2020-Community Ditch Connector Trail Restoration @ Boulder

Start Date-End Date: 09/23/2020-09/24/2020 Land Manager Office: City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Land Manager Contact: Beau Clark Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Spend a Wednesday and/or Thursday near beautiful Boulder. Description: Read Before You Register! Need-to-Know Details: We greatly appreciate you volunteering your time and energy to care for Colorado's outdoor places during COVID-19. To help provide a fun and safe experience for all, there are a few temporary changes to be prepared for: You may sign up for one or all days of this project,though we encourage multi-day registration to limit the number of interactions and potential exposure. You may only register yourself.Every volunteer must sign our digital COVID-specific forms ahead of time to be able to attend. You must provide your own food and, if desired, overnight accommodations.VOC will not be providing campsites or meals at this time. You must bring a face mask and work gloves.Pleaseclick herefor our full packing list of required and recommended items. Please come prepared to use the bathroom outdoors.VOC is not providing portalets at this time and public restrooms may be unavailable. Pleaseclick herefor more information on how to "go" outside. Cancellation & Waitlists:Due to this year's limited number of projects and volunteer spots, we expect projects to fill quickly with waitlists. If you need to cancel, please emailoutreach@voc.orgas soon as possible so we can free your spot for another volunteer and have a full workforce. If you are waitlisted for multiple projects, please call us at 303-715-1010 ext. 130 and we can help you find an open project, if available. Where You'll Be: The iconic Flatirons are your backdrop for this volunteer day just south of Boulder as we work on the Community Ditch Connector Trail. Originally home to Native Americans, primarily the Southern Arapaho tribe, this area later became a popular area for coal mining and the foundations of structures still remain. Now, the Community Ditch Connector Trail offers panoramic views for visitors as they travel between trail systems on either side of Route 93. What You'll Do: The Community Ditch Connector Trail currently runs along a historic, but unsustainable, road grade and needs to be relocated to gentler terrain. Volunteers will spend the day restoring the existing road grade trail, fixing deep incisions caused by years of erosion and building check dams to help restore the area to a more natural landscape. Why It Matters: The trail's current state has led to significant erosion, which damages the trail, the surrounding environment, and the historical value of the area. Your efforts will help restore the land after years of damage, protecting the natural area and providing a more sustainable route for the trail's many users. 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: 39.943279, -105.236148 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 8 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 10 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 9 Total Unique Volunteers: 10 Total Volunteer Hours: 72 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: 9 volunteers spent two days working out of the Marshall Mesa Trailhead in partnership with VOC and Boulder OSMP. OSMP has recently rerouted the Community Ditch Trail in this area. A popular mountain biking route, the trail was taken off of a steep, unsustainable grade that was suffering from severe erosion. Volunteers installed 28 rock check dams to help slow erosion over 581 feet of now closed trail. Successes and Challenges: Rash of no-shows led to a smaller than expected group (about 50% each day). However, the work lent itself to the group size and we completed it all. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: