Summary activities of the 2008 Season-posted December 5, 2008
The short story of the 2008 season-our first: in late June, 10 volunteers went through a day of orientation and training provided by Leadville Staff. The District set AHWP’s priority on assisting with wilderness campsite inventories using standardized techniques and photo documentation. The season’s work program was established, consisting of individual volunteers selecting one or more drainages or sub-drainages in Mt Massive, Collegiate Peaks, or Holy Cross and going out on their own schedules to do inventories. Due to heavy snow pack volunteers held back until August, but in July the group held a fundraiser which netted $500 cash match for the season’s National Forest Foundation grant. In early October, a three day backpack combined District staff and volunteers for a sweep through Buffalo Peaks WA to clean up and in certain cases eliminate inappropriate campsites identified in 2007 by a volunteer.
Although not all 10 volunteers who attended training were able to continue participating this season, on balance AWHP principals and Leadville District staff are pleased with the quality of data in the several drainages which got inventoried. The Buffalo Peaks work session was well attended by enthusiastic volunteers and Forest Service staff, and nearly all inventoried sites were addressed. This activity was rated an excellent example of how well-directed volunteers joining uniform employees can really crank out far more work than one or two seasonals trying to cover large areas on their own.
Early in 2009 the AHWP board and Leadville staff will meet to assess the 2008 season, make recommendations on recruitment of further volunteers and discuss priorities for a potential second NFF grant in 2009.
Check out the photos for more details on 2008 season activities.
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Training Leadville June 28, 2008 |
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Ten volunteers, mostly from the Buena Vista area, were given a day’s training on campsite inventory techniques, GPS use, photo documentation and – of top priority – safety in the woods.
The Leadville District’s lead Wilderness Ranger Steve Sunday (in uniform explaining the Forest map) handled technical details, and volunteer logistics were covered by AHWP’s Bruce Morrow (holding map).
In the field session there was practice filing out the standard campsite inventory forms (to be simplified in 2009) and tips on cleaning up or removing sites. |
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Fundraiser Leadville July 10, 2008 |
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About 20 people attended a showing of the film “Being Caribou” which documented a couple’s 7 month journey with Alaska’s Porcupine caribou herd en route to its breeding grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Leadville’s Provin’ Grounds was the gracious after-hours host.
A silent auction for items donated by a dozen or so local merchants brought in over $500, just the amount needed to provide the cash match for this seasons’ $1000 National Forest Foundation grant, part of a larger grant by NFF to help several wilderness volunteer groups get off the ground. |
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Example of individual volunteers at work in August, 2008 |
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AHWP volunteers Alan and Karen Robinson selected the Frenchman Creek drainage, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness for a three-day backpack inventory. This drainage is popular as an alternative route to both Columbia and Harvard but is also a beautiful destination for a day or two’s exploration of its upper basin (photo) and bristlecone forest.
The Robinson’s inventoried, GPS’d and photographed 16 sites, which took an average of 20-30 minutes each; total distance hiked was about 10 miles. They found most sites to be acceptable under backcountry guidelines set by the Leadville District. Exercising discretion permitted by their Forest Service contacts, they eliminated two sites, both of which were within 20-30 feet of the creek or of the trail, with no screening (photo). Several other sites were also too close to the trail (less than the 100’ minimum) but had some screening; and they were obviously popular sites which would likely be rebuilt if they had been removed so they were retained.
No sites or isolated fire rings were found in the upper basin above tree line (fire rings would have been removed after documentation since there is no fuel source at these elevations except krumholtz, which is clearly not a sustainable source.) All sites were entered onto a topo map using computer software, and the map, inventory forms and photos supplied to the District for their campsite inventory database. |
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