Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Garfield County Conservation Corps Crews Final Report 2013

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1 Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Garfield County Conservation Corps Crews Final Report 2013 Rock wall construction with gabion baskets, East Elk

2 2013 RMYC Garfield County Crews - End of Session Rocky Mountain Youth Corps fielded two crews for 26 crew-weeks (June 9 th to October 4 th ) to complete the summer and fall working on projects in Garfield County. Our final Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Garfield County trail crew for the 2013 season ended a week earlier than was originally planned, as a heavy snowstorm blanketed their Flat Tops work site for the first time this fall. With the early snow and the furlough of their closest counterparts at the US Forest Service Rifle Ranger District, work had come to a standstill and it became evident that it was indeed time to bring this crew to a close. The two crews who worked exclusively with Garfield County this season gained a valuable life experience in living, camping and working together for anywhere from 9 to 17 weeks. Not only have they improved their skills in identifying noxious weeds, swinging trail tools, and constructing and utilizing a backcountry kitchen, but they ve also made themselves drastically more hire-able by outdoor stewardship organizations, land management agencies, and a myriad other employment endeavors. Most employers seek the skills that these young people have developed at RMYC: a strong work ethic, an ability to work as a team and independently, and the capacity to accomplish tasks in the face of challenges. The biggest challenge faced by these crews and by Rocky Mountain Youth Corps management was the difficulty in hiring and retaining a good mix of members with very high preference to Garfield County youth residents. For the hiring staff, it proved very hard to find quality, well-prepared applicants from Garfield County to be placed exclusively on these crews; as opposed to being mixed into the 9 other 2013 RMYC crews from all around the US and working all over Colorado and Wyoming. The hiring parameters for these very specific crews led RMYC to hire members whom under different circumstances might have made it through the entire season, but ultimately did not (and some only for a week or less). At the very beginning of the season, crews were at 71% Garfield County member fulfillment (not including leaders), although from that point on, the composition of these crews did change quite a bit. For further detail on hiring, crew member retention rates and the likes, please see the attachment. RMYC will identify key areas with our project partners at Garfield County where we can improve the recruitment process by starting to advertise in December at all high schools, CMC campuses and other locations around Garfield County. In addition, the automatic placement of Garfield County youth onto the Garfield County RMYC crews (as opposed to a different crew working elsewhere in the state) drew inquisition from these participants: I would have liked to have seen other parts of the state. I really enjoyed my time on Garfield crew, but I didn't feel like I could request a different crew because of the quotas you had to fill... Also, RMYC has really great opportunities on different crews. The quota for Garfield, without intending to, closes off a lot of opportunities for Garfield youth to join specialized crews, like Colorado 14ers Initiative, and the Historic Preservation crew RMYC Garfield County Crew Member

3 Overall, we believe that while recruiting youth and completing projects locally in Garfield County is a positive goal, the practice of hinging the two upon each other will need revisiting in future years to ensure that the participants are getting the most out of their RMYC experience and Garfield County is receiving the greatest benefit. By opening up the parameters of who goes where on RMYC crews, we believe that the quantity of Garfield County youth employed might reasonably increase quite a bit next year if hiring guidelines are modified. Finding the perfect rock for their turnpike, Beaver Creek Trail 2013 Summer Session Overall RMYC Garfield County Crew Participants and Residency Crew Leaders: Crew Leader 1, New York Crew Leader 2, Wisconsin Assistant Crew Leaders: Assistant CL 1, Ohio Assistant CL 2, Arizona Crew Members: Crew Member 1, Gypsum Crew Member 2, New Castle Crew Member 3, Glenwood Crew Member 4, Glenwood Crew Member 5, Glenwood Crew Member 6, Parachute Crew Member 7, Glenwood Crew Member 8, New Castle Crew Member 9, Glenwood Crew Member 10, Rifle Crew Member 11, Rifle Crew Member 12, Colorado Crew Member 13, California Crew Member 14, Connecticut Crew Member 15, Wisconsin Crew Member 16, Colorado Crew Member 17, Colorado Crew Member 18, Colorado Crew Member 19, Iowa

4 Gnomes watching over Grizzly Creek Trail Clipping back the brush at Hadley Gulch Project Locations and Accomplishments The final remaining Garfield County crew continued to work through the month of September and early October on varying projects including heavy trail work on the Beaver Creek Trail outside Carbondale, gabion rock basket construction at East Elk, and further maintenance of the Meadow Lake Campground and surrounding areas in the Flat Tops. RMYC operated effectively with partners at the US Forest Service out of Rifle, and enjoyed becoming familiar with Garfield County trails and open spaces throughout the summer and fall. Overall Project Accomplishments include (but are not limited to): 35 miles of trail improved/maintained/cleared/reestablished 225 acres of noxious weeds work done 548 trees cut/bucked 30 feet of old bridge material removed 3 campgrounds cleaned/maintained/restored 10 fire rings maintained 100 cubic yards of new gravel spread 4 park benches maintained One 20-foot stream crossing installed 10 switchbacks improved/maintained 301 bags of trash removed 65 feet of water diversion ditches installed 45 feet of water diversion grade dips installed 6 rock steps installed 1,380 square feet of rock collected 3 gravel risers installed 65 feet of rock wall installed 40 fence posts removed 5 fence corner braces removed 0.5 mile of old fence material removed 30 feet of turnpike/elevated tread installed 15 signs installed

5 Completed rock wall, Grizzly Creek Trail The list of work accomplished in Garfield County this summer tells a tale of two hardworking and dedicated crews (ultimately boiled down to one in the fall) who spent a season camping, working, and living together in the name of completing solid projects while also learning lessons in life skills, environmental education, and technical trail maintenance. They have Garfield County and the Rifle Ranger District to thank for another successful summer, and we all look forward to the possibility of working together again to make the 2014 season even more impactful for the youth of Garfield County and their surrounding public lands. In closing, we ll share a very positive testimonial from a Garfield County Resident that appeared in the Glenwood Post on October 28, 2013: Mitchell Creek Trail work The Wednesday Wanderers, a local women s hiking group, would like to thank the White River National Forest-Rifle District, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers and the Rocky Mountain Youth Core[sic] for their fantastic work in cleaning up and rebuilding the Mitchell Creek Trail in West Glenwood. We would also like to thank the Garfield County Commissioners for funding the Rocky Mountain Youth Core [sic] Trail Crew. Seventeen women recently experienced a beautiful fall day hiking on this newly rebuilt trail. We truly hope that money is found next year to continue the trail further up towards the Flat Tops. The trail is such an asset since it is so close to our Glenwood community. Thank you for all that you have done. Susan Rice Wednesday Wanderers Report prepared by: Laraine Martin, Project Manager RMYC