2019-National Public Lands Day @ Rio Grande Natural Area (John James Trail)

Start Date-End Date: 09/28/2019-09/29/2019 Land Manager Office: BLM - San Luis Valley Land Manager Contact: Sean Noonan Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Come work on trail construction in the San Luis Hills Wilderness Study Area next to the Rio Grande Natural Area! Description: Project photo by Mike Blakeman Where You'll Be: Spent the weekend in the San Luis Hills Wilderness Study Area near the Rio Grande Natural Area,an incredible landscape near the New Mexico border that runs along the Rio Grande River corridor and features beautiful cliffs, bluffs, canyons, and river views. With distant views of the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains, this remote area is rich in cultural history and is a priority area for protection of the natural resources of the river corridor. What You'll Do: Join up to 50 volunteers in celebrating National Public Lands Day in a vast and scenic area of Colorado! One volunteer crew will spend the weekend working to transform the John James Trail from an old two-track road into a singletrack trail for hikers and equestrians. All volunteers have the option to enjoy campsites under starry skies and free meals provided by our volunteer Crew Chefs. Please Note:The last few miles to the project/camp site require high clearance vehicles. We will be providing shuttles on Friday evening and on Sunday afternoon to get folks without high clearance cars into and out of the project area. Please do not let this deter you from signing up for this fun project! Details about the shuttles will be provided in the project informationemails. Why It Matters: Volunteers' efforts will have an important impact: the rebuilt John James Trail will provide new-and-improved recreation opportunities for both residents and visitors alike. Plus, you'll be part of the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort to care for America's public lands! Need-to-Know Details: Minors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on overnight projects. Volunteers are responsible for providing their own camping equipment.VOC will provide meals, tools, and work gloves. Cancellation:Our partners rely on VOC volunteers to accomplish critical stewardship needs, and our projects often have wait lists.If you need to cancel, please emailoutreach@voc.orgor call 303-715-1010 ext. 116 as soon as possible so we can free your spot for another volunteer and have a full workforce. About Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is the state's oldest, largest, and leading outdoor stewardship nonprofit organization. Founded in 1984 to motivate and enable people to become active stewards of Colorado's natural resources, VOC has engaged nearly 120,000 people in more than 1,000 volunteer projects for a donated labor value of $24 million. Through award-winning youth and volunteer programs, leadership training, capacity-building programs, and collaborative efforts with nonprofits and land management agencies, VOC is an invaluable resource in Colorado, especially as our outdoor stewardship needs are approaching near-crisis levels. For more information, visit www.voc.org or call 303-715-1010. Latitude/Longitude: 37.079501, -105.757916 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 40 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 84 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 4 Total Volunteer Days: 88 Total Unique Volunteers: 45 Total Volunteer Hours: 1000 Staff Hours: 65 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: 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: