2020-Raccoon Trail Reroute @ Golden Gate Canyon State Park #2

Start Date-End Date: 10/17/2020-10/18/2020 Land Manager Office: CPW - Golden Gate Canyon State Park Land Manager Contact: Joe Burkins Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Reroute an unsustainable trail to create some sweet singletrack at Golden Gate Canyon State Park! Description: Project photo copyrighted by Cosima Reichenbach (2019). 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. 116 and we can help you find an open project, if available. Where You'll Be: Only a short drive from Denver, Golden Gate Canyon State Park boasts over 12,000 acres of dense forest, rocky peaks, and aspen-rimmed meadows laced with miles of trails. With options for hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, equestrians, anglers, campers, rock climbers, and winter sports enthusiasts, it's not surprising an estimated 850,000 visitors recreate here annually. The park also provides a home for a great number and variety of wildlife, providing the perfect place for wildlife watching and photography. What You'll Do: This project offers the opportunity to get out and give back in a popular state park close to Denver and Golden. Join us for one or multiple days as you work to re-route a few sections of the multi-use Raccoon Trail to make it more sustainable; tasks will be moderate to difficult in nature, including trail construction and the chance to build rock walls and switchbacks for volunteers who enjoy a technical challenge. Why it Matters: Golden Gate Canyon State Park sees an estimated 1 million visitors per year. The Raccoon Trail is one of the most heavily utilized trails at the park due to it's proximity to Reverend's Ridge Campground and Panorama Point. This section of fall-line trail is unsustainable, requires regular maintenance throughout the spring, summer, and fall months by staff and volunteer groups, and currently provides users with an extremely difficult and potentially dangerous trail experience. Volunteers' efforts will help provide users with a safer and more enjoyable trail experience. 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: 39.876301, -105.441176 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 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. Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 11 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 26 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 14 Total Unique Volunteers: 14 Total Volunteer Hours: 120 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Despite a number of unforeseen challenges outside of our control, this was still a successful project considering the amount of time volunteers had to work. 10 volunteers plus a three-person project team completed 230 feet of new trail (previously roughed in, just needed finishing) as well as closing 400 feet of trail with 4 check dams installed and material from the new tread spread to restore the old trail. One crew built 2 rock monowalls, one 7 feet long and the other 2 feet long. Even though the morning was chilly and winds picked up toward the afternoon due to an incoming storm system, the crews still worked hard and had a good time. Successes and Challenges: Successes: - Everyone stayed on their toes and kept spirits high despite many changes of plan. Communication between the project team members was good throughout Saturday. Challenges: - Rising COVID cases statewide caused concern among some volunteers and new restrictions on group gatherings in Denver prompted one crew leader and the project team lead to opt out of the project. We discussed cancelling the project as a whole, but decided to move forward. However, a second crew leader cancelled on Saturday due to a COVID exposure which left only one crew lead for Sunday. We couldn't find a replacement and so ended up cancelling day 2. - Terry mentioned that Jason was not up to par in his crew leading skills. She said he did a fine job managing people, but he needed a lot of help with his hard skills and basic trail construction. He asked what mineral soil was at one point, which she found concerning. May be worth noting for future projects and pairing Jason with a more experienced crew lead for further mentoring or encouraging him to take the crew leader refresher training. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: