Please Note:
Food will not be provided on this rescheduled project. USFS staff will be leading this project without a VOC project manager due to a scheduling conflict. You will still be able to camp with the USFS staff in a dispersed area and restrooms will be provided.
Where you'll be:
Explore a remote area of Rio Grande National Forest situated between La Manga Pass and Cumbres Pass on the Colorado-New Mexico border. To get there from Colorado’s front range, you’ll take a 5-hour drive over half a dozen mountain passes. The journey is beautiful and well worth the time, as you’ll be rewarded with the peace and solitude of the valley of the Rio de Los Pinos, a glacial valley with stunning scenery. The remote area boasts subalpine forests of spruce and fir, wide meadows, colorful wildflowers, and dramatic peaks.
One of the area's standout attractions is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, a National Historic Landmark. Spanning 64 miles, it is the longest, the highest, and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountains.
The Rio de Los Pinos trail serves as a gateway to the rugged South San Juan Wilderness, which was shaped by volcanic eruptions and glacial carving. Here, you'll see jagged peaks, deep valleys, and crystalline lakes, all accessible via 180 miles of trails - which make up some of Colorado's most exemplary backpacking routes. The Continental Divide cuts through 42 miles of this wilderness.
What you'll do:
Join us for this habitat restoration project, where you and around 32 other volunteers will help to install beaver dam analogs (BDAs), monitor existing BDAs. BDA construction involves strategically placing logs and vegetation to mimic natural beaver dams, fostering deep water habitats and enhancing ecological resilience.
Why it's important:
A Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) is a man-made structure designed to mimic the form and function of a natural beaver dam. BDAs can also be used to increase the probability of successful beaver translocation by creating immediate deep-water habitat that reduces the risk of predation. In general, the design and installation of BDA complexes is a simple, cost-effective, and non-intrusive approach to stream restoration that can influence a suite of hydraulic, geomorphic, and hydrologic processes to achieve a range of common restoration goals.
Eligibility Requirements
- Ages 18+
