Description
Start Date-End Date: 07/16/2021-07/16/2021
Land Manager Office: USFS - Clear Creek Ranger District
Land Manager Contact: Ralph Bradt
Funding Partner:
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: Registration opens June 1. Take care of a Colorado favorite on this Friday project.
Description: Project photo by Brian O'Malley
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.Pleaseclick herefor 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 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 Herman Gulch Trail, situated in the Arapaho National Forest and part of the iconic Continental Divide Trail, starts at 10,332 feet and climbs nearly 1,700 feet to the stunning Herman Lake. Close to Denver along I-70, this popular trail has it all: mountain and valley views, beautiful streams, cascades, and lush meadows filled with wildflowers.
What You'll Do:
On this project, you'll be led by Steve West, a highly-skilled volunteer who has completed more than 275 VOC projects since 1991. You'll spend the day at high altitude, hiking four miles to the worksite in order to perform restoration work with a small group of volunteers ages 14+. While no prior experience is needed, we recommend this project for those who enjoy a physical challenge as it requires hiking a significant distance and some tasks, such as building rock steps and drainage features, will be technical and/or difficult in nature.
Why It Matters:
This special area has long been a Colorado favorite, but a sharp rise in visitation in recent years has damaged the fragile ecosystem and wildlife habitat surrounding the trail. With limited resources to regularly maintain the trail, your efforts will be a significant help in improving the sustainability of the trail and protecting the beautiful environment for years to come.
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: 39.702774, -105.852850
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 work gloves.Pleaseclick herefor 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.
Camping Available: No
Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult
High Altitude Project: Yes
Desired Number of Volunteers: 15
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 12
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 2
Total Volunteer Days: 14
Total Unique Volunteers: 14
Total Volunteer Hours: 112
Staff Hours: 18
Stipend Hours: 0
Project Summary: To start, one crew hiked about a mile up the Herman Gulch Trail to a boggy drainage spot with the running water. This crew did a fantastic job of fixing the issue. They installed three large stepping stones to raise the tread and closed the social trail people had created by walking around the mud. That took them most of the morning, but once they were finished they started working their way back down toward the trailhead clearing drains.
Meanwhile, a second crew started from the bottom of the trail clearing drains going up. We cleared 14, including some long ditches that run along the uphill side of the trail. Martin Herz, one of our other crew leaders, happened to be hiking the trail when we were working so he stopped and helped lead for the day. He suggested putting some large-ish rocks in the ditches to slow water down, so we did that, but I'm not sure it will have the desired effect. Another VOC project is scheduled on this same trail next week so they will assess whether to keep the rocks or not.
The upper crew addressed a whopping 30 drains and met in the middle with the lower crew by the end of the day. Overall a very productive day!
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:
Details
| 14 and older |
