Boulder Greenways Weeding on Wheels-Teasel-7/18

Trailcology joined Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and Boulder Greenways thursday evening for a volunteer project along the South Boulder Creek Bike Path. The aim of this project is to eradicate invasive teasel ( (Dipsacus spp.) that is rapidly invading natural areas in Boulder and along the Front Range and displacing native plant populations . Teasel is a biennial plant native to Europe but has quickly spread across the United States and has been classified in Colorado as a Noxious Weed List B Species. According to the Colorado Weed Management Agency, List B includes plants whose continued spread should be stopped and local management agencies are required to implement plans for the eradication of this non-native species. Unfortunately, it thrives in sunny, disturbed areas such as flood plains and along the sides of creeks and irrigation ditches. Our project site on the east side of Boulder has been plagued by both common and cutleaf teasel in the past few years. This is the second year WLRV and Boulder Greenways have worked in this area are there are already visible signs of native plant life returning to this important wildlife corridor. It was pretty cool to join this project and help get rid of this ugly alienesque plant thats invading our state.

Common Teasel

Cutleaf Teasel

Although dark skies threatened rain throughout the evening, our crew was able to stay dry and bushwhack our way along this heavily overgrown section of South Boulder Creek. The method for getting rid of the teasel included: snipping below the top to prevent seeding and then cutting the stalk off as close to the ground as possible. If the teasel was in the flowering stage we cut and bagged the flowers to prevent the spread of the weed.  Although this was simple work, it still felt like a treasure hunt as we searched for teasel hiding in the brush.  We made several passes along the riverbank before concluding for the evening.  It was great to see so much support for this project. 

-Jon

"Greenways are ‘the paths to the future’ as they link people to the outdoors. They 

meet an ever growing need, a need to leave the hectic city (if only for a moment) 

and to experience earth beneath your feet and fresh air in your lungs—to feel life 

and to feel alive. "

-Victoria Louge- Backpacking in the '90s-1995

Not the most scenic section of trail but still important.

We managed to avoid the rain even with  these ominous clouds in the background

Gathering the crew

Ready to cut down the teasel! 

Hermit Park Update 7/15

Back on April 6th, Trailcology went to work remediating and reseeding slash burn scars in Hermit Park Open Space outside Estes Park. The combination gardening and ecological restoration day was one of our most successful projects to date. Roughly 75 slash piles were addressed by the entire volunteer crew.  Today on a cloudy, cool and quiet monday I visited Hermit again to observe our work several months later. The progress is fantastic. Can't wait to return for another project here. The park was so empty and peaceful today. 

Happy Trails!

-Jon 

The monsoon moves in on cue

Some areas exhibit quite a bit of growth

other sites still need additional time and work

Lots of memories from this multi-scar zone

our seeding is paying off

More slash piles were burned in the spring 

Lory State Park: Bridge Reconstruction 7/6/13

Friends of Lory, volunteers and Trailcology continued the effort to rebuild bridges following the Galena Fire in early March. On Saturday, dedicated volunteers completed 75 percent of bridge 8 on the East Valley Trail leaving only bridges 7,9,10 still unfinished. Together we poured concrete to reinforce the existing beams and moved the heavy timber into place over the creek bed.  The reviews of the recently completed bridges are flying in from riders, equestrian users and trail runners who all say these spans are some of the best they have ever seen!  The remaining projects are some of the more challenging tasks as the bridge rebuild moves ahead into phase 2. There are plenty more volunteer days scheduled throughout July.

Sign up here:

Lory State Park Bridge Rebuild Crew Sign Up

View the project and closure map: West Valley Trail has reopened!

Lory State Park Map

Enjoy the photos!

-Jon

"So much work remains to be done in this unfinished and imperfect world that 

none of us can justify standing on the sidelines. Especially in a society like ours, 

volunteering is an expression of democracy in its purest form. For the volunteer is 

a participant, not a looker-on, and participation is the democratic process."

—Eunice Kennedy Shriver

President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors, 

Report and Recommendations to the President of the United States, 1986

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado: Continental Divide Trail Construction, Clear Creek Reservoir, 7/28-7/30

Trailcology made a stop on the Continental Divide Trail this past weekend for 2 days of trail restoration and rerouting near the historic mining town of Winfield between Leadville and Buena Vista. Together the Continental Divide Trail System runs 3,100 miles between Canada and Mexico. It’s estimated that the trail is 70 % complete and only about 24 people per year attempt to complete the entire route. In conjunction with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) and the U.S Forest Service there is an ongoing effort to move this Colorado section of the trail further away from the 4x4 road and clear it of debris for safer access. Ultimately, the goal is to connect with the extremely popular Lake Ann Trail located in the middle of the towering Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. This is one of the more scenic areas I’ve had the opportunity to visit and there are an endless array of climbing opportunities in the area including, Missouri Mountain, Huron Peak and La Plata Peak, three of the smaller 14ers in the state.  The area is extremely popular with campers and backpackers so it’s become an urgent necessity to repair and clean up the trail.  This is one of 9 weekends that VOC will spend in this area over the summer and more volunteers are definitely needed.

                Over the weekend our group attacked and graded more than 500 feet of trail above Winfield and built a lengthy addition to the rock ‘turnpike’ that crosses over the wetlands at the base of Granite Mountain and the Three Apostles.  On Saturday, our crew mostly focused on carving the upslope of the trail to a 45 degree angle to allow for good water flow and developing a solid ‘critical edge’ on the downslope of the trail. We also removed boulders and stacked and sorted them according to size for construction of the ‘turnpike’.  Because there was an old mining road adjacent to the new section of trail, we used the debris from our excavation to cover up the road and keep people on the trail. After a long day of work we returned to the campsite for cold beer and a delicious dinner of biscuits, chicken stroganoff and red velvet cake.  Since the fire ban prevented us from partaking in the main event of any good group camp-out, most people chose to retire to their tents early after a long day of work.

                Sunday morning, we arrived at the worksite with a slightly smaller crew after a few volunteers departed the night before. We quickly got to work continuing the ‘turnpike ‘and cleaning up the trail from yesterday’s work.  Our focus was on continuing the rockwork and covering a washed out portion of trail above where we worked the day before. This stage of the project was my first experience using a rock sling and bars to haul boulders and I have to say it was extremely rewarding work.  Although it took us 10-20 minutes each time to get the rocks up from the lower portion of the trail we made the process more enjoyable with plenty of lively and encouraging conversation.  Other volunteers worked to chip larger rocks and prepare the upper sections of trail for future work. When we ended on Sunday afternoon it was amazing to see the progress that was made over the weekend. I can't wait to get up here again and see the finished product that is years in the making.

Enjoy the Photo Gallery:

Happy Trails!

-Jon

"A first-rate trails system can only be created by people."

—President's Commission on Americans Outdoors

1987

Americans and the Outdoors

 

WRV Crew Leader Training

Crew Leader training was this weekend and I had an awesome time learning leadership and ecological restoration skills in one of the last remaining Civilian Conservation Corp Camps in the United States. The CCC was formed post Great Depression and operated from 1933 to 1942. They offered thousands of men rewarding work and the opportunity to rejuvenate the stagnant economy. The CCC is responsible for building some of our nation’s finest parks and highways including, Red Rocks Amphitheater which opened in 1941. There were once more than 4,500 of these camps but only a handful remain so it was extra special to be sitting in the birthplace of the greatest music venue in the world. The training was taught by the amazing staff at Wildlands RestorationVolunteers (WRV) and followed the comprehensive crew leadership manual provided by The Outdoor Stewardship Institute (OSI).  Throughout the weekend, Denver Mountain Parks graciously provided us space in an old CCC  hall where we examined topics ranging from dealing with different learning styles, conflict management and the proper methods for carrying, using, storing and safely engaging with tools. We even got a really cool history lesson about the camp from a DMP employee on Sunday morning.  We also learned how to properly assess your crew, provide praise, recognition and feedback and follow the correct agency protocols on projects. There were a variety of different WRV staff members present at the trainings and each module took on a slightly different feel according to the personality of the instructor.  

CCC Camp-Morrison, CO

 After spending the morning indoors learning and going through exercises, we ventured to Red Rocks in the afternoon to practice the skills we learned. Saturday afternoon was spent on the edge of the lower south lot at Red Rocks where we learned to dig seed and place erosion matting in a highly degraded and sensitive area. Although we had limited time on Saturday, I really enjoyed the hands on practice with seeding and it was awesome to see our new group collaborating so efficiently.

               

Red Rocks Social Trail

Hard At Work Laying Coconut Fiber Erosion Matting

Nate In Action

Sunday involved more hands on training as we ventured to a popular and less than desirable ‘social trail’ at Red Rocks to practice transplanting and erosion control techniques.  The park is cracking down on these illegal social trails that slither throughout the park and we were responsible for closing one of the more frequented routes. The first part of the morning was spent digging up shrubs and grasses and transplanting them on the social trail to decrease the potential use. We also gathered slash and placed it over the trail to prevent people from entering the area. In the afternoon we switched gears and learned to install rock structures to prevent erosion and control the flow of water.  This was my favorite part of the weekend as I quickly learned that it’s insanely fun to gather rocks and fit them like puzzle pieces into the right areas. After this, we concluded our training by practicing various crew scenarios. We learned to deal with the volatile husband and wife tandem, the overly eager distracted volunteer and the extremely dehydrated worker. Big thanks to Nate for being the best and most calm instructor possible through these scenarios.

Tremendous View

After this weekend I certainly feel much more confident leading a crew and can’t wait to get out there and mentor on a few more projects. Although the technical aspect of each project is something I’m still learning about, I’m anticipating this knowledge will grow as I continue to volunteer . Thanks to WRV and the Denver Mountain Parks for a fantastic weekend!


Enjoy the Pictures!

-Jon

"Trails have multiple values and their benefits reach far beyond recreation. Trails can 

enrich the quality of life for individuals, make communities more livable, and 

protect, nurture, and showcase America’s grandeur by traversing areas of natural 

beauty, distinctive geography, historic significance, and ecological diversity. Trails 

are important for the nation’s health, economy, resource protection and education." 

—American Trails, Trails for All Americans report, 1990 

Repairing Bridges In Lory State Park

The restoration effort is fully underway at Lory State Park following the devastating Galena Fire that roared through the park in early March. Although the cause of the fire was eventually determined to be accidental, 10 multi-use wooden bridges important for resource protection and trail safety were completely destroyed in the fire. This prompted the Friends of Lory State Park to launch a volunteer initiative to repair the bridges and safely reopen the valley trails that were scarred by the fire. 

March 15th 2013

Along with the assistance of The Fort Collins Kiwanis Club, these bridges will be slowly replaced over the next month. I was able to get out on an initial volunteer day and had an awesome time leveling and placing the beams for the new bridges and staging materials throughout the park. Replacing these bridges is no easy task, as many require new concrete pillars to be placed. Today's action was on the West Valley Trail where we were able to finish construction on one of the priority bridges.  

The goal is try to be prepared for the 3^rd annual “40 in the Fort” endurance mountain bike race on June 29^th.  The work was a concentrated effort that involved staging materials, sawing wood and leveling out the trail for the new structure. We also dug down and removed a massive 9-foot railroad tie that was holding the old bridge in place. Although we made significant progress, there is still plenty of work to be done and volunteers are desperately needed. Friends of Lory have set up a sign up page for the bridge repair, which can be found here.  This is extremely rewarding work and I highly recommend putting your mark on the fire restoration effort.  The Park has smartly provided a detailed map of the damaged bridges and closed trails. Check it out; you can clearly see the path that the fire took through the park.  

Clean the Poudre 2013

In Jon's second post he tells us about his experience during the recent Poudre River Cleanup, sounds like it was a great event!  Trailcology appreciates the organizations and citizens who took the time to organize the event and cleanup, thanks!  - Chris



The 14^th annual Cache la Poudre River Cleanup was held last Saturday and it turned out to be an awesome day helping get the river and trail in sparkling shape for the summer. Local rafting company Mountain Whitewater Descents coordinated the event with additional sponsors including Save the Poudre, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas, American Rivers and New World Sports. Its estimated that between 80-90 volunteers arrived bright and early at Lee Martinez Park armed with work gloves and a passion for keeping our local river and trail system free of trash.  After a quick orientation and safety meeting reminding everyone to leave the sketchy items behind, the volunteers were given trash bags and set free to clean the river and trail between Shields and Lemay Ave. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall lack of trash along this stretch of the river.  This is one of the most heavily trafficked sections of the Poudre Trail and is also one of the more scenic stretches of urban river that you can find anywhere. Although we discovered quite a mess on the north side of the river especially around College Avenue, it was still relatively clean after a long winter. I think this speaks to the incredible community of environmentally conscious citizens that we have in Fort Collins. Everyone loves the river and is willing to give it the care it deserves.  On an even better note, the Poudre is running high and appears to be much cleaner and less clogged with debris after the High Park Fire last June. I highly recommend attending this event in the future as it is extremely rewarding and really brings the community together. 
I had the chance to speak with several anglers on the river throughout the morning and they were all incredibly appreciative of the work being done. One guy even managed to snag a large brown trout right as we were passing through the area.  
Following the cleanup, a large volunteer appreciation event was held at Mountain Whitewater Descents located at 1329 North Highway 287. Food was provided by the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant and LaPorte Pizza with plenty of tasty beer courtesy of Odell’s.  This was an awesome way to end the day and it was great to talk with all the volunteers about their experience.  Overall, everyone seemed to have a positive experience and many indicated this is an event they will return to for years to come.  Get out on the Poudre Trail and check out the hard work done by our local volunteers, it’s pretty encouraging.   


Happy Trails!
-Jon

"People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Showing up is 80 % of life."
   -Woody Allen