2018-National Public Lands Day Trail Restoration @ Lory State Park (Lower Timber Trail)

Start Date-End Date: 09/22/2018-09/23/2018 Land Manager Office: CPW - Lory State Park Land Manager Contact: Cameron Landis Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Camp in Lory State Park near Ft. Collins as you work to maintain the Lower Timber Trail. Description: About the Stewardship Site: VOC's first ever project took place at Lory State Park! Nestled in the foothills west of Fort Collins, Lory State Park provides 26 miles of trails for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, as well as amenities for picnickers, rock climbing, fishing and more. The variety of recreational opportunities and proximity to Fort Collins makes this park a popular destination. About the Volunteer Experience: Volunteers ages 14+ will work on a variety of trail maintenance tasks along a nearly 2-mile stretch of the Lower Timber Trail. The work will be moderate to difficult in nature, and range from improving the trail corridor and tread to improving and installing drainage features to prevent erosion, and working with rocks to construct drainage crossings, retaining walls, and switchbacks. Volunteers will be able to camp in the park and be treated to meals by our volunteer Crew Chefs. While no training is required to volunteer, we are offering a Trail Structures Workshop the day before the project on Friday, September 21 in Lory State Park. This is a great way to learn new stewardship skills, then spend the weekend practicing them! Camping will be available Friday and Saturday night. About the Overall Impact: Visitation to Lory State Park is increasing 14% each year, which has led to exponential impact on the Timber Trail, an advanced/expert multi-use trail popular for its challenges and connections to other trails in the park as well as Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. Its erosive soil (primarily decomposed granite) and popularity has made this trail a priority for park maintenance, and volunteers' efforts will go a long way in ensuring this trail can remain 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: 40.590321, -105.184168 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 40 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 84 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 3 Total Volunteer Days: 87 Total Unique Volunteers: 55 Total Volunteer Hours: 724 Staff Hours: 35 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: 55 volunteers worked along a 1.5-mile stretch of the Timber Trail to install and maintain 60 drainage structures, removed deteriorating wooden check steps, reconstructed 2 turns and armored 4 more, and built 160 ft. of rock wall to maintain the integrity of the trail. Thank you to Julie Majors for the photos and all who helped, including a number of crew leaders and volunteers from the Colorado Addicted Trailbuilders Society (CATS)! Successes and Challenges: Some initial concerns about location of camping at Timber GPA. The area is a bit small. However, we were able to squeeze all campers in. It helped that 50% of the roster didn't choose to camp. Park also made Soldier Canyon GPA available just in case. Lessons Learned: You can fit about 15-20 campers at Timber GPA. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: