Afternoon clouds and winds had rolled in, but ultimately the weather held out. The project ended about an hour early, with crews leaving at a staggered pace. Successes and Challenges: Successes: -Volunteers completed all of the trail! Boulder could barely keep ahead on the Dozer. -The weather forecast had looked like afternoon showers, but it held off the entire time! Volunteers enjoyed nice temps, a breeze, and cloud coverage. Challenges: -Boulder had their own waiver for volunteers to fill out and didn't tell me until after I had started registration -I think that the Dozer often leads to a messy and sloppy trail. The city was happy with the work but I don't think it leaves an ideal product behind. -I think we could have brought a few more of every tool -A large group (10 out of 40 desired volunteers) cancelled the afternoon before. It worked out, as we still ended an hour early with 30 volunteers but was a worry. -No Crew Leads. It had been communicated with Beau ahead of time that it would be hard to recruit weekday Crew Leads so he had enough staff there to carry that role. Lessons Learned: -No tool truck was needed for this project. Two VOC vehicles were used due to the amount of wheelbarrows needed. -The porta potty arrived late. Suggest marking off space for it closer to trail head in the future. Special Notes: I was my own Crew Chef for the first time, and I found it to be quite enjoyable with a cold breakfast and laid out lunch. Jackie came and helped me cover both registration and food set up. Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: