Recap: Labor Day Weekend Wet Meadow Restoration Project
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Recap: Labor Day Weekend Wet Meadow Restoration Project

Our Labor Day Stewardship Weekend was a huge success thanks to the hard work and volunteerism of this community. In partnership with the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, 61 volunteers spent three days restoring five acres of critical wildlife habitat and improving watershed health at Black Sage Pass in Waunita Park, and Miller Ranch State Wildlife Area in the Ohio Creek Valley.

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Willow Creek Fence Project Recap
Stewardship Eli Smith Stewardship Eli Smith

Willow Creek Fence Project Recap

High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) hosted their first volunteer stewardship day of the season partnering with the US Forest Service (USFS) and Gunnison Valley Mentors (GVM) to build a buck and rail fence to protect a critical riparian area. The project took place along Willow Creek, a stream that feeds into the Taylor Reservoir, an area that contains significant wetland vegetation and is often frequented by moose.

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Labor Day Weekend Stewardship Recap
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Labor Day Weekend Stewardship Recap

This year's Labor Day weekend, High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) partnered with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District to restore riparian and wet meadow habitats in sagebrush shrublands, strengthening the resiliency of our local environment.

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Union Park Stewardship Projects Update
Stewardship, Water, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates Stewardship, Water, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates

Union Park Stewardship Projects Update

Last fall our intrepid volunteers headed out in the field to harvest and plant willow stakes as part of a restoration project on a heavily eroded stream crossing in Union Park. We planted stakes along banks reconstructed with willow plugs and wads. We also did some experimental plantings with leftover willow stakes to determine if the soil up above the floodplain could support new growth.

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Trail Creek Beaver Dam Analogs
Stewardship, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates Stewardship, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates

Trail Creek Beaver Dam Analogs

We had 15 HCCA volunteers join Forest Service personnel to implement 9 beaver dam analogs (BDA) and plant native willow harvested on-site along Trail Creek in Taylor Park. This project uses low-tech process-based restoration methods to strengthen the resiliency of riparian systems, improving watershed health. Mimicking beaver structures helps attenuate water in the landscape and return complexity to poor riverscapes, allowing more wetland vegetation to grow.

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September Stewardship Opportunities
Stewardship, Public Lands, Volunteer High Country Conservation Advocates Stewardship, Public Lands, Volunteer High Country Conservation Advocates

September Stewardship Opportunities

We are hosting THREE days of volunteer stewardship projects next week across the Gunnison Valley and are in need of your help in stewarding our public lands! Please consider volunteering for one of our upcoming stewardship projects listed below. Visit our Stewardship Page to view all volunteer events and read about past projects.

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Taylor Park Fence Building
Stewardship, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates Stewardship, Project Recaps High Country Conservation Advocates

Taylor Park Fence Building

With 25 total hours of volunteer time, this group built 8 fences (totaling 102 linear feet), installed 6 USFS travel management signs, and restored previously impacted roads which will improve watershed health and terrestrial wildlife along the Taylor River.

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Labor Day Weekend Volunteer Opportunities!
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Labor Day Weekend Volunteer Opportunities!

Join High Country Conservation Advocates, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District to restore riparian and wet meadow habitats in sagebrush shrublands.

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