2020-SLV Field Office Project:Tree Shade Cone Removal @ Lookout Mountain

Start Date-End Date: 08/20/2020-07/09/2020 Land Manager Office: USFS - Rio Grande National Forest Land Manager Contact: Sally Wier Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Hike around a hillside and remove plastic shade cones that are covering tree seedlings. 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 in the La Garita Mountains west of the San Luis Valley. What You'll Do: We'll be working to pull plastic shade cones off of tree seedlings. These were planted some time ago as part of reforestation efforts by the Rio Grande National Forest timber program and now the seedlings are big enough to survive without the extra protection. We'll hike over a hillside, pull the shade cones out and stack them in a central area to be removed and reused on the next reforestation project. Why It Matters: Reforestation is an important part of sustainable forestry, and you will be helping some new seedlings on their path to success. 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: 37.991138, -106.467704 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: 10 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 3 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 3 Total Unique Volunteers: 3 Total Volunteer Hours: 27 Staff Hours: 24 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: