Description
Start Date-End Date: 04/06/2019-04/06/2019
Land Manager Office: CPW - Jackson Lake State Park
Land Manager Contact: Tyler Sewald
Funding Partner:
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: The Cairn Students will lead their friends and family in habitat restoration and water conservation projects at Jackson Lake State Park.
Description: Jackson Lake State Park and State Wildlife Area, are often referred to as an "oasis on the plains". This lake is a popular area for boating, fishing, and bird watching and hunting.
Volunteers on the Cairn Final Project will take on two important projects for Jackson Lake State Park and Wildlife Area. Small Crews will plant close to 1000 native trees and shrubs in Wildlife Area, on the North East shore of the lake, that is lacking habitat for birds and other wildlife. While other volunteers will help jump start the park's water conservation initiative. Currently, the Jackson Lake Visitor Center is surrounded by around 30,000 square feet of Kentucky Blue Grass that from spring-fall requires twice daily watering. This lawn requires close to 4,200 gallons of water each week, this wateris treated city water. Volunteers will work to remove the pre-cut sod from the lawn, then seed with native grass and pollinator mix.
Once seeded, the new lawn will need to be watered just a few times a week for the first year in order to help the native plants become established. After that year, the new grasses and pollinator plants should not need any watering aside from rain to thrive. As you can imagine this will drastically decrease the park's water usage!
A light breakfast and lunch on the day of the project will be provided!
Latitude/Longitude: 40.383074, -104.091911
Additional Information: Camping Option:Jackson Lakestaff have generously offered to provide free campsites for any volunteers planning on attending the project. Volunteers are welcome to camp Friday-Sunday/ Please know you will be required to provide all your own food and equipment. VOC will ONLY be providing a light breakfast and lunch on the day of the project, April 6th.
If you are interested in camping, please email Taylor@voc.org and I will get you in touch with the right staff at the park.
Park Staff kindly request that anyone taking advantage of the camping opportunity under the age of 18 have a parent or guardian with them.
Camping Available: Yes
Physical Difficulty: Easy
High Altitude Project: No
Desired Number of Volunteers: 55
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 31
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 27
Total Volunteer Days: 58
Total Unique Volunteers: 58
Total Volunteer Hours: 612.5
Staff Hours: 20
Stipend Hours: 0
Project Summary: The 2018-2019 Cairn Program wrapped up with a student-led Final Project at Jackson Lake State Park and Wildlife Area. The purpose of this project was to have the students lead their friends and family in a stewardship opportunity of their own. Almost 60 volunteers One half of the group removed 4,000 sq. feet of sod around the Visitor Center that used 21,000 gallons of treated city water a WEEK, which would equal over 500,000 gallons through the course of the May-October watering season. By removing the sod and reseeding the area with native grasses and pollinator mix, just this year that usage will be cut down to 36,000 gallons of water from May-October, and once the new seed is established it won't require the park staff to water it at all. The other half spent the day planting 1,500 native trees and scrubs and installing 7,000 ft of fabric at Jackson Lake Wildlife Area. The fabric will help protect the new trees and shrubs as they grow into a dense healthy habitat for the large variety of birds and other wildlife who call that area home.
Successes and Challenges:
Lessons Learned:
Special Notes:
Stewardship Education:
Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers:
Description of Accidents/Incidents:
Description of Work Completed:
Details
| 14 and older |
