2018-Hidden Gem: South Fork Trail Restoration @ Grand County

Start Date-End Date: 09/29/2018-09/30/2018 Land Manager Office: USFS - Sulphur Ranger District Land Manager Contact: Kendra Fortin Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Enjoy fall colors as you restore this scenic trail near Silverthorne. Description: About the Stewardship Site: Located just over Ute Pass, the South Fork Trail is a true hidden gem that sits between Summit County and Grand County. Although it is easily accessible from the popular towns of Silverthorne and Dillon, this multi-use trail offers a remote, wilderness-type feel as its 24-mile loop meanders through dense forest, beautiful meadows, and high alpine environments. It's the perfect setting for one last weekend away before winter and a great opportunity to enjoy Colorado's stunning fall colors! About the Volunteer Experience: Up to 100 volunteers will spend the weekend restoring the South Fork Trail, located just over Ute Pass from Silverthorne. With tasks ranging from building a new turnpike to installing drainage structures and minor trail reroutes, there is something for everyone ages 14+! Our spectacular volunteer Crew Chefs will provide meals for all volunteers, and campsites will be provided in view of Colorado's stunning fall colors! As an easy-to-access yet uncrowded area, this is the perfect project for one last weekend away in the mountains. Volunteers may register for one or both days. About the Overall Impact: As a multi-use trail within easy access of popular Summit County recreation hubs, the U.S. Forest Service Sulphur Ranger District expects the South Fork Trail to see increased use in the coming years. With limited resources and 24 miles of trail to maintain, volunteers' efforts will significantly help the Sulphur Ranger District provide important maintenance to the trail and make it more sustainable for years to come. Need-to-Know Details: Minors:All youth under 16mustbe accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on single-day projects.Youth under 18mustbe accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on overnight projects. 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: 39.794161, -106.030668 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 80 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 88 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 1 Total Volunteer Days: 89 Total Unique Volunteers: 56 Total Volunteer Hours: 826 Staff Hours: 56.25 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: There was supposed to a pre-project turnpike training led by Steve West, but due to low registration numbers it was cancelled. Tool Managers Wayne and Paul, and myself arrived on-site early afternoon on Friday. We arrived at camp and unloaded the kitchen gear where it was marked to go. Then, we drove the half mile to the trail head where we were told to unload tools. When we arrived back at camp, Crew Chef Rose asked as to move the kitchen, as the first site was not flat enough. With a few volunteers helping, we got the Crew Chef tent moved to a more suitable location. While setting up the kitchen- Steve West arrived and told us that the Forest Service and himself had decided to move where the tools would be staged, as we had gotten permission to hike in from the camp trail head and pass over the broken boardwalk. For the second time that day, Wayne and Paul had to move everything again. I was frustrated for them, but they seemed to be fine. Volunteers trickled in throughout the night, and it seemed that most had no trouble finding the camp. Throughout the evening, I did have to direct a few people who were not with VOC out of the campsite. We also had to encourage volunteers to share campsites and park on the side of the road due to space. We saw the beginning signs of the winter season, with an early sunset and cold temperatures. At Rose's request, I went to go fill water at the nearby campsite. I was instructed that it would take 3-5 minutes of pumping to get the water to work. I used a timer and went in 5 minutes both directions on the pump, to no avail. I informed Kendra and she set out to see what she could. Unfortunately, the main water pump had been shut off and the secondary one was wildly ineffective. As a team, we made the decision that the tool mangers would get water in Silverthorne on Saturday. This only became an issue when we ran out of water on site on Saturday. See below in Challenges for a longer explanation. The hike in itself was one of the easiest of my season, with only a mile-mile and a half distance and almost no elevation gain. However, the additional of wheelbarrows made the journey a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. Those who were tasked with bringing in the wheelbarrows were clearly exerting a lot of effort- with some very visually frustrated. Once there, it was a bit of a slow start as Steve helped get crews situated. The morning was largely gathering supplies, and it felt that not a lot of progress was being made. However, I don't think that was the case, just how turnpike construction goes. In the afternoon I had to leave the work site in search of our photographer, again see Challenges for more detail. Then, I got to help prepare food with the Chefs for the rest of the afternoon. It was a really nice experience to see what happens at camp while the rest of us are on site. When I talked to volunteers after the work day a few expressed their frustration at changing work plans, while others at the lack of water. However, with the amazing spread that Lisa and Rose set up and cold beers, volunteers quickly acquired smiles and started socializing. The evening was nice and warmer than the night before. Raffle items were a bit slim but overall seemed to be enjoyed. The next day was a much nicer start not having to carry in tools and crews finding their grooves. I was amazed at the progress that had happened Saturday afternoon that I was now witnessing. From this point, the day and progress moved fast. There were some points were volunteers were standing around, as tasks were dependent on each other. Eventually, Kendra found some extra tasks to help mitigate this. During this time, Kendra and I were also able to conduct our site visit for the 2019 season. At a certain point, we had most of the volunteers go home and a group of volunteers who wanted to stay to finish up. Successes and Challenges: Successes: -Finished the 102ft section of turnpike we had set out to do! -We were fortunate enough to enjoy the vibrant aspen colors before all the leaves fell off. Also, at night, the sky was incredible. You could easily see the milky way and shooting stars. -Wonderful project team, everything was run pretty tightly. Challenges: -Steve West (TA) and Kendra Fortin from the Forest Service had an establish work plan for the project. At the project, Miles and a few others from the Forest Service showed up to support the project. It sounds like at this point the plan kept evolving or changing- causing frustration for Crew Leads and volunteers. -We had been told that there would be water on site but that didn't end up being the case. We had to travel 2 hours on Saturday to get water, and were subsequently short on water while the jugs were away being filled. -Steve West clearly knows his stuff and was a wonderful TA; however, I felt that he largely tried to take over the project as his. I'm okay with giving up some control as I respect the knowledge and expertise that Steve brings. There were a couple of times that I felt this went too far though. For example, Steve was adamant that we only needed one water jug for the trail. Tool Manager Paul Smith and I tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't move on the topic. The day of, I picked up what I thought was the second water jug- as Paul and I had staged 2 anyway. Steve told me we didn't need it, but I told him I'd take it anyway because my hands were empty. Upon arriving at the work site, it was the only water jug that was there. It was not enough and we ran out at lunch time. Unfortunately at this point, all the water jugs had been taken to town to be filled. -In the morning, the photographer Sharon had been with the group and was taking pictures. At some point she became lost and went back to camp and asked TM Paul for directions. She tried again, and once again became lost. She returned to camp once more. Paul then drove her to the actual trail head, which was a straight shot to the project site. Sharon is a bit slow on hiking and has trouble navigating harder trails. A few hours later, Sharon's husband appeared at the work site but she was still nowhere to be found. I asked her husband if he had seen her on the trail or if she had returned to camp- he said no to both. Steve and I grew concerned but decided to give her until noon to show up. When she didn't and camp still hadn't seen her, I walked the trail looking for her. Eventually, it was discovered that she had not traveled far enough down the trail, headed back to camp, and went to her trailer. While I'm, of course, happy she was ok- it was a nerve wracking event that took me away from the work site. By the time I had reached camp and figured out where she was- it was too late for me to go back. I stayed with the Crew Chefs and helped them prepare happy hour and dinner. It was nice to see what happens at camp while the rest of us are away. -It was hard to recruit the full 80 volunteers requested- we maybe got half of that. However, it was enough to complete 100ft of turnpike. The 2019 project would be completing another 100ft in the same meadow. It seems like this would be an appropriate number to pursue (40-50 volunteers). Kendra and I talked about needing to expand camping space though. -It was cold at night! And there was nowhere central to have a fire, despite it being one of the few projects that didn't have a fire ban. -Getting wheelbarrows onto the site was difficult, especially over the broken boardwalk -Crew Chef Rose decided to move the kitchen from where we originally loaded, meaning we had to move it all again. Then, Steve informed us that he and the Forest Service had decided to change where the tools were staged as well- which again, we had to move. I was especially frustrated at Steve, as he knew what time we were going to unload and he was on the trail instead of the loading site to warn us about the change. (There was no cell service). Tool Managers Wayne and Paul seemed to be in good spirits about all of it, but I felt that badly for them. Lessons Learned: -Water Buffalo!The Forest Service told us there was water on site- but it had been shut off. We were able to find another pump but it was ineffective. Tool Managers had to go all the way back to Silverthorne. Despite what the USFS, bring a water buffalo! -As mentioned above, 40-50 volunteers seems more appropriate, with more camp sites available. Also, moving the project to earlier in the year if they do want more volunteers. -Need to mark that the campsite is VOC only. Had several people come through looking for camping while we were setting up. -From Kendra Fortin, Land Manager with USFS "With regards to what could have been better, I noted that volunteers could have been better deployed when we reached the inevitable bottlenecks that occur when we are building big structures. For instance, when we have enough rocks, but aren't ready to yet toss rocks into the turnpike because the logs aren't set. I think that I could do better in the future with having "side projects" set up for people to complete when these things happen - for instance, brushing trail, installing drain dips, or constructing uphill trenches. I also think VOC could do a better job communicating among crew leaders about how best to deploy volunteers when these bottlenecks occur, as I think they almost always do on big structure projects. This was the biggest project I've ever completed with volunteers, and I think I could have done a better job being the person with the vision. I acknowledge that other staff from my organization contributed to conflicting information about how we were to complete the project, which led to some of our bottlenecks. I think that in the future, we could do better about regularly communicating between and among crew leaders, VOC staff, and agency personnel to avoid these issues." Special Notes: -I'm not sure how much weight this carries, but I've heard a lot of people not too excited about turnpikes "because by nature you're either hauling dirt of hauling rocks". Suggest to brand it as a "large structure" instead! -Everyone was really excited about the pack llamas! -Was able to scout for the 2019 project Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: