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Hello Friends of FDRD, With summer just around the corner, FDRD has a busy month ahead. We are in the process of hiring a Volunteer Coordinator and our Forest Stewards will participate in a training session this month. As well, we are planning for our first service project, Forest-Restoration Day, on June 2. Read on for more details on these efforts. As well, don’t forget to mark your calendar - May 19 is County-Wide Town Clean Up Day! For more information about FDRD, 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’S HAPPENINGFDRD Contract Position – FDRD is currently hiring for a Volunteer Coordinator contract position for 2007. Please forward this to potential job applicants! This position will oversee FDRD’s Service Project Season Program, including coordination of eight service projects and “on-demand” projects, compilation of the volunteer calendar, and participation in Forest Stewards Program Crew Leader Training and kiosk installation projects. If you are interested, please visit www.fdrd.org for information on the position and the application process. For questions, email volunteer.coordinator.2007@fdrd.org . 2007 Summit Stewards Volunteer Calendar – FDRD is compiling this 3rd Annual Volunteer Calendar. We will send you a special email in mid-May with the completed calendar. Print a copy of this document and tape it to your fridge or save it in your computer files, to use as your volunteer resource throughout the summer –as you determine ways to give back to Summit County by participating in the volunteer efforts of the many wonderful non-profit organizations dedicated to natural resource management in our community! Summit County Town Clean Up – Saturday, May 19 – Join your fellow community members in beautifying your town – come pick up the unsightly litter that is now exposed due to the spring snow melt! Contact your town for details. Please note that the FDRD Forest Clean Up originally scheduled for this day has been rescheduled to Public Lands Day - 9/29/2007. FDRD Forest Restoration – Saturday, June 2 - Help restore and rehabilitate the forest in the Miner’s Creek area, including erosion control and closure efforts along the trail. This trail day is a second year effort in this area. RSVP here. Details will follow in the June enewsletter. FDRD May Wish List Service Project Team Members – We need 5 volunteers to help coordinate our Forest Restoration Trail Day on June 2. 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 Guff at 389-6058 or guffvanvooren@msn.com for more information on this event. ____________________________________________________________ Forest Stewards Program Update The second season of this on-going program kicks-off on May 12, our first training day. The Program includes 6 initiatives: Crew Leader, Ranger Patrol, Outreach Educator, Adopt-A-Trail, Family Stewards, and Youth Stewards. Learn more about this exciting program – it’s a great way to get involved in an ongoing effort with friends, family, and co-workers. We look forward to a very exciting summer with our Forest Stewards! The Town of Frisco Mt. Royal Adopt-A-Trail Project Join the Town of Frisco and FDRD as we team up to maintain and patrol one of Frisco’s gems – the Mt. Royal Trail. Volunteers are needed for the following trial maintenance days: June 23, July 21, Aug 25, and Sept 15. VOC/SCOSAT/FDRD Crew Leader Training Join Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), Summit County Open Space and Trails (SCOSAT), and FDRD as we co-host this annual crew leader training in Summit County. Mark your calendars for this most excellent 3 day experience – June 29 - July 1. Both individuals and organizations are encouraged to participate in this exciting training and education opportunity – it’s a great way to improve your trail-building skills and grow your organization’s stewardship efforts on our public lands! FDRD is very excited to continue this effort, in its second year, with VOC and OSAT and looks forward to similar collaborative efforts with other local organizations. Registration with VOC is required. |
WHAT’S HAPPENED
The 2007 Green Scene Awards were presented at the Earth Day Action Fair. FDRD’s Scott Fussell (back row, third from left) received an award! FDRD Representative Recognized at Earth Day Action Fair – Congratulations to Scott Fussell, FDRD Programs Sub-Committee Member, on the 2007 Green Scene Award, Wild Wilderness Wonder!The Green Scene Awards were presented at the Earth Day Action Fair, held on April 22. The Wild Wilderness Wonder Award recognizes someone that helps protect our wild places and wilderness qualities. Scott, one of FDRD’s SUPER Volunteers, played a big part in our growth last year. Through his coordination of our 2006 service projects and participation in our 2006 Forest Stewards Program, Scott logged over 520 volunteer hours on our local National Forest lands last year! FDRD considers ourselves very lucky to count Scott as a representative of our organization. Next time you see Scott, make sure to congratulate him on this most excellent achievement. Thanks for all you do for FDRD and Summit County, Scott!At the Fair, FDRD, along with over 20 other local environmental organizations, celebrated Earth Day 2007, by providing Fair-Goers with various opportunities to make a positive difference on Planet Earth. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who visited FDRD’s booth and a huge congratulations goes out to all the recipients of the Green Scene Awards and to the hosts of such a successful event. This Fair serves as inspiration to treat everyday like Earth Day – incorporating environmental action into our lives on a daily basis! Visit www.highcountryconservation.org/reduce_reuse_recycle.htm for action ideas relating to the three Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). For ideas on big and little steps relating to the CLIMATE CROSSROADS film series, email beth@highcountryconservation.org. And finally, use the community volunteer calendar (see details above) to find a plethora of cool ways to give back to your local natural resources this summer! |
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DRD HAPPENINGS Ski Area Contribution Program – First Grant Cycle Results Announced (Information provided by Press Releases from Copper Mountain and Vail Resorts) The National Forest Foundation (the NFF) and the U.S. Forest Service (USDA-FS), in two separate partnerships with Copper Mountain Resort (Copper) and Vail Resorts (Vail), created programs to provide funding for non-profit organizations’ local conservation projects on National Forest lands. The first cycle of funding was recently announced by both resorts. Copper’s program raises money by soliciting voluntary $1 per night lodging donations from resort guests. Vail’s program raises money by soliciting voluntary $1 per sales of season passes, online lift tickets and lodging donations from resort guests. The NFF matches $.50 for each dollar raised in both programs. The programs continue year-round at both resorts. In the first cycle, Copper’s program raised more than $35,000 for conservation projects in the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National Forest. The recipients of these funds include: · Friends of the Dillon Ranger District – Service Project Season Program · Trout Unlimited - Blue River Hammer Bridge Improved Access Project · John J. Hill Memorial Fund - Conservation Projects - Under-Serviced Youth “The Ski Area Contribution Program allows Copper to generate funds for our National Forest lands while educating guests on the importance of stewardship,” said Copper Mountain Environmental Manager Jen Schenk. In the first cycle, Vail’s program raised more than $225,000 for conservation projects in the White River National Forest. The recipients of these funds include: · Wilderness Volunteers - Gore Range Trail and Maroon-Snowmass Trail Projects · Friends of the Eagle Nest Wilderness - Ecosystem Improvement Project · Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers - 2007 Trail Projects · Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado - 2007 VOC Summit County Projects · Eagle County Youth Conservation Corps - 2007 Project Season · Colorado Fourteeners Initiative - 2007 White River Fourteeners Project · Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – 2007 Conservation Project “We view the success of our program as an indication of the level of commitment our guests have to protecting the spectacular National Forests, in which we operate our resorts” said Rob Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “We want to offer them our sincerest thanks for helping in this critical effort”. "We are thrilled about the positive impact of this partnership and these projects on the National Forest," said Rocky Mountain Regional Forester Rick Cables. "We have had a long-standing and positive relationship with the ski industry in Colorado, and (the Resorts’) willingness to partner with us and the National Forest Foundation is another innovative step. This kind of investment made by neighbors and visitors shows the value that people place on National Forests as sources of clean water, habitats for native plants and animals, and special places to renew the spirit. Forest Supervisor Maribeth Gustafson and our folks on the White River National Forest are very excited about these projects.” FDRD and DRD are thrilled about the SCP’s first cycle results. We look forward to the amazing work that will be accomplished on the DRD and WRNF in this and future seasons. We would like to thank Copper, Vail, the Guests of Copper and Vail, and the NFF for their generous support of these conservation projects on the DRD and the WRNF! For more information on Copper Mountain’s Environmental Initiatives or to read Copper’s 2006 Environmental Report, please visit www.coppercolorado.com/aboutus/environment/index.htm. For more information on Vail Resorts visit www.vailresorts.com To learn more about the National Forest Foundation, please visit www.natlforests.org . |
DATES TO REMEMBER(mark your calendars!) FDRD’s 2007 Summer Event Schedule – “Join In On The Fun”
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NEXT BOARD MEETING(FDRD Board Members will meet on the first Monday of each month at DRD at 6PM) Monday, May 7, 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, May 6. |
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We can’t wait for our 2007 Service Projects and Forest Stewards Program to begin - we hope your schedule allows you to join in the fun with us as we give back to Summit’s Greatest Gift – Our Local National Forest Lands! Thanks for all that you do for FDRD - your support is critical to our efforts to promote stewardship in the White River National Forest of Summit County through partnerships, volunteer service, education, and support. See you on the trails! With sincere thanks,
Guff Van Vooren Executive Director Friends of the Dillon Ranger District |