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Hello
Friends of FDRD, Happy
New Year – I hope you are all having a fun holiday season and that
your travels didn’t get too slowed down with all the snow. More
importantly, I hope you’ve been able to get out to play in all this
white gold! With
the end of one year and the beginning of another, FDRD celebrates with
you the final results of our 2006 volunteer season and jumps right into
program planning for 2007. We’ve set our dates for the upcoming
season and hope you will mark your calendars for these fun times ahead!
Read on to learn more about our 2006 accomplishments and how to get
involved in these efforts in 2007. 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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FOREST
STEWARDS PROGRAM
GOLDEN BOOT AWARD
Presented to Karen Fox, Forest Stewards Ranger Patrol, for most miles hiked on Patrol – 34 miles on 6 different patrols. Congratulations (and thank you) to Karen! See “What’s Happening/What’s Happened” Sections below to find out how you can join Karen and the 19 other inaugural season Forest Stewards in our 2007 efforts! |
WHAT’S HAPPENING
2007
FDRD Program Season Dates Set – Mark Your Calendars! – In what will surely be another fun and successful
volunteer season, FDRD is proud to announce its 2007 schedule, as
follows:
Please
mark your calendar for these fun volunteer days. We are currently
recruiting for Forest Stewards and for sub-committees to coordinate
these events. Contact Guff Van Vooren at guffvanvooren@msn.com
or 970-389-6058 to learn more about these efforts. |
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WHAT’S HAPPENED DRD
Christmas Tree Cutting - FDRD would like to thank
our volunteers for being a part of Summit County’s Holiday Cheer!
While braving the cold, these 16 volunteers generated 64 hours of
volunteer support for the DRD. They helped DRD staff issue
permits, educated tree-cutters on related regulations and tree
safety at home, served up delicious hot chocolate, and helped break
trails for people in search of that “perfect tree”. In doing
so, they helped people enjoy the great holiday tradition of cutting down
their own Christmas tree. A fun time was had by all and this
experience definitely got everyone in the holiday spirit!
Year End Membership Drive – Thanks to all who participated in our year-end membership drive. So far, 19 people became members and 9 Charter Members renewed their membership! These funds help keep our programs running and our organization going. Of course, it’s never too late to become an FDRD member – our membership drive is a year round effort! Please consider ringing in the New Year with an FDRD membership for you and yours. Becoming a member 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.
Forest Stewards Program Update – FDRD has received grant funding for the Forest Stewards Program, as follows:
· Copper Mountain Resort – in a three-year partnership with FDRD, Copper plays a key role in the sustainable development of the Forest Stewards program! In addition, Copper is participating in an Adopt-A-Trail effort with resort staff on the Wheeler Lakes trail.
· The Summit Foundation – to further develop the Crew Leader, Ranger Patrol, and Outreach Educator Initiative and create Youth Stewards, Family Stewards, and Adopt-A-Trail efforts. TSF, a founding sponsor of the Forest Stewards program, has funded this program for a second consecutive year!
FDRD thanks Copper Mountain and The Summit Foundation 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.
2006
On-The-Ground Project/Program Season Results –
Congratulations and Thank You! This summer, FDRD’s supporters made possible over 900 volunteer service days to help care for our local National Forest lands. Together, we generated 5,500 hours of volunteer stewardship, valued at over $99,000, accomplishing the following:
· Implemented the Forest Stewards Program’s inaugural season – 20 volunteers participated in an ongoing effort to maintain trails, inventory amount and type of trail users, and educate the public on forest-related information. Participating partners include Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), Summit County Open Space and Trails (SCOSAT), Keystone Science School (KSS), and Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness. This summer, FDRD Stewards accomplished the following:
o Participated in 6 training sessions, setting them up to succeed in, and enjoy, their volunteer experience. In addition, in partnership with, participated in a Crew Leader Training (co-hosted by VOC, SCOSAT and FDRD) with 20 other state-wide crew leaders.
o Crew Leaders led 5 trail maintenance projects on 3 miles of trails and 1 buck-n-rail fence construction project on the Wheeler Lakes and Windy Point trail areas. In addition, in partnership with VOC, we maintained 1.5 miles of the upper Spruce Creek trail at Mohawk Lakes. In total, trail maintenance was performed on 4.5 miles of trail and 600 feet of buck-n-rail fence was constructed.
o Ranger Patrols performed 33 patrols on 18 different trails, covering 174 miles. In addition, in partnership with KSS, 27 patrols were conducted on 14 different trails, covering 60 miles. In total, 60 Ranger Patrols encountered 1,034 visitors, contacting 333 of them, on 234 miles of trail.
o Outreach Educators hosted 6 trailheads and volunteered at the DRD front desk on 5 days. In addition, they assisted the DRD staff in the Christmas Tree Cutting Program. In total, they encountered 2,540 visitors, contacting 1,675 of them.
· Collected 2 truckloads of litter and 8 bags of recycling at Green Mountain Reservoir campgrounds
· Performed erosion control and closure efforts along the Miners Creek trail
· Picked up 32 bags of trash and 11 bags of recycling on Dercum Mountain at Keystone Resort
· Removed 2 truckloads of invasive musk thistle and false chamomile plants north of Silverthorne
· Rehabilitated one acre of the Ophir Mountain Burn Area behind the High School
· Removed 1 mile of obsolete fencing (and 4 miles of barbed wire!) in an elk migration corridor near Lakeview Meadows (southeast of Ophir Mountain)
FDRD gives a HUGE round of applause and due praise to our amazing volunteers for their continued support of our programs and projects. You have made 2006 our best volunteer season yet – your on-the-ground efforts more than doubled our 2004/2005 total amounts! Thank you so much for all that you do for FDRD – you make a BIG difference on our local National Forest lands.
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DRD HAPPENINGS Update – NFF’s Ski Area Contribution Program – Grant Deadline February 2 The National Forest Foundation (the NFF) and the USDA-Forest Service, in two separate partnerships with Copper Mountain Resort and Vail Resorts, have created programs to provide funding for local conservation projects on National Forest lands. A meeting was held in December to introduce the Ski Area Contribution Program (SCP) to interested parties in the Dillon Ranger District (DRD). The meeting aimed to coordinate the volunteer efforts on the DRD that will result from this program. Representatives from the NFF, Copper, Vail, and the USDA-FS presented program details to an audience of approximately 40 people representing 33 organizations. The audience then broke into small groups to discuss details of the DRD priority projects, level of organizations’ interest in these projects, and other issues related to the SCP. Applications are due in the NFF office by February 2. For more information on the NFF, please visit www.natlforests.org. For prioritized DRD project ideas, contact Ken Waugh at 970-262-3446. |
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DATES TO REMEMBER
FDRD
2007 Program Season Dates – See
details in “What’s Happening” Above! Sat, Jan 27 – 10:30 AM – 1 PM –– Vail Pass Backcountry Ambassador Program Training – Join a citizen-based monitoring/education program hosted by Backcountry Snowsports Alliance. While backcountry skiing, ski touring, snowshoeing or snowmobiling on Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area, volunteers serve as the eyes and ears for Forest Service Rangers. For additional information, please contact the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance at 303-494-5266, vail@backcountryalliance.org, or www.backcountryalliance.org. |
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NEXT BOARD MEETING
(FDRD Board Members will meet on the first Monday of each month at DRD at 6PM) Monday,
January 8, 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, January 7. |
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