Description
Start Date-End Date: 08/06/2020-08/09/2020
Land Manager Office: USFS - Leadville Ranger District
Land Manager Contact: Ben Hanus
Funding Partner: National Forest Foundation
Programmatic Partner: Colorado Fourteeners Initiative
Summary: Registration is currently on hold. This physically demanding project will protect the delicate habitat of Colorado's tallest mountain.
Description:
Starting in 2017, VOC has partnered with other Colorado outdoor stewardship groups and the U.S. Forest Service through the National Forest Foundation Find Your Fourteener campaign so that together we can do more on our majestic Fourteeners. We are working collaboratively to increase the pace and scale of trail improvements and ecological restoration. Our vision is to work together, with you, to build and maintain a sustainable trails network, ensuring these peaks remain healthy and inviting for decades to come. With help from skilled, passionate volunteers like you, we can complete even more on-the-ground work on Colorado's Fourteeners. Every volunteer in the Fourteener community is important in this long-term effort, and we are grateful for your help!
Due to COVID-19, we expect significant changes to our 2020 volunteer projects including possible changes to dates, type of work, and project sizes. We are diligently working with our land management partners to address the logistical challenges posted by COVID-19 and provide safe volunteer opportunities. Please stay tuned and visitwww.voc.org/covid19for the most up-to-date information on VOC's response.
Where You'll Be:
Located near Leadville on traditional Ute lands, Mount Elbert stands at 14,433 feet and is the tallest peak in Colorado and the entire Rocky Mountain Range. The peak was named by miners for Samuel Hitt Elbert, the Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1873-1874, for his work on the Brunot Treaty, which opened more than 3,000 acres of Ute reservation land to mining and railroad activity. Today, thousands of people trek to the summit each year for sweeping viewsand the occasional marmot, pika, or mountain goat sighting.
What You'll Do:
Join VOC and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) for our fourth year in a row working on Colorado's tallest peak, Mount Elbert! On this difficult project of about 20 volunteers, you'll spend the weekend working above tree line with adults 18+ to restore a closed section on Mt. Elbert's East Ridge.
This project will be physically demanding, but rewarding.Due to the remote location of the project, volunteers are required to hike to the campsite on Thursday evening (2.5 miles with 1,500 ft. elevation gain) and participate in the entire duration of the project. In addition to their personal gear, volunteers should be prepared to carry a small amount of group gear, to be divided equally before hiking in. We will set up camp near 11,700 ft. and hike a short but strenuous distance from basecamp to the project site. Work will focus on restoring a large section of deeply eroded trail braids and will require staking large logs and cedar planking into place and backfilling with material to stabilize the tread.Meals will be provided by our volunteer Crew Chefs and Sunday will be a half-day of work followed by hiking back to the trailhead.
Click here to learn more about the importance of trail maintenance.
Why It Matters:
Colorado's "14ers" pay a price for their surging popularity, with an estimated 25,000 - 30,000 hikers visiting Mount Elbert in a single summer. Your efforts will help mitigate the harmful impacts from increased visitation and prevent trail erosion to protect the mountain's delicate alpine habitat and wildlife.
Need-to-Know Details:
All days are requireddue to the remote location of the project.
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, pleaseemailKendall Coxor 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 125,000 people in more than 1,000 volunteer projects for a donated labor value of $25 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: 39.105672, -106.395373
Additional Information:
Camping Available: Yes
Physical Difficulty: Difficult
High Altitude Project: Yes
Desired Number of Volunteers: 15
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Total Volunteer Hours: 0
Staff Hours: 0
Stipend Hours: 0
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Details
| 18 and older |
