2022-Campground Improvements and Sawyer Project @ Jackson Lake State Park

Start Date-End Date: 04/16/2022-04/16/2022 Land Manager Office: CPW - Jackson Lake State Park Land Manager Contact: Tyler Sewald Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Registration opens March 1. Join us to upgrade some campground camp pads or as a sawyer to remove Russian Olive. Description: Where You'll Be: In an area originally inhabited by the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe people, Jackson Lake State Park is known as an "oasis on the plains" and serves as a popular destination for boating, fishing, swimming, bird-watching, and water skiing with over 3,000 acres of land and water. The centerpiece of the park, which neighbors the South Platte River, is Jackson Reservoir, which was created in the early 1900s to support agriculture and a growing population. The area surrounding the reservoir began to see recreational use in the early 1960s, which ultimately led to the development of Jackson Lake State Park. In 2020, Jackson Lake became Colorado's first state park to be certified as an International Dark Sky Park. What You'll Do: Help care for your state parks on the125th anniversaryof Colorado Parks and Wildlife and take a trip to the peaceful plains for one of our first volunteer projects of the season! On this project at Jackson Lake State Park, you'll spend Saturday working with a group of volunteers ages 16+ to improve the park's campgrounds. Most volunteers will help install camp pads and fire pits, while certified sawyers* will use chainsaws to remove invasive Russian Olive trees. While this is a single-day project, camping is available for volunteers on both Friday and Saturday night. We encourage you to stay and enjoy the starry skies and recreational amenities that the park has to offer! *Only certified sawyers will be allowed to operate the chainsaws. If you are certified, please include this in the Comments of your registration and send your certificate to Kate Barrett at kate@voc.org. ALL SAWYERS MUST HOLD A CURRENT FIRST AID AND CPR CERTIFICATION IN ORDER TO OPERATE A SAW. Want to get certified? Visit ourTraining Calendarfor upcoming training opportunities. Why It Matters: Jackson Lake State Park is a popular destination that has seen record visitation during COVID-19, increasing the need for hands-on maintenance. By removing Russian Olive trees and installing camp pads and fire pits, you will help make these areas more sustainable amid increased visitation and provide a better experience for the park's many visitors while protecting the area's wildlife, plants, and natural resources. 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: 40.383074, -104.091911 Additional Information: Camping is available on both Friday and Saturday night if you choose to stay and enjoy the park! Please note that VOC will not be providing any post-project meals or camping equipment. More information about camping will be sent via email approximately two weeks before the project. Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 32 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 32 Total Unique Volunteers: 32 Total Volunteer Hours: 290 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Overall, a really good day at JLSP! One crew of seven sawyers and 10-12 swampers took on a large grove of Russian Olive trees. Sawyers downed ~20 trees and swampers hauled limbs to a shredder. A second crew worked to construct four new campsite camp pads. Successes and Challenges: Good number of volunteers, tons of work to be done on the Russian Olives, so volunteers worked hard all day! Very cold and very windy in the morning, thank goodness for some crew chefs who had hot coffee and hot water for hot chocolate to help warm volunteers. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: None! Phew. Description of Work Completed: