2021-Newmont SWAT @ Mt Evans Outdoor Lab

Start Date-End Date: 06/25/2021-06/25/2021 Land Manager Office: Mt. Evans Outdoor Lab School Land Manager Contact: Ryan Bazz Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Join us for a day of trail work at Mt. Evans Outdoor Education Laboratory School. 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 a face mask and work gloves.Pleaseclick herefor our full packing list of required and recommended items. Cancellation & Waitlists:Due to limited spots on this year's projects, 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: The Mt. Evans Outdoor Education Laboratory School near Evergreen is situated on a historic property originally known as Dodge Ranch. It serves as one of two locations for Jefferson County's hands-on Outdoor Lab Schools, where sixth-grade students live at the ranch for a week and study the area's history, ecology, wildlife, geology, and astronomy. The site boasts a main lodge and outbuildings, hiking trails, and spectacular views in the shadow of Mt. Evans. What You'll Do: Spend the day at the Mt. Evans Outdoor Lab, where you will be led by one of our most experienced volunteers, Terry Gimbel as we reroute a trail to provide a more sustainable route. Why It Matters: Your efforts will help provide a sustainable route for thousands of Outdoor Lab students to safely hike around the school's gorgeous grounds and enjoy various educational attractions along the way. 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 approa Latitude/Longitude: 39.641560, -105.461445 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.VOC will not be providing meals at this time. You must bring a face mask and work gloves.Pleaseclick herefor our full packing list of required and recommended items. Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 25 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 21 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 21 Total Unique Volunteers: 21 Total Volunteer Hours: 174 Staff Hours: 15.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: VOC partnered with Newmont mining for the second year out at Mt. Evans Outdoor Lab. 18 volunteers from Newmont arrived around 9am, on the west side of the property, to continue work on the reroute. The location of the reroute is along the hillslope just North West of the main campus. After registration, breakfast (provided by Newmont), and dividing into crews, the group hiked 10 minutes up the old access road to reach the site of new trail construction. Crews worked diligently installing a monowall and a second retaining wall and rock steps section (not fully completed by the end of the day). We were able to avoid the storms circling around us throughout the day, and the cloud cover provided a nice and cool work day. Crews lost steam around 2:00pm, and we ceased work at that time. Overall, 400 feet of trail was constructed. Successes and Challenges: Successes: Cool weather lead to crews feeling less exhausted, and work to be completed more efficiently. Challenges: Working with 1st time trail folk and VOC volunteers took slightly longer for us to get settled in the morning. Lessons Learned: Storms in the area move mainly west to East. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: It is always a pleasure to work with Terry Gimble. She provides comprehensive trail notes and her technical expertise on the project in unmatchable. Description of Accidents/Incidents: N/A Description of Work Completed: