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Hello Friends of FDRD, Happy New Year – I hope you had a fun, safe and happy holiday season with you and yours! What a busy December it was for FDRD – we have some very exciting news to share with you. The Summit Foundation and National Forest Foundation accepted our grant applications for a new FDRD offering, called Forest Stewards Program. The goal of Forest Stewards is to improve the quality of our natural resources, and improve the quality of the multiple-use recreationist’s experience, both for locals and guests, on our local National Forest lands through education, inventorying and monitoring, and improved trail systems. Read on for details and learn how you can get involved in this exciting new program! If you
have any feedback, suggestions, and ways to improve this newsletter, please
share them with me. ENJOY!! |
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WHAT’S
HAPPENING
FDRD Strategic Planning – We are in the drafting phase of our strategic planning process. In the next few months, we will host a forum seeking feedback from our members and interested parties. We invite you to attend this forum and to participate with FDRD in the creation of this final document. We will inform you of the date, time and location of this forum in our next newsletter. FDRD Sub-Committee Volunteers Needed –Our strategic plan will generate actions plans and related
work for the following sub-committees: programs, membership and volunteer
recruitment, fundraising and grant writing, and marketing and promotion. We are recruiting our “friends” to join
us on this exciting journey of growth, to help make this plan a reality! Please contact Guff Van Vooren at
970-389-6058 or guffvanvooren@msn.com to join us
on the sub-committee that interests you most. |
WHAT’S
HAPPENED
Forest Steward
Program – In an effort to further
increase FDRD’s volunteer base and help leverage our current stewardship
efforts, FDRD is creating Forest Stewards, a stewardship program benefiting
the Dillon Ranger District. The
program will include the following initiatives: Trail Crew Leaders, Ranger Patrols,
and Education Outreach. Each
initiative will involve leadership training and education for our volunteer
stewards for the particular initiative, as well as cross training and
education on all initiatives and other DRD crew opportunities. Trail
Crew Leaders - The trail crew leaders
will scout trails, take an inventory of trail maintenance needs, coordinate
and train a crew, and lead them in the maintenance of these trails. Ranger
Patrols – The ranger patrols will survey
trail usage while educating users on issues such as responsible use and
ethics, forest regulations and values, safety, and stewardship. Outreach
Educators – The outreach educators
will act as hosts at trailheads, naturalists at local ski resorts, facilitators
for forums, and/or front desk support at DRD office. This
program represents an excellent opportunity for our members, volunteers and
interested parties to increase their FDRD involvement in caring for our local
National Forest lands. We are currently
recruiting for Stewards and hope you will consider joining us in this
exciting new program! Please
contact Guff Van Vooren at 970-389-6058 or guffvanvooren@msn.com
to become a Forest Steward. FDRD is
very thankful to The Summit Foundation (TSF) and National Forest Foundation
(NFF) for their support of Forest Stewards program. We hope to grow this program as an FDRD offering to our
community for years to come! |
DISTRICT
HAPPENINGS
Copper Mountain
Trails And Facilities Improvements EIS – Copper Mountain is proposing the following upgrades to
the resort: a new lift at Tucker Mtn, upgrades of Sierra and Alpine lifts, increased
snowmaking on 156 acres, expansion of Solitude Station facility, creation of
several new trails, increased snowmaking diversion capacity from 5 to 7 cfs
from Tenmile Creek, construction of warming hut at top of Rendezvous Lift,
construction of a snow vehicle maintenance shop, replacement of ski patrol
hut at top of Tucker Mtn, and increased on-mountain comfortable carrying
capacity by 10%. Status – awaiting final determination from USFWS for lynx
related issues. A-Basin And
Montezuma Bowl Development – A-Basin
is proposing the following upgrades to the resort: construct new lift in
Montezuma Bowl, realign Exhibition Lift and expand parking. Status – scoping began November 18. An EIS will be completed by September. Janet’s Cabin Summer Use – Summit Huts has proposed to open Janet’s cabin to summer use from mid-July until early September. It will require building a short connector trail from the Colorado Trail to the cabin, as well as piping water from a nearby stream to just outside the hut. Status – awaiting the Army Corps of Engineer’s Nationwide permit for Summit Huts to pipe water from the stream to the cabin before the decision will be signed. |
DATES TO REMEMBER
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NEXT BOARD MEETING Monday,
January 23, 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, January 22. |
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I hope
you have a terrific 2006. FDRD
is looking forward to a fun and productive 2006, and I hope you will consider
joining us in our efforts this year – including our Forest Stewards Program,
service projects, board member, member, and/or sub-committee work. Thanks
for all that you do for FDRD – it is only through your support that FDRD can
continue to accomplish its stewardship efforts on 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 |