2021-Cairn and DU @ Cherry Creek State Park

Start Date-End Date: 10/23/2021-10/23/2021 Land Manager Office: CPW - Cherry Creek State Park Land Manager Contact: Jonathan Kingery Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help remove invasive Russian Olive from Cherry Creek State Park! 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 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 work gloves. Please click here for our full packing list of required and recommended items. If you are fully vaccinated,you may work without a mask. If you are not yet fully vaccinated or if you prefer to wear a mask for any reason, please continue to wear a mask on VOC projects. We will have spare masks available if needed. 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 email outreach@voc.org as 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: Located just fifteen miles from downtown Denver, Cherry Creek State Park offers a natural prairie environment nestled around an 880 acre-reservoir. The park is a popular destination for outdoor recreationists, nature lovers and those wanting to quickly get away from the hustle of the city. The park offers complete outdoor recreation facilities including camping, picnicking and facilities for group events. What You'll Do: Volunteers will spend the day helping remove Russian Olive, an invasive species, with hand tools. Why It Matters: Russian Olive is an extremely invasive species known to choke out native plants and prevent them from re-establishing. With more than 80 acres of Russian Olive in the park, your help is needed to remove these plants and further prevent their spread and competition with native species. 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: 39.627697, -104.847298 Additional Information: Only certified sawyers will be allowed to operate the chainsaws. If you are certified, please contact Kelly Clouse at kclouse@voc.org to provide a copy of your certification. 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 meals or campsites at this time. If you are fully vaccinated,you may work without a mask. If you are not yet fully vaccinated or if you prefer to wear a mask for any reason, please continue to wear a mask on VOC projects. We will have spare masks available if needed. Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 20 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 12 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 5 Total Volunteer Days: 17 Total Unique Volunteers: 17 Total Volunteer Hours: 121 Staff Hours: 15 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: A handful of Cairn students along with students from DU's Environmental Sustainability Living and Learning Community came together for theHabitat Restoration at Cherry Creek State Park.Jonathan Kingery, Cherry Creek's Park Resource Technician, gave the students a really detailed overview of how Russian Olive found its way to Colorado, why it has been labeled an invasive species, and further detailed Cherry Creek's management plan. After a detailed safety talk, students gathered in small groups of 2-3 to go tackle stumping the trees in the area. By the end of the day, the volunteers stumped around 50 mature trees in a 3.20 acre area, which were all going to be sprayed by CPW at a later date. All downed branches were consolidated into manageable piles. The students could visibly see the impact of their work and almost everyone came away without even a tiny scratch, and considering one of the volunteers decided to wear shorts, was nothing short of a miracle. They expressed that this was something they would do again! Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: No matter how many emails you send to wear long pant and sleeves, high school/college age students will find a way to forget and wear shorts. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: