2020-SLV Field Office Project: Fence Removal @ CPW Frisco Creek Property

Start Date-End Date: 09/22/2020-09/23/2020 Land Manager Office: CPW - State Office Land Manager Contact: Sally Wier Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Hike around a hillside and remove old barbed wire fencing to improve habitat conditions in an important winter range area for elk. 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: Originally home to Ute, Pueblo, and Jicarilla Apache tribes, south central Colorado features a variety of landscapes from high desert to rocky crags, as well as an abundance of wildlife and wildflowers. Volunteers will be working south of the town of Del Norte in the San Luis Valley. What You'll Do: We'll be working to remove old barbed wire fencing that is no longer needed and that is creating a hazard for elk in critical winter range. Work with VOC and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife San Francisco Creek Wildlife Rehab Facility Manager to improve this important habitat! It's a great day to do some hard but rewarding work in some steeper terrain on the edge of beautiful forests and a great view of teh San Luis Valley at the very end of the fence line on top of a hill! Why It Matters: Removing fence hazards for wildlife, and especially elk, is important in any area, but especially for areas where the animals are in their winter ranges and are already stressed. 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: 37.556587, -106.394360 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: High Altitude Project: Desired Number of Volunteers: 8 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 12 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 12 Total Unique Volunteers: 7 Total Volunteer Hours: 108 Staff Hours: 29 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Removed 0.6 miles of old barbed wire fence from important winter elk habitat. The fence was 5 strands, so with 5 strands over 0.6 miles, that is 15,840 feet (or 3 miles) of wire removed from the landscape. Successes and Challenges: Bolt cutters and fence pliers are the best tools. Buckets also helpful to collect small pieces of wire and fence nails that need to be removed and packed out. Went really well with a small group. Lessons Learned: Rolling wire by pulling it in towards you is a great trick. Also using small pieces of wire to wrap opposite sides of a coil to keep it from springing out is helpful. Coils that are smaller in diameter are easier to carry when packing out wire. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Volunteers learned all about the operations of the CPW Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehab Facility on which we worked. Facility Manager Michael Sirochman did an educational talk in the morning of the first day to teach the volunteers all about the work they do and wildlife care. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: