2022-Accessibility Improvements @ Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

Start Date-End Date: 09/10/2022-09/11/2022 Land Manager Office: CPW - Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Land Manager Contact: Will Taliaferro Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Improve ADA access at the Lone Pine Recreation Site along the Arkansas River. Description: Project photo by Tina Elshoff Where You'll Be: About 25 miles west of Salida, the Lone Pine Recreation Site is situated on the beautiful Arkansas River in the canyon and is one of many sites that make up the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Approximately 50,000 users visit the Lone Pine site each year; most are boaters, kayakers, and anglers, though many visitors traveling Highway 50 stop to enjoy the scenery as well. What You'll Do: Spend a weekend by the Arkansas River as we work to maintain a popular river access trail in the Lone Pine Recreation Site. You'll work with approximately 40 volunteers to re-grade the trail and spread crusher fine gravel to make this trail ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible; we'll also place some boulders and build some small rock walls to help prevent erosion. Free campsites will be provided in this beautiful area along with meals from our volunteer Crew Chefs. Anyone that attends a VOC volunteer opportunity in September and October will be entered in a drawing for the chance to win a $300 SCHEELS Gift Card. The more opportunities you attend, the more entries you will earn. Good luck! Why It Matters: Heavy use and seasonal run-off have taken a toll on this popular area. With limited staff, it would take Colorado Parks and Wildlife many years to repair the trail and upgrade it to a more accessible state. With your help, we will get this trail back into shapefor people of all abilities in a single weekend! 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 128,000 people in more than 1,000 volunteer projects for a donated labor value of $26 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: 38.3908386, -105.6545705 Additional Information: To organize carpooling please visithttps://www.groupcarpool.com/t/ux3b7v Please determine the following amongst yourselves: 1. Pick up location 2. When you leave 3. Vaccination status 4. Mask usage VOC suggests coordinating carpooling in the safest way possible and encouraging a mask friendly policy in your cars. If you have any issues finding a rider or a ride, please feel free to reach out to myself. Happy volunteering! Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Easy, Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 38 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 43 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 43 Total Unique Volunteers: 22 Total Volunteer Hours: 329 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Volunteers did an awesome job on both trail maintenance and making substantial improvements to make this trail ADA accessible. CPW was thrilled with the work completed and we surpassed their expectations. Successes and Challenges: The weather was much colder than expected but volunteers were resilient and maintained a positive attitude. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: