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Hello Friends of FDRD! I hope
everyone is having a nice fall – getting out on those last couple of
snow-free hikes while tracking down and tuning up your winter gear! FDRD has
had a fun and busy fall season.
We’ve written grants and filed applications for next summer’s
projects, had a great turnout for Make a Difference Day, and started our
strategic planning process. Read
on for details and learn how you can get involved in future efforts! If you
have any feedback, suggestions, and ways to improve this newsletter, please
share them with me. ENJOY!! |
FRIENDS OF THE DILLON RANGER DISTRICT
November 2005 Newsletter
#7
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WHAT’S
HAPPENING
FDRD Strategic Planning – FDRD has embarked on an exciting process
this fall. We are developing a 3
year strategic plan, based on a 5 year vision, for our organization. This plan will help formalize a
direction for future programming and related fundraising, grant writing,
marketing and public relations efforts to support these programs. The document will be our guide to
become a sustainable organization that will play a key role in the Summit
County community for years to come. We will seek input from members and interested parties on the draft plan in the next few months. We will inform you of the process and how you can participate in the creation of the final document in our next e-newsletter. FDRD
Sub-Committee Volunteers Needed – As
part of our strategic plan, we will develop action plans and related
sub-committee work for programs, membership and volunteer recruitment,
fundraising and grant writing, and marketing and promotion. We invite you to participate in the great work of these sub-committees, as a member of the committee that interests you most. By being a part of a sub-committee team, you will help to assure the future growth and continued stewardship impact of FDRD on our local National Forest lands. Please contact Guff Van Vooren
at 970-389-6058 or guffvanvooren@msn.com to join us
in this effort. |
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WHAT’S
HAPPENED
FDRD Volunteers Take Time to Admire
Their Great Reconstruction Work on the Windy Point Buck and Rail Fence at
Make a Difference Day Saturday,
October 15 – Make a Difference Day – Over 500 volunteers made this countywide day of
volunteerism a huge success, and FDRD volunteers played a big part in the
day. A big thanks goes out to
our volunteers who joined in on the fun! These 63 volunteers and 2 Forest Service personnel
generated 189 hours of volunteer stewardship on our local National Forest
lands. At our Iron Springs site, 24 volunteers and 1forest
service personnel took down ¼ mile of barbed wire fencing (and ¾ miles of
barbed wire!) in this important elk habitat. By pulling up this fencing, these volunteers helped to
assure the improved habitat in this important elk migration corridor. At our Windy Point site, 39 volunteers and 1 forest
service personnel reconstructed ½ mile of buck and rail fencing, providing
for a safer and more esthetically pleasing experience for the users of this
popular trail. At the end of the
morning, we were rewarded with a most spectacular sighting of a herd of
approximately 20 elk racing through the sage meadow. We hope the improved fencing is
pleasing to them, as well! True to the theme of the day, everyone made a BIG
difference to FDRD and our local National Forest lands. It was wonderful to
spend the day with such terrific people. |
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DISTRICT
HAPPENINGS
Green Mountain Reservoir – To preserve the peaceful and natural setting of this popular local recreation destination for multi-users, new rules are proposed for 2006 and beyond. DRD is accepting comments on these proposed rules through November 15, 2005. To review a brochure outlining these rules, visit: http://www.dillonrangerdistrict.org/grn_mtn_res_prop_rules.pdf or you can request that one be mailed to you. To comment on these rules, send email to: comments-rocky-mountain-white-river-dillon@fs.fed.us. Dillon Reservoir Campsites – To provide a safer and more esthetically pleasing camping experience on the Dillon Reservoir, this past summer the DRD thinned pine beetle-infested lodgepole pine trees in and around these campgrounds - Peak 1, Prospector Point/Windy Point, and Heaton Bay. Next summer, they will continue this effort with a replanting project in these areas. The replanting project will consider species diversity, forest health, shading, human impact, and esthetics. DRD is accepting your comments and ideas on the replanting project, including types, sizes, and amount of trees to re-plant. To comment, send an email to: Ken Waugh at kwaugh@fs.fed.us. Colorado Trails Grant Program – Improving trail opportunities in Summit County is one of DRD’s highest priorities. To address this issue, DRD applied for a grant with the Colorado Trails Grant Program. If the application is successful, The Trail Maintenance Project will improve trail conditions on various popular local trails, including McCullough Gulch, Spruce Creek, Wheeler, and South Willow. Trail crews funded by this grant will build well-placed drainage structures to stabilize the trail and reduce damaging erosion to the surrounding environment. The reconstruction and trail rehabilitation along braided sections of these trails will provide for a more sustainable and esthetically pleasing route. A greater number of miles of maintained trails in Summit County will allow for land management agencies to more effectively disperse the high amount of use that occurs here. |
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DATES TO REMEMBER
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NEXT BOARD MEETING Monday, November 7, at 6:00
PM at the Dillon Ranger District.
Open to our members and other interested parties. To RSVP or to include potential
agenda items for FDRD Board consideration for this or future meetings, contact
me at guffvanvooren@msn.com by
Sunday, November 6. |
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Thanks
for your continued support of FDRD.
I really appreciate your efforts and hope you will consider extending
your support to our sub-committee efforts. Your participation in this exciting work ahead is critical
to our efforts to promote stewardship in the White River National Forest in
Summit County. We look
forward to working together with you in the future. See you on the trails! With sincere thanks, Guff Van Vooren Executive Director Friends of the Dillon Ranger
District |