2022-Habitat Restoration @ John Martin Reservoir State Park

Start Date-End Date: 09/24/2022-09/25/2022 Land Manager Office: US Army Corps of Engineers - John Martin Reservoir Land Manager Contact: Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: Help remove invasive tamarisk on this fall camping project. Description: Where You'll Be: John Martin Reservoir State Park, aptly nicknamed a "sapphire on the plains", offers a variety of activities for visitors from fishing and boating to camping, hiking, and birding. The park is also home to plenty of history: on a branch of the Santa Fe Trail, visitors can follow a trail used by traders and colonizers; you can also find petroglyphs from the area's early inhabitants. A dam built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1939 and 1948 created the park's namesake reservoir, which now provides important habitat for a variety of species. Anyone that attends a VOC volunteer opportunity in August, 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! What You'll Do: Help care for your state parks on the125th anniversaryof Colorado Parks and Wildlife!Discover a new corner of Colorado as you join VOC and the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) to remove invasive tamarisk from the shores of John Martin Reservoir. This lesser-known park is worth the trip: you'll have access to all the amenities the park has to offer including plenty of post-project recreation opportunities like disc golf, hiking, boating, and fishing. Campsites will be provided by the park and VOC's volunteer Crew Chefs will provide breakfast on Saturday and Sunday as well as dinner on Saturday night. Why It Matters: Tamarisk, also known as salt cedar, is an invasive species that tends to hog light, water, and nutrients, which harms native plants and the wildlife that depend on them. At John Martin Reservoir, tamarisk is threatening to take over the shoreline and has reduced nesting grounds for threatened and endangered piping plovers and interior least terns. By helping to remove the tamarisk, you will be taking part in a multi-year effort to encourage native plant growth, improve recreational areas for visitors, and ultimately return the habitat to its natural state. 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: 38.070200, -103.019900 Additional Information: Camping is available on both Friday and Saturday night. Please note that VOC does not provide any camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) but will provide breakfast on Saturday and Sunday as well as dinner on Saturday night. More information about camping will be sent via email approximately two weeks before the project. To organize carpooling please visithttps://www.groupcarpool.com/t/6wgsez 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: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 25 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 28 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 28 Total Unique Volunteers: 15 Total Volunteer Hours: 308 Staff Hours: 50 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Successes and Challenges: successes great group of vols that works extremely hard army corps gave us a tour of the dam after PM asked on the site visit. Was a highlight for many vols, and wasn't originally in the project scope challenges Recruitment was really hard. I think it was hard to get sawyers because there was a large sawyer project the weekend before. Also hard to recruit vols that are willing to drive 4 hrs because fruita was the same weekend as john martin tools: Need more loppers and they were pretty dull since it was the end of the season. Shovels weren't needed. Need narrower saws to be able to get in-between branches (hand saws, not bow saws) water: no water on site, and the place the Army Corps arranged for us to fill up wouldn't let us. we figured it out by Saturday night, but was an extra wrench in planning/onsite logistics took crew some time to figure out the most efficient ways to work as a team swamping Campsite was pretty exposed and trains honking their horns all hours of the night. Lots of bugs, and the grass/weed we camped on caused a few vols to swell/allergic reaction Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Photos of the area of tamarisk we removed in the project folder and google photos Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: