First PLACE Program 2016

Local high school students started strong with the GARNA PLACE (Public Lands Agency Career Exploration) Program on Friday January 29 with a trail restoration project at the BLM Shelf Road Recreation Area north of Canon City. Morgan Fitzgerald, Noelia Evangelista, and Cole Sites of Salida High School restored a section of the Cactus Cliffs Approach Trail which had been widened and compacted by users avoiding muddy sections of the trail, a common issue in trail use. Students worked alongside their instructors, Bryce Hofmann of the Bureau of Land Management and Jess Meiris of the Pikes Peak Climbers Alliance. The students built rock water bars and added gravel to manage erosion, loosened and amended compacted soils along the trail to encourage re-vegetation, and added obstacles to encourage users to walk on durable sections of the trail.