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.
What: Volunteers will spend time building rock structures to improve critical habitat for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. We will use innovative, yet simple, restoration methods-small rock structures to raise the water table to support plants and insects needed by wildlife.
Why: Wet meadows and riparian areas in sagebrush shrublands provide important brood-rearing habitat for the threatened Gunnison Sage-grouse. These habitats are also important for numerous other species, including neo-tropical migratory birds, elk and mule deer, as well as ranchers for livestock grazing. A number of wet meadows and riparian areas, already compromised by erosion and lower water tables, are likely to be further altered from drought and high intensity rainstorms associated with a changing climate.
Additional opportunity! (Friday, September 3rd) We are also offering a “tour day” led by USFS staff. We will not be undertaking any restoration work--this outing is intended to be educational, informal, and fun. Attendees will see restoration sites that volunteers helped with in the past years. This is an opportunity to monitor these sites and understand how structures operate years after construction.
When/Where: (Click link to sign-up)
Friday (9/3) - Tour Day of Flat Top Mountain, Henkel Road (USFS)
Saturday (9/4) - Flat Top Mountain, South Cottonwood Drainage (USFS)
Sunday (9/5) - Flat Top Mountain, South Cottonwood Drainage (USFS)
Monday (9/6) - Monson Gulch, under Tomichi Dome (BLM)
Sign up for the tour day, or for one, two, or all three workdays!
Volunteers will receive details on specific meeting locations following registration.
Here are a few things you should know:
• We will provide lunch and water for refills
• Bring a water bottle & weather-appropriate clothes/gear (hat, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.)
• We provide work gloves and tools
• Wear close-toed shoes, comfortable outdoor layers, and clothes you aren’t afraid to get dirty
• Please note that there are no bathroom facilities on site
• We recommend bringing a small pack to carry anything you may need (water, snacks, bug spray, extra clothes)
Stewardship of public lands helps ensure their sustainability into the future. The above project entails spending a fun-filled day with like-minded community members giving back to YOUR public lands and supporting our lovable wildlife. They are great opportunities to get your hands dirty – and experience personal fulfillment – in furtherance of a worthy cause. Their success is dependent on public participation. Please join us by signing up today!
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at eli@hccacb.org.
