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Hello
Friends of FDRD, It’s
hard to believe that we’re winding down on another year. 2006 was a very
rewarding year for FDRD and as the season of thanks and giving is upon us, we
are very thankful for all you have given us! Your financial support and sweat equity allowed for
astounding growth in 2006 for our young organization. As final results come in, we will
share these with you in future enewsletters. In the meantime, read on to
learn more about some of these accomplishments and how to get involved in
FDRD efforts. For more information about FDRD, please visit our website at www.fdrd.org. If you have any feedback, suggestions, and ways to improve this newsletter, please share them with us. ENJOY!!
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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
ABOUT THE FOREST STEWARDS PROGRAM
This is a terrific program and a
smart use of motivated community members to leverage the DRD’s presence out on
the trails. Heather Gerhart, Forest Stewards Ranger Patrol See “What’s Happened” Section below to find out how you can join Heather and the 19 other inaugural season Forest Stewards in our 2007 efforts! |
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Dillon Ranger District Tree-Cutting - Each year, DRD helps people enjoy the great holiday tradition of cutting down their own Christmas tree. DRD will be selling an unlimited number of permits this year for tree cutting at the West Bound I-70 Scenic Area (between Frisco and Silverthorne) cutting area. Cutting dates are from November 22 through December 22 and permits are required. Purchase your permits during this permit period at the Dillon Ranger Station, 680 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne (across from Target) Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Permits will also be available at the cutting area on the weekends of December 2 & 3, 9 & 10 and 16 & 17 from 8:30 am to 4 pm. Visit http://www.dillonrangerdistrict.com/xmas_tree.htm for helpful information to make your tree cutting experience an enjoyable one! Volunteers Needed Be a part of Summit County’s Holiday Cheer! Join a DRD staff member at the tree cutting site on the following weekends in December - 2 & 3, 9 & 10, and 16 & 17. Available shifts for each day are 8:30 - 12:30 and 12:00 - 4:00. Contact Guff Van Vooren at guffvanvooren@msn.com or 970-389-6058 to sign-up for these shifts. Annual Membership Drive – As the season of giving is upon us, please consider joining FDRD in our Year-End Membership and Donation Drive. Your memberships, renewal of memberships, and donations keep our programs and organization going. In addition, FDRD Memberships make wonderful holiday gifts for your friends and family! And giving has never been easier – choose from the following options: All donations are deductible for income tax purposes to the extent allowable by law. We appreciate your past support of FDRD and look forward to continuing our relationship with you. |
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WHAT’S HAPPENED Forest Stewards Program Update – FDRD has received grant funding for the 2007 Forest Stewards Program, as follows:
Twenty Forest Stewards
are in the process of evaluating our 2006 efforts, to further develop our
2007 program. FDRD thanks the
National Forest Foundation, the Town of Frisco, and our 2006 Forest Stewards
for participation in this program.
With their support, the 2007 Forest Stewards program is poised to
build upon the successes of our inaugural season! We are currently
recruiting for these efforts and hope you will consider joining us for the
2007 season. Please contact Guff at 970-389-6058 to learn how to
get involved with your friends, family, and co-workers in this exciting new program. Regional Forester’s Honor Awards
– FDRD was awarded the 2006 Rocky Mountain Region “Caring for the Land
Stewardship” Award, one of three external awards presented annually to
organizations partnering with the USDA-FS in each region. In addition, 14 internal awards are
presented annually.
Regional Forester Awards are presented each year for outstanding achievement by Forest
Service employees and their partners. The Rocky Mountain Region, which manages 17 National
Forests and 7 National Grasslands and includes 22 million acres in Colorado, Wyoming,
South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, reserves this award as its highest honor.
A huge thanks goes out
to our members, volunteers, and sponsors for their generous support of our
efforts – YOU are the real success behind all that we do and we celebrate
this award with all of you! As
well, thanks to Rick Newton, DRD District Ranger, and Ken Waugh, DRD
Recreation Staff Officer, for their support and award nomination of FDRD. FDRD is very honored to
receive such recognition and will continue to strive towards excellence as a
representative of this award and of the Rocky Mountain Region. 2007
Project Application Accepted – For a second consecutive
season, FDRD’s application for a summer trail project with Volunteers for
Outdoor Colorado (VOC) has been accepted! In partnership with VOC, we will host 125 volunteers for a
two-day trail project in the Mahan Lake area near Elliott Ridge. This area, located on the edge of the
Eagle’s Nest Wilderness boundary and with close access to both the wilderness
trailhead and the Gore Range Trail, offers magnificent scenic views and
solitude unparalleled in Summit County. The project will include closure and rehabilitation
of one mile of an old logging road with conversion to a single-track trail,
installation of vehicle barriers, and installation of drainage structures to
assist in the restoration of the wetlands and stream drainage near the lake. This project helps preserve the lasting benefits of
these wild places and helps assure Mahan Lake will remain a spectacular area
of retreat. It represents an
excellent opportunity for Summit County volunteers to get involved in an
effort that will have a large positive impact on one of Summit County’s
gems. In addition, this project
gives Summit County an opportunity to showcase its terrific community
volunteerism and recreation opportunities to VOC and its statewide
volunteers. FDRD is very excited
to continue its partnership with VOC and looks forward to similar
collaborative efforts with other local organizations. The project date is
pending – we will announce it in our next enewsletter. |
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DRD HAPPENINGS Update - Resort Partnerships to Raise Funds for Local Forest Conservation Projects The National Forest Foundation (the NFF) and the USDA-Forest Service, in two separate partnerships with Copper Mountain Resort and Vail Resorts, are creating programs to provide funding for local conservation projects on National Forest lands. The Dillon Ranger District has initiated a process to identify priority projects for 2007 and a meeting will be held in December to share the results of this analysis, seek input on other issues that may not have been identified, and gauge the willingness of non-profit organizations to take on one or more of these high priority projects. Over 70 local organizations have been invited to this meeting. The NFF, Resorts, and USDA-FS are currently determining processes for the implementation of the grant program and this will be discussed at the December meeting. For more information, contact Guff Van Vooren @ guffvanvooren@msn.com. Update - Travel Management Plan – Additional Opportunity for Comment The White River National Forest (WRNF) will release a document between the draft and final versions of its travel management plan (TMP) and environmental impact statement. Forest planners reviewed public comment gathered this fall on the draft TMP released in late July. After discussing options to develop a quality plan for managing summer roads, trails and winter travel, Forest officials decided additional public input is warranted through a supplemental draft. The supplemental draft will:
The supplemental draft will likely be released in
late spring/early summer of 2007 and allows an additional opportunity for
those interested parties and affected people to participate in the analysis
and to contribute to the final decision for this proposed action. We will include information in future newsletters as
it becomes available. For more information on Travel Management in the
WRNF, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/projects/travel_management/index.shtml. |
NEXT BOARD MEETING
(FDRD Board Members will meet on the first Monday of each month at DRD at 6PM) Monday, December 4, at 6:00 PM at the Dillon Ranger
Station. Open to our members and
other interested parties. To
RSVP or to include potential agenda items for FDRD Board consideration for
future meetings, contact Guff at guffvanvooren@msn.com
by Sunday, December 3. |
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I
hope you have a great holiday season!
Thank you so much for all that you do for FDRD - we really appreciate
your efforts and hope you will consider extending your support through our
Year-End Membership and Donation Drive and the Forest Stewards Program. Together, we can accomplish great
things for our local National Forest lands! 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 |