Rocky Mountain Field Institute Garden of the Gods Community Restoration Program 2015 Annual Project Report

Transcription

1 Garden of the Gods Community Restoration Program 2015 Annual Project Report December 18 th, 2015 Report prepared by: Mark Tatro, Field Instructor 815 South 25 th Street, Suite 101 Colorado Springs, CO Dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of public lands in the Pikes Peak Region

2 2 SUMMARY In 2015, the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) completed its 13 th year of stewardship work in the Garden of the Gods Park. RMFI staff developed an ambitious work plan for the year that included addressing new high priority impacts identified by the City of Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department. The work showcased the organization s diverse technical skill set and the commitment of the community to care for a treasured natural landscape. RMFI s 2015 Garden of the Gods work objectives centered on three main sites in the South Garden: Valley Reservoir Number One, Valley Reservoir Number Two, and the New Era and Snake Pit climbing access trails. Objectives in these areas included the closure and restoration of social trails and erosion gullies, installation of check-dams and other erosion control structures, and construction of trail stabilizing and enhancement structures. The goal of this work was to improve and stabilize designated trails, which suffered damage due to weathering and high levels of user impact, while erasing access to unauthorized social trails that degrade both wildlife habitat and the park s scenic qualities. In May 2015, an historic rainfall event occurred in Colorado Springs. Upwards of 12 inches of rain fell in some portions of the City, which caused significant damage to area parks, trails, and open spaces. As a result, RMFI temporarily shifted its efforts in the park toward trail rehabilitation and gully stabilization at several high priority areas including the Tower of Babel and Ute Trail. After the new priorities were accomplished and the park had dried out enough to resume restoration, RMFI shifted back to its original work objectives. In 2015, a total of 1,299 volunteers representing local and regional community groups and businesses worked 6,464 hours over the course of 58 workdays for a total work value of $149,200 (at $23.07 per hour, independentsector.com). In comparison to RMFI s 2014 work totals in the park, this year included an additional 15 workdays, 200 additional volunteers, 1,400 additional volunteer hours, and an increase of $31,000 in volunteer value. A list of the groups that volunteered with RMFI in 2015 can be found at the end of this document. This year s important work in the southeast area of the park was made possible with the generous support from Ms. Lyda Hill, the Friends of the Garden of the Gods (FoGG), the Broadmoor Garden Club, the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department (PRCS), and an allocation through the Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART). BACKGROUND Considered the crown jewel of the Colorado Springs parks system, the Garden of the Gods is the most heavily used park in the City, drawing nearly 2 million visitors per year. Measuring only 1,300 acres in size, the park s visitor density is 100 times greater than that of Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2014, Garden of the Gods was awarded Trip Advisor s Travelers Choice Award as the best park to visit in the United States. Preserving the park and managing the impacts associated with such extraordinary levels of use have long been an exceptional challenge for the City of Colorado Springs. Most of the trails in the Garden were established in the 1930 s and were never designed to accommodate the current level of use. As a result, mazes of social trails, deep gullies, and large

3 3 areas void of vegetation caused by park visitors looking for a shortcut or a respite off the beaten path exist in several areas of the park. In addition, many of the climbing access trails are straight lines up to the base of climbs, and do not consider the surrounding topography and effects of water. Over time, these social trails have become a conduit for water and erosion, resulting in down-cut trails and deep gullies that in some areas are over two feet below the surrounding terrain. The situation is worsened by the fact that the soils in the park are the most erodible in El Paso County-up to 5 times that of other soil types. In 2002, RMFI initiated the Garden of the Gods Community Restoration Program, which was the result of a two-year study of the ecological state of the park. The study documented an array of threats affecting the park s ecological health including severe soil erosion, damage to the park s native plant communities, infestations of noxious plants, a deteriorating trail system, and lack of visitor awareness. Since the program's inception, RMFI has mobilized over 15,400 volunteers who have contributed over 72,000 hours towards the park's restoration initiatives, and has leveraged roughly $420,000 into $1.65 million worth of on-the-ground restoration. The primary goals of RMFI s Garden of the Gods Community Restoration Program are to: Provide stewardship opportunities for a broad spectrum of the community including individuals, local schools, community organizations, businesses, and religious institutions; Foster community awareness about the ecology and natural history of the Garden of the Gods Park; Educate the community about the current threats to the park; Complete critical restoration work in the most severely degraded areas of the park. WORK NARRATIVE During the 2015 work season, RMFI returned to the South Garden for the first time since 2013 with work objectives centered on social trail closures at 13 distinct work sites in Valley Reservoirs Number One and Number Two (Appendix A). In addition to social trail closure, other objectives at these 13 sites ranged from the installation of subsurface trail stabilization structures to the enhancement of access trails at the Snake Pit bouldering area. Project objectives at each site were accomplished through open enrollment volunteer workdays, corporate group volunteer workdays, youth volunteer workdays, and an educational summer camp, all with RMFI staff oversight. Open enrollment days, held typically on weekends, were available to anyone in the community who wanted to give back to the city s most treasured park with individual attendants representing all demographics of the local population. RMFI was also able to partner with specific businesses, such as Wells Fargo and Kirkpatrick Bank, to provide community service workdays for their employees. Lastly, RMFI partnered with Catamount Institute for a second consecutive year to provide environmental education and service learning during their weeklong day camp for year olds called Dirt Camp. Ten students participated in the day camp and volunteered for 12 hours each over the course of the week. A typical volunteer day was 6.5 hours in length. Volunteers were initially given an orientation including an introduction to the Garden of the Gods and Rock Ledge Ranch, the work site, and

4 4 project goals. Volunteers were also briefed on environmental and safety hazards as well as proper use of tools. RMFI supplied all tools, personal protective equipment, and water for use by the volunteers. RMFI staff assigned volunteers with specific tasks based on project needs and volunteer interests. Activities included building erosion control structures, moving rock and soil to fill incised gullies and social trails, installing erosion control matting, and constructing rock steps on designated trails. The most common volunteer activity was the restoration of social trails using the restoration prescription outlined in Appendix B. RMFI field instructors, trained in restoration techniques and volunteer management, supervised all work events Work Sites Valley Reservoir Number One (31.7 acres) The old reservoir directly to the west of Rock Ledge Ranch makes up the northern half of the mountain biking area in the park and played host to RMFI workdays during the long, hot days of summer. The Ute Trail to the south and west, the Chambers Trail to the north, and the Valley Reservoir Trail to the east border the Valley Reservoir Number One site. A grove of old cottonwood trees in the northern quarter of the valley is popular with recreationists seeking a shady spot to rest, and is accessed by social trails traveling to meet them from three directions. The major social trails, wandering down one side of the valley and back up the other, trap water and help funnel it straight to the lowest point of the reservoir, scouring soil and other sediment along the way. The erosion and displaced sediment have disturbed the native vegetation and allowed for an invasive species including Mexican Locust to take over a segment of the valley. Figure 1. A group of volunteers from the Latter Day Saints Church work to restore a social trail in Valley Reservoir Number One. To restore this area, RMFI led multiple workdays, one in particular with 160 volunteers (Figure 1), to decommission a well-established 1,200-foot long social trail, which measured 13 feet wide in some areas. RMFI volunteers transplanted over 1,000 native plants, mainly grasses, sages, and yucca, to disguise and discourage travel on the social trail (Figures 2 and 3). Work crews also cleared 2 acres of Mexican Locust infestation to protect the integrity of the native vegetation, and installed 8 sills along down-cut sections of social trails, which in time will backfill to better match the surrounding topography and minimize future erosion.

5 5 Figure 2. RMFI and Catamount Dirt Camp participants transplanting native vegetation in Valley Reservoir Number One. Figure 3. Lyda Hill at work with students from Colorado Springs School in Valley Reservoir Number One. Valley Reservoir Number Two (17.5 acres) The reservoir at the southeast end of the park is home to the southern quarter of the park s mountain biking area and is where RMFI spent a majority of time during the 2015 field season. The Niobrara Trail wraps around the south, east, and west ends of the reservoir while the Ute Trail marks its northern boundary. This area once served as a refuge for populations of bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bear, and other wildlife indigenous to the park, however, social trail development has resulted in major degradation of native vegetation as well as habitat fragmentation. With assistance from City of Colorado Springs Park and Recreation staff, RMFI identified a system of social trails to close, three long runs of developed trails that needed improvements, and two drainages in need of erosion control structures. Work began in early spring on Valley Reservoir Number Two with the restoration of a 960-foot long social trail cutting straight down the middle of the reservoir (Figure 4). This social trail, labeled #6 in Appendix A, required a series of timber check-dams to raise Figure 4. Before and after photo of the closure and restoration of a social trail at its junction with a designated trail. Note use of native transplants to disguise the former tread.

6 6 the incised areas back up to the surrounding topography. To minimize foot traffic on areas already restored, RMFI field staff and volunteers closed each entrance point to the social trail by placing downed timber and additional signage informing park users about the closure. In addition, RMFI staff constructed 8 timber check-dams to stabilize an incredibly steep and incised section of a spur between social trail #6 and #6a. Stabilization and Repair Work From Historic May Rains The month of May was the wettest on record in Colorado Springs since The historic rains forced RMFI to temporarily shift priorities away from the Valley Reservoir Number Two site as the clay soils were simply too saturated to continue restoration work in the area. After the rains, RMFI staff assessed storm damage and discovered that almost overnight, small social trails had developed into long narrow gullies and whole sections of trails had been washed away. To address these critical issues, RMFI staff shifted its efforts to trail maintenance and erosion control projects. In the weeks following the rain, RMFI volunteers installed 30 small check-dams to stabilize and back-fill the long, narrow gullies and repaired over 250 feet of tread on a steep portion of the Niobrara Trail. RMFI also made repairs to a severely down-cut section of the Ute Trail (Figure 5). During this period of re-prioritization, RMFI also led a series of workdays at a 2014 project site to further stabilize a large gully network running from the Tower of Babel to the Central Garden main parking lot. During these workdays, volunteers constructed 8 additional large rock check-dams to stem sediment flows into the parking lot. Once soils in the Valley Reservoir Number Two area had dried out sufficiently, RMFI resumed restoration work at the site. Though most of RMFI s work conducted prior to the storm remained Figure 5. Before and after photos of repairs to a severely down-cut section of the Ute Trail. The trail section was treated with subsurface timber structures to raise the trail tread and prevent further erosion. Sections of eroded trail were up to 60 inches across and 40 inches deep.

7 7 unharmed, a series of check-dams failed, exposing the need for more massive structures than had originally been constructed. Twenty medium to large rock check-dams were subsequently installed and an additional 1,900 feet of social trails and 1,740 square feet of area were restored. The Fontanero Trail connector, which was damaged during the rains, required maintenance on 3 dips/grade reversals and the installation of 3 additional dips/grade reversals. The work was designed to shed water off at multiple points along the trails long, straight descent. New Era/Snake Pit Complex In the fall of 2015, RMFI began a new project to improve climbing and bouldering access trails. With assistance from the Pikes Peak Climbers Alliance, 60 rock steps were built to direct climber access from Juniper Way Loop to the New Era climbing route on Gray Rock (Figure 6). Directly across Juniper Way Loop, 7 additional rock steps were built to stabilize the nearby access trail down to the Snake Pit bouldering area. Nearly 1,000 feet of social trail was also closed and restored in the area surrounding the Snake Pit. As weather permits, RMFI staff will continue working at this site in early 2016 with the installation of additional rock steps to refine the access trail to the New Era climbing route WORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS RMFI accomplished a tremendous amount of work in the Garden of the Gods in Highlights include the closure and restoration of 7,156 linear feet of social trails (1.4 miles), construction of 72 rock check-dams, and the construction of 67 rock steps helping to improve climbing/bouldering access trails to New Era and the Snake Pit. All work was done in coordination with City of Colorado Springs parks staff who provided trail and restoration materials, and were always available for clarification on the park s master plan as well as park priorities and management goals. Valley Reservoir Number 1: 2,286 linear feet of social trails closed and restored (measuring 13 feet across in places). 2 rock check-dams built. 3 grade reversals/dips installed. 1,023 native vegetation transplants. Figure 6. Newly built rock steps leading up from the Snake Pit bouldering area to Juniper Way Loop. Valley Reservoir Number 2: 3,690 linear feet of social trails restored. 9 timber subsurface structures and 3 dips/grade reversals improving 65 linear feet of severely eroded trail tread and raising it by 14 inches.

8 8 30 small rock check-dams and 27 large rock check-dams built. 500 linear feet of trail improved with the maintenance of 3 dips/grade reversals and installation of 7 new dips/grade reversals. 943 native vegetation transplants square feet of area restored. New Era/Snake Pits Complex Site: 1,180 linear feet of social trails restored. 67 rock steps constructed. 13 rock check-dams built VOLUNTEER STATISTICS Volunteer workdays: 58 Number of volunteers engaged: 1,299 Total volunteer hours: 6,467.3 Value of volunteer time: $149, ($23.07/hour via independentsector.com) Volunteer Organizations: 1. American Jewish Society for Service 2. Aspen Valley High School 3. Atlas Prep School 4. Catamount Institute 5. Challenger Middle School 6. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Crew 7. Colorado College Biodiversity and Conservation Class 8. Colorado College Break Out 9. Colorado College Global Climate Change Class 10. Colorado College Outdoors Education Special Interest Community 11. Colorado Springs Early Colleges 12. Colorado Springs School 8 th Grade 13. Colorado Springs School Upper Class 14. Colorado Springs Utilities 15. DeLaSalle High School 16. Denver University Environmental Sustainability Living and Learning Community 17. Denver University Service and Change Club 18. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 19. Ft. Carson Cavalry Troop 20. Fountain Valley School 21. Great Western Bank 22. Griffith Centers for Children 23. James Irwin Charter High School 24. Kirkpatrick Bank 25. Kiwanis Club 26. Latter Day Saints Church 27. Liberty High School

9 9 28. Manitou Trail CATS 29. Morter Board 30. Shriever AFB 3 rd Space Ops Squadron 31. Shriever AFB 2 nd Space Ops Squadron 32. State Farm Insurance 33. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity 34. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Geography of Trails Class 35. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Restoration Geographies Class 36. United States Air Force Academy 37. Wells Fargo 38. Youth Leadership and Advisory Council 39. Zebulon Pike Youth Services Center FUTURE WORK In early December 2015, RMFI and City park staff met to discuss general RMFI work objectives in the park for the 2016 work season. Specific areas noted during this discussion included additional repairs to the Ute Trail, repairs to storm-damaged portions of the Palmer Trail, heavily eroded areas east of Sleeping Giant, and continued North Gateway gully restoration by Tower of Babel. RMFI will develop a spring 2016 set of work objectives based on this discussion. CONTACT INFORMATION Joe Lavorini RMFI Program Director joe@rmfi.org

10 10 APPENDIX A. Maps of 2015 Work Areas Map Reference Work Location Number Description 2 Social trail requiring full decompact/seed/rake/mulch/disguise treatment. 4, 4b, 4c, 4d Social trail network requiring full decompact/seed/rake/mulch/ disguise treatment. 4b requires sill installation. 4a Mexican Locust patch, invasive species requiring removal. 6 Long, 1000-foot social trail requiring full decompct/seed/rake/mulch/ disguise treatment. 6a Long, 1200-foot social trail requiring full decompact/seed/rake/mulch/ disguise treatment. 8 Fontanero Trail requiring water management structures. 9 Gulley system requiring stabilization and fill 11 Social trail requiring full decompact/seed/rake/mulch/disguise treatment. 12 Social trail and gulley system requiring full decompact/seed/rake/ mulch/disguise treatment, stabilization, and fill. Down cut sections of Ute Trail; subsurface structures construction to raise 13, 14 trail tread. 17 Snake Pit access trail. Construction of rock steps and minor social trail closure and restoration. 18 New Era access trail. Construction of rock steps.

11 APPENDIX B. Restoration Technique Rocky Mountain Field Institute RMFI s restoration prescription for restoring social trails and erosion gullies: Decompact and aerate hardened surfaces (soil tilled between 4 and 6 inches in depth). If the area is gullied, use native soil to bring the gully back up to grade with the surrounding area. Install subsurface check-dams if gullies allow water to gain significant velocity. Subsurface check-dams are below ground rock structures that stabilize the slope and keep soils in place. Prep the soil seedbed by removing large rocks and smoothing the soil s surface. Spread and rake in native seed mix (Appendix C). On steep slopes, aspen-fiber (or excelsior) erosion control matting is installed and secured with 4-inch biodegradable stakes. Each side of the matting is trenched and stakes are pounded in angled toward the outside edge of the matting. The trenches are then covered with dirt to create a seamless transition between surrounding soil and the matting, preventing water flow under the matting. In areas where there is little to no slope, mulch can be used as an alternative to matting. The purpose of the mulch or matting is to provide cover for newly spread soil and seed on restored areas. Dead and downed branches or slash are placed on the matting for additional stabilization and to provide a microclimate for the seed. Leaf litter is also scattered to help lessen the visual disturbance of the bright yellow matting. Split-rail fencing and educational signs are installed. 11

12 APPENDIX C. Composition of Native Seed Mix Garden of the Gods native seed mix was provided by PRCS staff and consisted of the following plants: Genus/Species Bouteloua curtipendula Pascopyrum smithii Bouteloua gracilis Schizachyrium scoparium Festuca ovina Nassella viridula Panicum virgatum Common Name Sideoats grama Western wheatgrass Blue grama Little bluestem Sheep fescue Green needlegrass Switchgrass 12

13 References Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Garden of the Gods Restoration Report: Current Conditions and Recommendations. b.pdf. Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Garden of the Gods Restoration Report: Implementation Guide. e_web.pdf. 13