2022-Electric Hills Trail Construction @ Montrose: Mike O'Brien Memorial Project

Start Date-End Date: 05/14/2022-05/15/2022 Land Manager Office: BLM - Uncompahgre Field Office Land Manager Contact: Caroline Kilbane Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Colorado Plateau Mtn Biking Association - Montrose Summary: Registration opens March 1. Spend a weekend in the Western Slope town of Montrose building a trail on the Uncompahgre Plateau. Description: Project photo courtesy of COPMOBA Where You'll Be: This proposed trail system, deemed the Electric Hills, is situated along the eastern edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau and offers spectacular views of Grand Mesa, the West Elk Mountains, and Storm King Peak. Just outside the Western Slope town of Montrose, the area offers a wealth of opportunities for adventure and volunteers may choose to extend their time to explore the Ridgeway Area Trails with switchbacks built by VOC, or other nearby attractions such as the hot springs pool in Ouray, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and the San Juan Mountains. Camping will be available at the trailhead. What You'll Do: In partnership with the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office and the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association (COPMOBA), volunteers ages 14+ will build an exciting new segment of trail designed with mountain bikers in mind, but open to hikers and horseback riders as well. This weekend project will include the chance to build appealing mountain bike features and learn new skills in rock work! Volunteers will also be treated to free campsites and meals from our volunteer Crew Chefs; we will also have raffles, giveaways, and live music on Saturday night provided by local band Jedi George! Jedi George is led by Rusty George, a longtime teacher and outdoor educator. Sign up today and join us for a fun weekend of meeting like-minded people and creating new places to hike, bike, and explore the outdoors! Why It Matters: Montrose is a small town in a rural area on the Western Slope, with many trails for motorized OHV use, but limited opportunities for non-motorized use. The trail you help build will be part of a much larger proposal for an expansive 20-mile system of new single-track, which will provide a fun, safe recreation opportunity for visitors and residents alike. 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: 38.4398312, -108.0014274 Additional Information: Please note you must pack your own lunches. Please see below for more information on meals. Camping is available on both Friday and Saturday night. Please note that VOC doesnotprovide any camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) but will provide dinner on Saturday night as well as breakfast on Sunday. More information about camping will be sent via email approximately two weeks before the project. Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 75 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 97 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 97 Total Unique Volunteers: 53 Total Volunteer Hours: 1061 Staff Hours: 53 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: This year, VOC decided to set camp near the trailhead and not in the city. Volunteers who participated both years (2021-2022) liked the camping area better this year. BLM office sent a law enforcement staff to ask "long term campers" to clear the area before the project. We built 11 sections out of 15. We ended work early on Sunday because temperatures were too high and there was not enough time to finish the 4 sections left. We had Jedi Jorge (local band) playing on Saturday night around 6:30pm. This was a great idea, volunteers had dinner with live music and everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot. I also brought corn hole and volunteers played while the band was playing. Truck F250 stopped working when I stopped for gas in Grand Junction. The started was not working. Since it was Friday afternoon, no mechanics were available to take a look to the vehicle. We were able to buy a new starter on Saturday and one of the volunteers install it. Successes and Challenges: Successes: No injuries/incidents 3 very challenging ramps were built Camping area was comfortable and close to the project site Live music on Saturday night We had 3 port-o-lets and that work good with the number of volunteers We only had to fill up the water buffalo once and we had enough water for the whole weekend Challenges: Vehicle 250 had a hard time going over the passes. It takes a couple of seconds to accelerate and it makes it difficult to drive to Montrose The area where we were camping is use for "long term campers" and there was a lot of garbage around. Glass, TV parts, old AC machines, car parts. VOC volunteers collected a lot of garbage but I was a little concerned about the risk of people getting cuts or hurting picking up trash Lessons Learned: When possible, ride with one more person/volunteer. Initially I was going to drive alone and last minute one of the tool manager trainees decided to ride with me. When the truck was not working it was extremely helpful to have one more person with me Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: