2020-Experienced Volunteers Only: Backcountry Trail & Campsite Construction @ Mueller State Park (Mike O'Brien Memorial Project)

Start Date-End Date: 09/26/2020-09/27/2020 Land Manager Office: CPW - Mueller State Park Land Manager Contact: Brian Kerrigan Funding Partner: Mike O'Brien Memorial Trail Fund Programmatic Partner: Summary: Enjoy luxe camping while building backcountry campsites and trails at beautiful Mueller State Park. Description: Photo courtesy of Jenny Zichterman (2018). 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.VOC will not be providing 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: Tucked in the mountains west of Colorado Springs near Divide, Mueller State Park boasts beautiful views, forested ridges, historical cabins and Ute medicine trees, and abundant wildlife including moose, bear, elk, and mule deer. Plus, with over 55 miles of trails, visitors have numerous opportunities for backcountry hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and biking in the summer, as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Visitors can extend their trip by stopping at some of the park's notable neighbors including Pikes Peak, Dome Rock State Wildlife Area, and the Florissant fossil beds. What You'll Do: Experienced VOC volunteers are invited to spend a fall weekend celebrating National Public Lands Day at Mueller State Park, camping with VOC at the park's beautiful and well-kept campsites - showers and flush toilets galore! While enjoying these amenities, you'll be working to expand more rugged, backcountry opportunities for the park's many visitors. Work will include building a trail to three new backcountry tent sites, and improving those sites by installing tent pads with pre-cut timber, rebar, and gravel fill. The work will be physically demanding, but rewarding with beautiful views, fall colors, meals from our volunteer Crew Chefs and, of course, the chance to take a hot shower at the end of the day. Why It Matters: Mueller State Park does not currently have any backcountry campsites, but there is demand for several. With your help, this project will provide a new way for users and visitors to experience all the park has to offer without having a detrimental impact on the environment. 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: 38.88521, -105.19979 Additional Information: 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 must provide your own food.VOC will not be providing 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. Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 10 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 17 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 17 Total Unique Volunteers: 9 Total Volunteer Hours: 196 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: From Mike Mattice: The crew was very successful at Mueller this weekend. Our total volunteers (including project staff) was only nine, but experience and everyone's flexibility it fun and 95% complete. The ranger support was fantastic throughout and they'll go back and complete the gravel fill. In their words, "you build it, we'll fill it". Could not have happened without Paige and Justin! Brian inspected the pad at Paige's site and stated it was perfect. Maybe we'll go back sometime. For volunteer hour collection, I flagged the trails Friday PM. 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: