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Hello
Friends of FDRD, What
a whirlwind the month of June was for FDRD – our volunteer support was
tremendous throughout the month and I’d like to thank everyone for making
these efforts so successful and so much fun. Take a peak at the upcoming events and mark your calendars
for more stewardship opportunities! If you have any feedback, suggestions, and ways to improve this newsletter, please share them with us. ENJOY!!
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WHAT’S HAPPENING
Saturday,
July 15 – Weed Pull Day – 8:30 AM- 1:00PM – FDRD invites
you to join us in another fun day of stewardship! Volunteers will help pull invasive plant
species, including musk thistle and false chamomile, in the White River
National Forest. This effort
will be our third year in the same location north of Silverthorne - come
see for yourself the difference your effort makes in controlling
these noxious weeds! Meet at Dillon Ranger District, located in Silverthorne across
from Target at 8:30 for bagels, coffee and an education segment
on noxious weeds by The Summit County Weed Program. From there, we will carpool to our site location. Snacks and beverages will be provided
at the end of the workday tailgate party. Volunteers should dress for a day outdoors - bring work gloves,
layered clothing including long pants and long sleeved shirt, sturdy boots,
water, sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen, rain gear, and insect repellent. To RSVP for this project,
please contact Scott Fussell at scottafussell@yahoo.com
or 970-846-1530. Saturday/Sunday/Monday
- September 2, 3, and 4 - Mohawk Lakes Trail Project – Join in on a weekend of fun with FDRD
and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) for the Mohawk Lakes Trail
Restoration Project on September 2, 3, and 4. Volunteers are needed for the rewarding and challenging
work of restoring and rerouting 1 ½ miles of one of Breckenridge's most
popular trails. Camping in this
valley, under the stars, is the perfect way to end each trail day and VOC’s
“base camp” support team will be sure to meet your every need. With over half of the 150
volunteer slots already filled by Front Range Volunteers, FDRD is appealing
to the wonderful volunteers of Summit County to fill the rest of these
slots. This is an excellent
opportunity for Summit County to showcase the beautiful trails and amazing
volunteerism that make up our community! Every year thousands of
people marvel at the pristine alpine splendor that defines Mohawk Lakes near
Breckenridge. However, thousands of boots and millions of steps have resulted
in a badly braided and degraded social trail system. Resulting erosion from
such trails is imperiling several rare plant species, among them the Grays
Peak Whitlow-Grass (Draba grayana) known to be growing in only 13 places in
Colorado. Dust off your boots and
gloves and give back to the trails you love and use so much! Sign up or get more information at
www.voc.org, by calling 303-715-1010 (800-925-2220 outside of metro Denver)
or by emailing voc@voc.org. FDRD June Wish List ·
Service Project Team Members – We need 5 volunteers to help coordinate our
Weed Pull on July 15. Duties
include: flyer creation and distribution, food solicitation and pick up, and
volunteer and media relations.
Be a part of the team that makes this day happen! Contact Scott Fussell at 970-846-1530
or scottafussell@yahoo.com for
more information on this project team. · Service Project Supplies – Getting rid of, or don’t mind lending the following for the summer season? We could sure use a few coffee thermal/air pots, a folding table (card or long one), and a large water container for those awesome “trailgates” after the projects. |
WHAT’S
HAPPENED
FDRD Volunteers pick up litter exposed after the spring snowmelt at Green Mountain Reservoir Saturday,
June 3 – Forest Clean Up - FDRD would like to thank all our
“friends” who joined in on the fun at our Forest Cleanup Day on June 3rd, in
celebration of National Trails Day. These 28 volunteers and 3 Forest Service
personnel generated 124 hours of volunteer stewardship for our National
Forest lands. They cleared
litter from three campgrounds at Green Mountain Reservoir, generating over
two truckloads of trash and eight bags of recycling. In doing so, these volunteers helped
to assure the pleasing experiences for future users of this incredibly
popular recreation destination and that this area will remain a spectacular
destination for locals and visitors alike! A huge thanks goes out to our sponsors - New Belgium
Brewery, Safeway, City Market, Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters, Green Mountain
Inn, and Colorado Department of Transportation– for providing us with
much-deserved, delicious treats at the beginning and end of the day! Remember
to support our sponsors on your next food and beverage run! _____________________________________________________________
FDRD
Volunteers clean up Keystone Mountain on opening
day of their summer season Friday, June 16
– Church Group Project - FDRD
gives a huge thanks to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for
participating with us in the Keystone Resort Cleanup Project on June 16. As a part of their Bi-Annual Youth
Conference, these 106 Church Group volunteers, along with 5 FDRD and 2
Keystone Resort representatives, generated nearly 450 hours of volunteer
stewardship on our local National Forest lands. They cleared litter from the following areas on Keystone
Resort’s Dercum Mountain - Endeavor, Upper Schoolmarm, Area 51 Terrain Park,
Go Devil, Two Sled Road, and Last Hoot - generating 32 bags of trash and 11
bags of recycling. In doing so,
these volunteers helped Keystone spiff up their front mountain for their
guests on opening day of the summer season. A special
thanks goes out to Keystone Resort for coordinating the project with FDRD and
for providing the volunteers with tasty Subway Sandwiches at the end of the
day! _____________________________________________________________
FDRD Volunteers take a break from their rewarding and challenging erosion control efforts at Miner’s Creek Saturday,
June 24 – Forest Restoration Day - A round of applause goes
out to FDRD’s volunteers who joined in on the fun at our Forest Restoration
Day on June 24th. These 13
volunteers and 1 Forest Service personnel generated 52 hours of volunteer
stewardship for our National Forest lands. They built five water bars, closed two redundant trail
sections, and transplanted many plant species in an effort to rehabilitate these
trails. By rehabilitating this
area through these erosion control efforts, they helped improve the
experience for many recreationists on Miners Creek Trail. Thanks to our sponsors - Safeway,
City Market, and Pika Bagel– for providing us with tasty treats at the
beginning and end of the day! Please support our sponsors on your next food and
beverage run! _____________________________________________________________ Fundraising/Grant Writing
Sub-Committee – FDRD held its first
fundraising committee meeting on June 22. In this most productive session, the following ideas and
tasks were generating and delegated: ·
Create a Fundraising
Strategic Action Plan based on FDRD needs (both short and long term) ·
Research and identify
potential national and state foundations for future grant writing efforts ·
Research local grant
opportunities ·
Recruit a Development
Coordinator to lead this sub-committee With the ambitious goals FDRD laid out in our
strategic plan, this sub-committee's efforts will be critical to our success
in this and future years and will help build FDRD into a sustainable
organization that will be an important part of the Summit County community
for years to come. Thanks to Maggie Cox, Lin Denham, and Beverly
Breakstone for joining Kathryn Grohusky, Ken Waugh, and Guff Van Vooren in
this exciting effort. If you
would like to be a part of this committee, please contact Guff at
970-389-6058. Forest Stewards Update
– With continued training and mentoring for FDRD’s Forest Stewards Program,
these 25 volunteers have started their summer-long efforts of trail maintenance, trail patrol, and
outreach education on our National Forest lands. ·
June
11 - Crew Leaders participated in a training session relating to tool use and
safety, trail condition surveys, leading a crew, and features on a trail to
control erosion. They visited 2
local trails for hands-on learning relating to water bars, check dams, and
other trail features that help make for a more sustainable trail. They will join DRD’s trail crew for a
mentor day, participate in a 3 day VOC crew leader training in July and then
lead crews in the maintenance of trails throughout the rest of the summer. ·
June
24 – Ranger Patrols and Outreach Educators participated in a training session
related to GPS tool use and invasive plant species identification. They visited an area with most of the
local noxious weeds – Canada thistle, Musk thistle, Cheatgrass, Scentless (or
false) chamomile, Yellow toadflax, and Oxeye daisy. They have participated in a mentor day and will start
patrolling the trails throughout the rest of the summer. ·
Various
– Mentor Days – all Forest Stewards participate in one mentor day with a
Forest Service representative.
Out on the trail, each Forest Steward receives hands-on training with
the FS rep, in order to set the Steward up for a successful season of
volunteerism. These 25 Stewards
are doing awesome work so make sure you let them know just that if you see
them on the trails! If you are
interested in future participation in this program, please contact Guff at
970-389-6058. |
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DRD HAPPENINGS Travel
Management Plan Update The White River National Forest (WRNF) Supervisor’s Office plans to release a draft Travel Management Plan of the WRNF at the end of July. Copies of the draft plan will be available at all district offices, with open houses planned in early August. Interested parties will have 90 days to comment on the plan. The draft plan is the culmination of an earlier effort to provide a Travel Management Plan along with the White River Forest Plan. Due to public input and the complexity of the subject matter, the decision was made to separate the two plans and develop the Travel Management Plan after the completion of the Forest Plan. This Travel Management Plan and the incorporated EIS intend to meet that commitment. This document seeks to update the travel management uses and to identify an efficient road and trail system for the White River National Forest. The purpose is to have a clear and concise plan for a transportation network that addresses the needs for forest management, public access and for multiple-use recreation. This comment process provides an excellent opportunity for those interested parties and affected people to participate in the analysis and to contribute to the final decision for this proposed action. In FDRD’s August Newsletter, we will provide you with details of the comment process. In the meantime, for more information on Travel Management in the WRNF, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/projects/travel_management/index.shtml. WRNF Fire Restrictions Fire restrictions have been in effect on the White River National Forest since 12:01 a.m., Saturday, June 24. The Forest Service will enforce temporary restrictions of: · no campfires except within designated fire grates in developed campgrounds · no smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or in a barren area free of vegetation · no use of explosive materials · no welding or operation of an acetylene or other similar torch with open flame · no operation of any internal combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed and in working order These are stage-one fire restrictions. If hot and dry conditions persist, the forest may move into stage-two restrictions - no campfires, even in developed campgrounds. Restrictions will be in place until further notice. Violation of fire restrictions is punishable as a class B misdemeanor, by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization and/or imprisonment for not more than six months. For more information and to stay current on fire restrictions, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/news/2006/index.shtml. |
DATES TO REMEMBER
(mark your calendars!!!)
Please contact Scott Fussell at scottafussell@yahoo.com or 970-846-1530 for more information on these events. |
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NEXT BOARD MEETING
(FDRD Board Members will meet on the first Monday (second Monday in July) of each month at DRD at 6PM) Monday, July 10, 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
future meetings, contact Guff at guffvanvooren@msn.com
by Sunday, July 9. |
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I hope everyone is having a great Summit
County Summer and that you’ve been able to get out there and enjoy the
trails. Please consider joining
us for one of our projects – they’re a great way to connect people to each
other and to our local National Forest lands! Thanks for all that you do for FDRD – your
support is the success behind all that we do. Have
a safe, fun, and happy holiday weekend. See
you on the trails! With sincere thanks,
Guff
Van Vooren Executive
Director Friends
of the Dillon Ranger District |