2019-Viasat SWAT @ Roxborough State Park

Start Date-End Date: 10/16/2019-10/16/2019 Land Manager Office: CPW - Roxborough State Park Land Manager Contact: Joseph Herman Funding Partner: Viasat Programmatic Partner: Summary: Viasat SWAT @ Roxborough State Park Description: Where You'll Be: Roxborough State Park carries the esteemed designation of a Colorado Natural Area and a National Natural Landmark for good reason. The 4,000-acre park, nestled against the foothills south of Littleton, is comprised of stunning red rock formations, unique plant communities and a wide range of wildlife. The approximately 100,000 annual visitors can take in all of Roxborough's beauty from a variety of different access trails.The Lyons Overlook is approximately 1 mile from the trail head and sits on top of the Lyons Formation, providing a view of the Fountain Formation.This trail is one of the most highly used in the park and is in need of maintenance to help sustain the trail for years to come. What You'll Do: Light trail work and corridor clearing. Why It Matters: This highly trafficked trail will continue to degrade without some much needed maintenance. Volunteers from Viasat will play a critical part in getting the Lyons Overlook trail back up to sustainable trail standards and allow others to enjoy it for years to come. Latitude/Longitude: 39.429638, -105.069133 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 36 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 1 Total Volunteer Days: 37 Total Unique Volunteers: 37 Total Volunteer Hours: 182 Staff Hours: 13 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: This afternoon SWAT with Viasat took place on a sunny mid fall day when Roxborough was aflame with changing colors. Participants began arriving at the pavilion in front of the visitor center around 12:30pm and by 1pm everyone was walking towards the trailhead of the Lyons Overlook Trail. Two experienced VOC crew leaders led the tool talk and and split up the group; one smaller contingent worked on widening and hardening a switchback, the other larger contingent cleared corridor (to 8 ft.) and widened the trail (to 4 ft.). Both of these activities stemmed from the need to make the trail trackchair and ATV accessible. The corridor cleaning crew used large slash to close several social trails originating at the popular overlook. Despite being mid October, it was extremely hot and dry and volunteers were encouraged to take numerous water breaks. The switchback crew completed their work by 3:30pm and joined the other group, which finished by 4:30pm. Morale was high and volunteers had positive feedback for the project, despite the heat and the challenging work. Successes and Challenges: Park staff, as usual, were very helpful in planning and executing the project. They assisted in transporting tools, filled the role of crew leader and technical adviser, and were friendly and communicative with the volunteers. The 2 VOC crew leaders were experienced and knowledgeable. One challenge was the tight working environment. About 35 volunteers worked on a stretch of trail about 300 ft. long. Most of the vegetation cleared from the corridor was brought uphill, past the rest of the volunteers. So work had to halt frequently to let these people pass. There were no safety incidents, and this may be due to the emphasis we put on tool safety. The tight working conditions fostered good conversation and led to a jovial atmosphere. Lessons Learned: To avoid such frequent work interruptions (for the transport of slash) it would make sense to create an intermediary staging area for brush and leave the social trail closures until the end of the day. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: