2020-Habitat Restoration @ Moon Pass

Start Date-End Date: 07/25/2020-07/26/2020 Land Manager Office: USFS - Rio Grande National Forest Land Manager Contact: David Tronquet Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Spend a day or two pulling oxeye daisy at Moon Pass. 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.Campsites will only be offered as needed to VOC Crew Leaders and Project Team members. 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: Consisting of seven peaks in the quiet and scenic San Luis Valley, the La Garita Mountains are part of the San Juan Mountains and the Rio Grande National Forest. We'll be spending the days among creeks, spruce, and aspen near Moon Pass, a high mountain pass located at 10,571 feet above sea level. What You'll Do: Spend a day in the mountains west of the San Luis Valley, where we will hike through forested slopes to remove oxeye daisy. While the area has been actively treated for this invasive weed since 2012, mostly with herbicide, volunteers will be hand-pulling the oxeye daisy as a non-chemical technique to mitigate the growth and spread of the plant. Please be prepared for physically demanding work: some pulling and hiking will be along the roadside while some will be off-trail and require walking over downed trees and past some brush. We will meet as a group in the morning, and then drive in a caravan to different areas off forest roads to stop and pull weeds in the sections closest to the roads. Why It Matters: Oxeye daisy is a List B invasive noxious weed in Colorado, meaning we need to actively stop the spread of this species. Oxeye daisy out-competes native species that are nutritious for elk and other wildlife, while the daisy offers no nutrients. By removing oxeye daisy from the area, volunteers will improve the health of native plant communities and wildlife. 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: 37.907985, -106.427466 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 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 must provide your own food and, if desired, overnight accommodations.VOC will not be providing campsites or meals at this time.More information about nearby campground amenities can be found at the following link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/riogrande/recarea/?recid=29404. 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: No Physical Difficulty: Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 8 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 12 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 12 Total Unique Volunteers: 9 Total Volunteer Hours: 131.5 Staff Hours: 44 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: