Table of ContentsThe Value of Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1National Get Outdoors Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Lend a Hand Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Big Thompson Volunteer Project A Big Success . . . . . . . . 4Regional Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5–18Camphost Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19–21Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22–24Parnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25–27More Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28–29Local and National Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Tracks, Trails & Tales News from the CPW Volunteer Program

C O L O R A D O P A R K S & W I L D L I F E

CPW volunteers, staff, and community partners—this is your newsletter about volunteer engagement and volunteer-related educational events, people and happenings within Colorado Parks & Wildlife . We welcome all contributions and ideas for articles . If you would like to contribute, send articles and photos to Vicki Leigh, Statewide Volunteer Program Coordinator at vicki .leigh@state .co .us . Please keep articles to 250–300 words in length . We reserve the right to edit any contributions .

2014 Summer/Fall Issue

& Serve

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The Value of Volunteers

Best Practices in Strategic Engagement – Does Practice Make Perfect? (Adapted from Jffixler Group at www.jffixler.com )

What are the best practices in engagement? We know, from decades of combined experience plus ongoing research, that certain volunteer engagement practices effectively build an organization’s capacity to fulfill mission by tapping into the skills and talents of volunteers. These practices fall into eight primary areas. Taken together, the eight areas of practice cover the arc of an individual’s career with an organization – whether as a volunteer or a staff member.

The eight areas of practices are:

1. Creating Strategic Volunteer Roles2. Cultivating Volunteers3. Screening and Placement4. Support and Accountability5. Evaluation, Recognition, and Acknowledgment6. Ongoing Professional Development and Training7. Policies, Infrastructure, and Technology8. Organizational Commitment to Volunteer Engagement

Let’s look at one area of practice – creating strategic volunteer roles.

Creating Strategic Volunteer Roles

Volunteer roles are designed to address our organization’s strategic needs while also making the most of today’s volunteer interests, skills, and availability.

Strategic volunteer engagement increases organizational impact and reach by filling a diversity of roles, including direct service positions, high-impact positions, and pro bono consulting. By engaging individuals as partners in mission-fulfillment through innovative roles, flexible structures, and generationally relevant opportunities, the organization increases engagement and impact.

Questions to Ask:

• Are our volunteer roles structured to take advantage of today’svolunteer trends?

• Do we have written position/project descriptions for current andfuture opportunities to address our goals and plan?

• Do we clearly outline volunteer roles, expectations, and impact?• Are we are flexible about how the work is completed?• Do we treat volunteers as equal members of our teams?

Volunteer Database Clean Up- We need your Help!

The CPW Volunteer Program is preparing to merge the two existing volunteer databases into one efficient database. In preparation, we are asking all of you to ensure your hours are entered and that all agency and volunteer contact information is up to date.

If individuals have no volunteer hours entered since December 31, 2012, volunteer profiles will be inactivated or possibly deleted. If you have any questions, or require assistance entering volunteer hours, please contact your statewide or regional volunteer coordinator.

Volunteer Database Clean Up- We need your Help!

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The summer night is like a perfection of thought.~ Wallace Stevens

National Get Outdoors DayThe 7th annual National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day) was hosted on Saturday, June 14, 2014. Participants from federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry, teamed up once to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun at Denver City Park. Key goals of the day were to reach underserved populations and first-time visitors to public lands, and reconnect youth to the great outdoors. Thousands of participants attended. CPW was a lead partner and hosted an information booth, kids “active fun” area and the very popular fishing pond. Thanks to all the CPW staff and volunteers who helped to ensure this event was a great success.

THANK YOU ALL, both volunteers and staff, for being part of National Get Outdoors Day 2014. We are all so proud and honored that the hardest working team at the event was from CPW. There were over 95 booths and thousands of participants including lots of kids who enjoyed a day of outdoor recreational fun and you helped to make this great day successful!

We saw the smiling faces of many kids catching their first fish, crawling like an animal, building beaver dams, and spinning the wildlife wheel. Many adults and families joined in as well and stopped by our information and boating safety booth to learn more, grab a brochure or a boating whistle, or just to hang out and talk. From the early morning set up crew to those of you who stuck around to the very end to help us load up and everything in between, we thank you for volunteering your time and for sharing your passion of Parks and Wildlife with others.

We reached thousands of people on Saturday who, in many cases, haven’t had any or only have had very little contact with our agency. We couldn’t have done it without all of you.

Thank you bunches! See you next year!

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LEND A HAND DAYSThe Colorado Department of Natural Resource agencies including Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Reclamation, Mining and Safety, State Land Board, State Forest Service, Water Resources and the Water Conservation Board partnered with several local organizations to leverage resources and expand the reach of this year’s Lend A Hand Days. The two signature events highlighted below are a great example of how community and many agencies can come together to complete projects that will benefit future generations.

Barr Lake Celebrates 9th Lake Appreciation Day

Lake Appreciation Day on July 12th at Barr Lake was a huge success for our 9th year. We had 180 volunteers complete many project from Russian olive removal to shoreline clean up. It was a great community day with volunteer projects, education booths, recreational activities and FUN!!

Thank you to all that helped with the planning, event set up, day of event and clean up. We had many partners that helped make this a great success. Some of our new partners this year were the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety and Division of Water Sources. And BIG thank you to the Colorado State Forest Service. You all ROCK!!!!

Thank you for all your continued support of Barr Lake State Park.– Michelle Seubert, Barr Lake Park Manager

Barr Lake Project Statistics:

180 Volunteers 65 Youth Volunteers 400 Hours contributed = $8,856.00

(Independent Sector rate of $22.14/hr.)9 Project Sites

9 Education Booths 17 Partners 60 Large Bags of Weeds 80 Trees Planted

1 Mile of shoreline 90 12” board stained 65 Russian Olive Trees Removed 55 Canoe Rides 50 Boat Rides With Rangers 55 Faces Painted 40 Archery 65 Climbing Wall/Jumping Castle

Barr Lake Project Statistics

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. – Helen Keller

Big Thompson Ponds State Wildlife Area – Lend A Hand Day

By Lori Morgan, NE Volunteer Coordinator

In September, 2013 a devastating flood occurred and one of the areas affected was the Big Thompson State Wildlife Area. The Big T is located 5 miles East of Loveland

encompassing over 50 acres and is known for its waterfowl hunting, and fishing. Due to the debris left behind and the new dynamic of river ecology this State Wildlife Area has been closed to the public for the past 10 months.On July 19th, 85 people came out to help clean up Big Thompson Ponds State Wildlife Area. Volunteers picked up lots of trash, stacked trash for pick up, removed damaged fence, removed graffiti and painted the outhouse. Panels were taken out of the middle of the river and approximately 550 willows and chokecherries were planted which will result in stream bank stabilization and provide food and cover for wildlife. Thanks to coordination with Jamie Weiss at Boyd Lake State Park, an additional crew of 120 volunteers arrived on Monday, July 21st to continue cleanup efforts!! Thank you volunteers, community partners and DNR agencies!

BIG Kudos! First, I want to thank Greg and Clayton for taking on the organizing logistics for our volunteer day at Big T ponds SWA! Thanks to the folks in area 2, we had all our crew there and everyone was engaged and working hard. As in all things, wildlife when it’s time to get something done the area 2 crew jumps in with both feet and tackles the job to the max and I can’t express how much I appreciate that!!! Vicki and Lori, thanks for all you did in getting volunteers signed up and organized and for working with our area on this project! It made it much easier to get er’ done! Also thanks to all the other Denver crew that came and helped set up or participated in the day. Thanks also to all the volunteers that showed up. As you see them let them know how much their help was valued! Thanks again to everyone! – Larry Rogstad, Area Wildlife Manager, Area 2

Just a quick note of sincere thanks to you and the rest of the CPW staff who were involved with organizing and implementing the volunteer event on Saturday. I was truly impressed on many levels. In my opinion the event was meaningful, informative, fun, and rewarding. Thanks for the opportunity to participate. Great job! - Thomas Browning, P.E. Deputy Director, Integrated Water Resources

Brethren National Youth Conference Assists Big T On Monday, July 21st 119 volunteers from the Church of Brethren National Youth Conference came out to Big Thompson SWA to help reverse the effects that were caused by the flood. Part of the crew was on pond control and provided shoreline cleanup to help remove debris and trash around the two ponds on the south side of the Big Thompson River. The other groups worked on clearing the barb wired and hog fencing along the access road. With over two hours put into restoring this wildlife area in the intense Colorado sun the group did an amazing job and we would like to extend a big thank you for all their efforts!

5 Lori Morgan • 303-291-7369 • lori.morgan@state.co.us

Northeast

Regional Highlights

Evergreen Outdoor Skills DayBy Joe Nicholson, Area 1 DWM

Evergreen Outdoor Skills Day is a partner event that is truly making a positive impact on kids in the community and has become an event the community speaks fondly of and looks forward to every summer. We are getting kids outside to learn about life with a fishing pole, binoculars and hunting rifle in hand.

On June 29th, we had an estimated 200 kids participate in the event and receive a free fishing pole. Fly tying was a hit and the fish were biting! Evergreen Elks cooked about 75 fish that kids caught! It’s amazing that a kid prefers to eat a fish they caught themselves over a free burger!! Also, the additions of a hunter education booth, an elk hunting camp and fire safety were very well received.

Thank you to all the volunteers and partners that made this event such a success!

Geologist on the Go, Steven Veatch Eleven Mile

By Beth Dodd, GOCO Naturalist & Volunteer Coordinator

Eleven Mile State Park volunteer, Steven Veatch, first started collecting rocks as a young boy and never got over it. A descendant of Colorado miners, he worked for years in a computer science career while taking geology classes on the side. He eventually earned a masters degree from Emporia State University in Kansas and retired from his computer job with El Paso County to pursue his passion for earth science.

He now works as an independent research geologist and paleontologist and as a part-time geology instructor for Colorado School of Mines. He also leads a youth geology program, “Pebble Pups.” This program allows kids and teens to be involved in geology as scientific researchers and co-authors of scientific research papers. Through early exposure to serious science, the kids discover the rewards of hard work, come to understand the scientific process, and explore their ability to excel in science.

Despite all this, Veatch still makes time to volunteer at Eleven Mile State Park. He has presented an annual interpretive program at the park every summer for the past 6 years. He has also explored and researched the geology of Eleven Mile during the winter months, identifying local rock types for the park staff. His discoveries were used to write the geologic description of Eleven Mile on the park’s Geology web page.

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Northeast

Lori Morgan • 303-291-7369 • lori.morgan@state.co.us

Regional Highlights

Boyd Lake Celebrates First Annual Lake Appreciation DayBy Jamie Weis, GOCO Naturalist & Volunteer CoordinatorBoyd Lake State Park is proud to showcase their successes from having its First Annual Lake Appreciation Event on Saturday, July 19th. This event was held in honor of National Lake Appreciation month.Community partners provided over 500 park visitors a fun filled day at the lake! JAX, Mountain Rentals and WhatSUP Paddleboards had water sport crafts such as kayaks, canoes and stand up paddleboards for guests to take a hack at revealing their inner paddling skills. Colorado Boating Safety, US Coast Guard Auxiliary and Loveland Dive Team offered the public boating awareness and safety tips to ensure that water recreational activities are both safe and fun. The tee-shirt design station proved to be a big hit, for over 100 kids made shirts displaying the text

“Life Jackets – They Float, You Don’t!”

Pheasants Forever volunteers conducted an archery demonstration and provided tips on becoming an expert bowman. A youth fishing clinic was run by volunteers of Loveland Fishing Club and Colorado Parks & Wildlife where kids were awarded poles for catching the most fish for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize. And to round out the day, Northern Colorado Astronomical society set up telescopes and shared their scientific knowledge on the night sky. A volunteer shoreline cleanup was hosted as well. Thanks to all the CPW and partner volunteers that helped make this event a great success!

Cherry Creek Celebrates Lake Appreciation DayBy Tia Miller, GOCO Naturalist & Volunteer Coordinator

Cherry Creek State Park’s 2014 Lake Appreciation Day was a hit! We had volunteers cleaning up our shorelines and removing some noxious weeds. After their hard work, our volunteers were rewarded with various activities and prizes. Nature’s Educators came out to the event and taught us about how picking up trash can help protect various animals, specifically the raptors. Families were invited to participate in pontoon rides, a fishing clinic, face painting and more! We would like to thank everyone that helped make Cherry Creek State Park’s LAD a success! Looking forward to seeing everyone in 2015!

7 Lori Morgan • 303-291-7369 • lori.morgan@state.co.us

Chatfield Hosts Summer EventsBy Jennifer Steffen, GOCO Naturalist & Volunteer Coordinator

DOLA Day: May 17th Chatfield State Park hosted a Dog Off-Leash Area Clean-Up Day resulting in the removal of over 1,000 piles of pet waste as well as numerous pieces of debris. This is an event that volunteers and staff take part in each spring and fall. Pet waste has a negative impact on both the soil and water quality of the area due to the fecal coli form bacteria and excessive nutrients, and must be removed to prevent damage to an already heavily used area. Pet waste may also carry parasites and viruses that can be transmitted to otherwise healthy pets. Not only does the event help clean up our dog park, but it helps educate users of the park as well.

Volunteer Graduation: After hours of lectures, training, and powerpoints, volunteers “graduate” and get their name tag, uniform, and diploma. They learned about safety, wildlife, maintenance, interpretation, and more, and are now ready to take on a busy summer in the park.

Slocum Days: Slocum Cabin Days on June 6th and 7th was a Western Expansion Rendezvous event held annually at Chatfield State Park. Along with touring Slocum Cabin, one of the oldest structures in Colorado, hundreds of visitors enjoyed a Rocky Mountain Living History Society mountain man rendezvous, story-telling, tomahawk throwing, games, canon drill and firing, and much more. Thanks to Chatfield and community volunteers for helping make this event a great success!

Northeast

Regional Highlights

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Recognition for the Northeast RegionNortheast Region Front Desk Help

Thank you so much to Rick Hergenreder, Bob Herronen, Ray Scherbarth, and Dr. David Varra for all of your help at the Northeast Region Front Desk! We couldn’t have gotten through this transition without you! – The NE Region Front Desk Staff

Fishing Pole Assembly

On July 11th, 13 awesome volunteers came to the Hunter Education building and assembled 400 fishing poles! With these 400 fishing poles, we will be able to get through the remaining fishing clinics and put smiles on kid’s faces! Thank you so much for your time! It is very much appreciated! – Tony Dymek & Lori Morgan

Fishing Clinic Help from a young volunteer

Mikey McKee did a great job showing knots and reviewing fish handling during the summer fishing clinics! Thank you for being such a great volunteer! – Jerrie McKee

Barr Lake’s Combined Recognition Event Success!

Thank you for coming to our Volunteer Appreciation BBQ!!! It was great to have you. We had a total of 72 volunteers come for Barr Lake and many other CPW areas in the Northeast region. We had great food, music,dancing by “Robin JoLeady” and caricature drawings by “Frank”. – Michelle Seubert, Park Manager

Lori Morgan • 303-291-7369 • lori.morgan@state.co.us

Northeast

Regional Highlights

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Regional Highlights

Upcoming Opportunities in the Northeast RegionElectrofishing and Spawning – Big Thompson & Poudre Rivers; Upper South Platte Basin; and Bear Creek & Clear Creek

Date(s): October 1 – ThanksgivingTimes: Early morning start at various locations. Please be flexible to changes in exact dates and locationsDescription: 2-3 volunteers per day to assist biologists with all aspects of electrofishing - shocking, weighing, measuring, and data collection. Work conducted in rapid river water, must have chest waders with felt boots. Must be able to walk upstream in cold, swift water while dragging up to 20 lbs. Please do not volunteer if you are not in top physical shape. If your waders have been in another water body within 30 days of volunteering, please place them in a freezer overnight to eliminate any potential Aquatic Invasive Species.Contact: E-mail is preferred cpw.nevolunteer@state.co.usPlease Note: Bear Creek will be surveyed with agency trainees and no volunteer assistance is needed in 2014. Clear Creek will be surveyed the first part of October. The timing will depend on flows. We will need 2 to 3 volunteers per day over a 4 day period.

Front Desk Assistance – Denver & Fort CollinsDate(s): On-going, Monday-FridayTimes: 8:00am-5:00pmLocation: NE Region Service Center,

6060 Broadway, Denver 80216 Fort Collins Service Center, 317 W Prospect Rd, Fort Collins 80526

Description: One to two additional volunteers are needed at each service center to help the Customer Service Representatives answer hunting and fishing questions and sell licenses. Knowledge of hunting and fishing is required. Assist with stocking brochures in front lobby and general office support.Contact: Denver - Jenny Campbell jenny.campbell@state.co.us or 303-291-7353

Fort Collins - Jody Hergott jody.hergott@state.co.us or 970-472-4327

Northeast

Regional Highlights

Lori Morgan • 303-291-7369 • lori.morgan@state.co.us

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Northwest

Regional Highlights

Trina Romero • 970-255-6191 • trina.romero@state.co.us

Grand Mesa Moose Day, 2014By Trina Romero, NWR Watchable Wildlife/Volunteer Coordinator

Grand Mesa Moose Day was celebrated on July 26th at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center on Grand Mesa. This very successful event would not be such a great success without the help of our great volunteers and staff! The event was well attended with 995 people entering the Visitor Center that day. Three formal presentations were provided and well attended, along with many hikes with DWMs to find a moose collar and other “moose sign” on the Discovery Trail behind the VC. Other partners include USFS, Moose Radio 92.3, Cabela’s, and A-n-G Outfitters who did several fly fishing demos throughout the day.

ALL PHOTOS ©ANNE JANIK/USFS

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Local Volunteer Supports Rifle ComplexBy Brian Palcer, Rifle Complex Park Manager

Larry Edward Bernat came to an open house at Rifle Gap State Park in the summer of 2005. He was a retired mechanical engineer with a strong interest in botany and in particular landscaping. The open house at the visitor center was to inform the public of the upcoming landscaping and irrigation planned for Rifle Gap. This piqued Larry’s interest and opened a door to volunteer at a state park. As luck would have it, the irrigation and landscaping was put on hold for budget reasons. His interest was sustained however and he began to volunteer one day each week (Monday) for whatever help the park might need. At 72 years of age he shows no signs of wanting to stop volunteering. Larry volunteers at other local organizations as well as for Rifle Gap State Park. He likes to think he is making a difference and he truly is. At Rifle Gap we are lucky to have him with us and hope the trend continues for many years.

Volunteers Assist Soil Research ProjectBy Danielle Bilyeu Johnston, NWR Habitat Researcher

CPW volunteers were indispensible in the setup of a new project designed to test how a soil amendment may protect wildlife habitat against the effects of climate change. Graduate student Magda Garbowski, under the guidance of CPW Habitat Researcher Danielle Johnston and Colorado State University professor Cynthia Brown, utilized over 400 hours of volunteer help to implement the experiment. The experiment compares plots given the amendment (a super-absorbent polymer, which extends the amount of time soils are moist) to those

without. In addition, simulated drought conditions were induced on some plots by constructing ‘rainout’ shelters which exclude a percentage of rainfall. The project was implemented at two sites: Waverly Ranch, near Fort Collins, and Dry Creek Basin SWA, in SW Colorado.

Volunteers helped dig trenches and install flashing around each plot, to prevent plants from growing roots from one plot to another. Volunteers then helped apply the soil amendment, construct the rainout shelters, install weather monitoring equipment, and seed the plots with a desirable mix of native species. If the soil

amendment helps these species establish under drought conditions, then managers may have an additional tool when restoring habitat under dry conditions. The project has been labor and time-intensive, and would not have been possible without volunteer help!

Northwest

Regional Highlights

Trina Romero • 970-255-6191 • trina.romero@state.co.us

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Southeast

Regional Highlights

Jena Sanchez • 719-227-5204 • jena.sanchez@state.co.us

Piping Plovers and Least Terns Benefit from Passionate VolunteerBy Janeal Thompson & Norma Verhoeff, Volunteers Extraordinnaire

Hardworking. Driven. Dedicated. Passionate. Knowledgeable. These are just a few of the adjectives that could describe Duane Nelson’s work ethic in maintaining a productive and successful breeding habitat for two endangered bird species, Piping Plovers and Least Terns, in southeastern Colorado. These two endangered species prefer a barren stretch of beach area to lay their eggs and tend their young and the majority of the nesting sites are at John Martin Reservoir in Bent County.

In the early spring, Duane and a few Parks and Wildlife Volunteers work to clean the beaches where the birds have been known to nest previously. Sometimes the work is in harsh, cold, and windy weather and requires many long hours a day to ensure the preparation and protection of this important project. Daily monitoring of the nesting area is necessary when migration starts and once the nests are located; Duane places cages around them to help protect the eggs from natural and/or introduced predators such as coyotes and dogs. The nesting areas are also enclosed to prevent to the general public from disturbing the birds as they are very sensitive to the presence of humans and will abandon their nests.

As an endangered species specialist, Duane is one of the few persons in the country with a permit to translocate eggs because of water level changes or other issues endangering nesting species. Certain beaches at John Martin Reservoir are a few of the premier nesting sites in the United States for Piping Plovers and Least Terns due to Duane’s diligence. Because of this dedication, this year alone, there has been a great increase in the Piping Plover population using the beaches at John Martin Reservoir with ten pairs of plovers nesting this spring at the time of this writing.

Duane, who has worked as an endangered species biologist with plovers and terns since 1990, is a nationally known birding expert and is the recipient of Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s prestigious Richard L. Levad Award. For the last nine years, he has been a bird guide for the Bent on Birding festival; has written several species accounts for two Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas’s; has presented papers at international plover and tern conferences as well as doing habitat surveys and species assessments for private landowners. Duane is an avid mountain climber, bicyclist and travels internationally and combines his passion for mountain climbing and birding. He has two sons and a daughter and lives in Las Animas, Colorado. Three: Pair of Piping Plovers at John Martin Reservoir. Photo by CPW

volunteer, Larry Glass of Douglas County.

Two: Duane with Greg Miller world renowned birder of “The Big Year” fame. Photo by Allison Kondler.

Duane with two Parks and Wildlife volunteers. Photo by Dave Leatherman

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Southeast

Regional Highlights

Jena Sanchez • 719-227-5204 • jena.sanchez@state.co.us

Fish Biologist Honored by SE VolunteersMichelle McGree the fisheries biologist from Pueblo (Area 11) left CPW and took a promotion with Montana Fish & Game. Michelle was in charge of the Great Volunteer Walleye Crew at Lake Pueblo and she will be sorely missed by all. Shown in the photo with Michelle is Bill Shumaker, a Lead Volunteer on the Lake Pueblo Walleye Spawning Crew. This metal art piece was a gift to Michelle from the volunteers for her hard work and dedication to fisheries management in SE Colorado.

Teddy Bear DaysCPW Volunteers worked very hectic crowds at the ever-popular Teddy Bear Days event at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs this August. Volunteers distributed bear aware information to kids and families from all over Colorado Springs and beyond.

Teddy Bear Days is a popular event where kids can have their teddy bears repaired and learn about native bears which frequent west side neighborhoods from May through October each year. Volunteers gave out

brochures and message on coexisting with Colorado’s native wild bruins including removing birdfeeders and trash and other attractants. Thanks to Colorado Springs CPW volunteers Rose DiCenso, Glenn Dotson, Bill Bane and Rachel Moline for stepping up the bear education for a whole weekend at the Zoo!Photos by volunteer Rose DiCenso

Bale Eagle RescueSER volunteer Rose DiCenso assisted with a very recent bald eagle capture and transport done by Rose for CPW. Rose is a member of the Co SPrings wildlife transport team and has been for many years.

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Southeast

Regional Highlights

Jena Sanchez • 719-227-5204 • jena.sanchez@state.co.us

Generations of River WatchersBy Barb Horn, River Watch Program

Jeff Keidel from Buena Vista High School (BVHS) attended a River Watch training in 1990 and was hooked on River Watch. BVHS has been sampling two sites on the Upper Arkansas River ever since. Their team consists of 3-4 juniors and senior and since they started, have sampled over 790 times! When asked what he likes most about River Watch, Mr. Keidel responds with:

“What I like most about River Watch is that it is real. River Watch connects them to our local river in a new way, and yet also shows how interconnected the river is to everyone else in the state. Creating a culture of ownership and importance is the key to River Watch. River Watch has taught me so much about rivers and water in Colorado. I am so much more in tune with the myriad of water-related issues on the Arkansas and around the state than ever before. River Watch allows me to share that knowledge, understanding and passion with my students. Of course, the real reward is when they return the lesson and share something cool with me! I have also been at this long enough that I have several former students in water-related professions!”

And now, Mr. Keidel can add one more attribute to his list of accomplishments, a third generation of River Watchers. His first official class of River Watch students began in 1991 and in 2013, the next generation took over. Tim and his son Brandon are both certified River Watchers taught by Mr. Keidel.

In Mr. Keidel’s first River Watch class 1990-1991, his then student, Tim reflects on the impact River had on his life. River Watch made him take a closer look at the river (Arkansas) and realize it wasn’t that clean. When he looks at the Arkansas river now, he sees the fish returning and how much healthier it seems. He was a part of that clean up, from collecting water quality data on the river to working with Mr. Keidel on various projects along the river. His son Brandon is now carrying on the tradition. Brandon is in Mr. Keidel’s 2013-2014 River Watch class. Through Mr. Keidel’s program, Brandon has learned the function and importance of the river and the impacts humans have on the river

According to Mr. Keidel, there have been many changes in the last 25 years to the Upper Arkansas, both from what you hear and from the data that has been collected. A 102 mile stretch of the Upper Arkansas River was designated as Gold Medal Trout Waters in January 2014. (http://dnr.state.co.us/newsapp/press.asp?PressId=8716)

A special thanks to Jeff Keidel, Tim and Brandon and all the other hundreds of River Watch volunteers throughout the state working so hard to protect and enhance our rivers! We hope there are many other second generation families in our program.

From left to right, Brandon Wilburn, Jeff Kiedel Buena Vista HS River Watch Teacher and Tim Wilburn

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Southeast

Regional Highlights

Jena Sanchez • 719-227-5204 • jena.sanchez@state.co.us

Southeast Volunteers Recognized for Outstanding EffortsBy Jena Sanchez, SER Volunteer Coordinator

The Southeast Region hosted several volunteer and staff recognition events during the summer of 2014. In May, wildlife volunteers were honored for hundreds of hours contributed to state wildlife area cleanups, kids fishing events, festivals, and helping with threatened & endangered shorebirds at John Martin Reservoir, to name a few. The Lamar Area hosted a record high number of CPW volunteers this year including Charlie Miller who has racked up almost 300 hours in the past few years.

In June around 140 volunteers and staff ate BBQ at Cheyenne Mountain Park to recognize Colorado Springs volunteers on a multitude of projects helping the CPW mission. In addition many volunteers helped with the setup and take down of the picnic but fun was had by all in a beautiful setting overlooking Colorado Springs.

During August, CPW volunteer recognition migrated over to Salida and Pueblo. Around seventy parks and wildlife staff and volunteers met at the Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery for their annual gathering. Many camp hosts and visitor center volunteers were in attendance, in addition to those working on bluebird and raptor monitoring in the upper Arkansas Valley. Parks volunteer Bob Hickey was recognized for conducting many wonderful educational programs for Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) and for doing raptor work at Eleven Mile State Park. Raptor monitoring was a common theme at the Pueblo picnic later in August and fifty staff and volunteers enjoyed the view by the lake and the comraderie. Volunteers at Pueblo racked up 4,850 hours in the past year on projects such as park maintenance, aquatic nuisance species inspections, walleye spawning, lake cleanups and many more.

Thanks to ALL the SE volunteers for putting in many hours of hard work to help CPW with our important mission.

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Southwest

Regional Highlights

Ridgway Thanks Flexible Volunteers After Busy SeasonBy Andy Dean, Ridgway Park Ranger

Photos galore this issue but I only have limited space and a picture tells, well you know. Our volunteers have been amazingly flexible this season often wearing numerous hats to keep up with the high visitation levels and some last minute scheduling.

Highlights of the season so far have been welcoming back returning volunteers and introducing new members to the team. As I write this we are all a little sad as we are about to say goodbye to one of our most dedicated and long term volunteers and team member, Linda Reed. Linda is retiring for the second time to the metropolis of Collbran, Colorado for some well deserved R & R. That said we are all waiting to see what Linda will do when she come out of retirement for the third time!

4th of July long weekend was enthusiastically celebrated by our volunteers starting with the annual 4th of July parade in Ouray and continuing with our Robin Hood introduction to archery clinic on the Saturday.

Thank you very much too all the volunteers who made both these events so memorable both for myself and our guests. Particular thanks to Ross Crawford who has been suffering a health set back recently but was still front and center as our Range Master for Archery.

Thanks Linda

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Southwest

Regional Highlights

Navajo Provides a Wide Variety of Summer ProgramsEnvironmental Education, Janet Marie Clawson had a very busy summer at Navajo between coordinating volunteers, working with local partners, and providing a wide variety of programs.

Please find attached a lovely thank you card from our first student of the Navajo

State Park Archery Class at Sambrito Wetlands. Her name is Ashley. I have also attached one of the photos of her in class. Yes - we had two bull snakes in the middle of the class. Big ones, and it turned into a science/snake class. There was hundreds of cliff-mud swallows also. Enjoy the card. Janet Marie Clawson, Environmental Educator at Navajo

Enjoy photos of Navajo State Park events held on Saturday June 14, 2014. These include Wolfwood Refuge, Kitemaking Class, Weminuche Audubon Society Annual Clean-up and Southwest Conservation Corp barbecue.

Wolfwood Refuge is dedicated to protecting the welfare of wolves and wolfdogs, and promoting an understanding of these animals in the hope of dispelling fear and opening the way for a healthy relationship between humans and wolves. www.wolfwoodrefuge.org

The Weminuche Audubon Society (WAS) was formed in 2007 and promotes conservation of bird and wildlife habitat. Educational presentations, field trips and activities are scheduled throughout the year in southwest Colorado. All events are open to the public. www.weminucheaudubon.com

Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) operates conservation service programs across Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico that empower individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities and the environment. SCC has offices in Durango and Salida, CO and Acoma, NM. www.sccorps.org

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Southwest

Regional Highlights

Volunteers are Lifeblood At Navajo By Janet Marie Clawson, Environmental Educator

What makes Navajo State Park so special is the many natural and cultural resources surrounding it. Located in the Southwest corner of Colorado, it offers recreation, history, wildlife and the beauty of region. Another resource is its people. One often hears the praises “We can’t do without our volunteers” that an park or agency will give. No where is it more true than Navajo State Park where the volunteers and camphosts are literally the lifeblood.

We have an incredible group of volunteers at Navajo State Park who function as camp hosts, greet visitors at the visitor’s center, and work the shuttles, and maintain the campgrounds. Many are retires who return year after year.

Most visitors come to Navajo State Park to boat and camp. Navajo is touted as Colorado’s answer to Lake Powell with a length of 35 miles by about 7 miles with 15,000 surface acres of water and over 150 miles of shoreline, plus three major rivers. Part of that water experience is our shuttle program for boaters. Navajo State Park is the only park in Colorado with it’s own shuttle fleet manned by volunteers, many of whom are military veterans. On weekends, the volunteers will shuttle visitors back and forth from parking areas to the boat launch area and the marina. Navajo State is as unique and beautiful as its volunteers.

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Camphost Happenings

Rifle Gap Honors Long-term HostBy Brian Palcer, Park Manager

Frank Sylvester Falke arrived at Rifle Gap State Park late in June of 2007 for a reserved stay of three days at Cedar Campground. During his three day visit, he inquired about the possibility of Camp Hosting and what might be required. As luck would have it, Rifle Gap was short a host in Cedar Campground, he was offered the position and remains in Cedar to this day.

The park staff realized early on Frank was one of those unique individuals with a great deal of talent in many areas including his ability to make friends quickly and help visitors feel comfortable in their surroundings. This ability has many first time visitors returning to Rifle Gap State Park and specifically Cedar Campground year after year. He has taken a particular interest in showing kids how to fish for the first time. He has also shown many of the guests how to clean fish and even the best way to prepare them for eating. In addition he has put on a number of Crawfish boils for kids and adults to enjoy many for the first time.

Frank has remained at Rifle Gap, leaving only for short periods for 7 years. After the summer months have gone, he continues to host for hunting season well into the new year.

It would seem his interest in Colorado State Parks has no limits. He has shown an interest in ANS inspections and decontaminations and fills in wherever needed. During the winter months, he serves in the office selling passes, completing registrations and selling licenses. He serves as a valuable resource during the annual ice fishing tournament. He also provides a knowledgeable source of information at the Rifle Hunters Tent. When asked, he has served with maintenance in winter projects and keeping the park water system running efficiently.

At 71 years of age, Frank shows no sign of slowing his pace. When asked about his reflections as a volunteer for Colorado state parks, he replies it has been his pleasure to serve and being able to provide a service to our visitors to help make their stay a rewarding one.

Long-time Hosts Support Highline LakeBy Patty Hedrick, Administrative Assistant

Jim has been camp hosting at Highline for several years now! This year he and his wife, Sharon Hancock, and fluffy puppy Gus returned for 3 months. They are super camphosts, and fun to be

around! In their spare time, Jim likes to fly his remote control plane and Sharon like to go 4-¬wheeling in the parking lots with her remote control truck. Jim did have a small problem during his stay – he tried to 4-wheel through a flooded part of the campground with his golf cart! Never, never do that, as a very embarrassed Jim will tell you!

Camphost Happenings

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Boyd Lake HostsHats off to the Boyd Lake Camphosts who contributed over 3000 hours this summer. We held a potluck dinner on June 25th to celebrate all our camp hosts hard work thus far this summer.

Boyd Lake Hosts Nancy (not pictured) & Bob Wellborn and Shirley and Norm Partch assist with Brethren National Youth Conference participants at Big T volunteer project.

Cherry Creek HostsThis is just a small number of the large group of great Resident volunteers and Hosts that support Cherry Creek State Park. The rest of the group was out manning their posts. Thanks to all of you for your caring and hard work! Kevin Becker, Cherry Creek Resource Technician

Barr Lake HostsAttached are pictures of my very active park host family, Amy and Dave Radvany, Barb and Larry Draffin, Guy and Carmen Scott and Linda and Jack Reitz. Last picture is of Ray and Jeanette Scherbarth with their dog Button they filled in as host over 4th of July weekend.

Camphost Happenings

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quoteFriends

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Castlewood Canyon Friends Busy SummerBy Ron Claussen,Castlewood Canyon Friends President

Castlewood Volunteers and Franktown Fire Compete Head-to-Head

The competition was a chili cook off. There were 10 entries that were split evenly between Franktown and Castlewood. A Castlewood entry was ahead til the end when Franktown made a rush for the finish. The winner was….both Castlewood and Franktown in a tie.

The firefighter entry that won was prepared by Station 183, Tommie Jacobson and Phillip Woodrick. The Castlewood entry that won was cooked up by Cathy Claussen, Pat Feldmeier and Ron Claussen.

Friends received $201 in donations which will go toward the celebration of Castlewood’s 50th Anniversary and the acquisition of the Klienert property. Organizers of the event were Susan Permut, Castlewood Volunteer and Kim Spuhler, Franktown Fire FF/EMT,Volunteer Coordinator/PIO.

Photo Caption: Winners from Franktown Fire are Station 183, Tommie Jacobson and Phillip Woodrick. From Castlewood l to r, Pat Feldmeier, Cathy Claussen and Ron Claussen. Susan Permut event organizer is on the far right.

Castlewood Floats AgainFor the third year in a row Volunteers and Friends of Castlewood Canyon State Park constructed and walked in the Parker Days Parade. This year buildings of the 1894 Lucas Homestead were depicted.

Float fabricators (Floaters) were Liz Bade, Pat Feldmeier, Bob Powers, Bill Johnson and Ron Claussen

Streetwalkers were Joan Arrowsmith, Liz Bade, Susan Chaki, Pat Feldmeier, Paula Harmer, Tory Lawton, Doug Lies, Jeannette Littlejohn, Nat Littlejohn, Susan Lucerne-Lawton, Linda Pohle, Camille Schiraldi, Mary Sherman and Ron Claussen.

The park provided the truck and trailer. Jason Trujilo, Park Manager drove the truck and seemed to steer clear of the Streetwalkers. The truck PA system broadcast various greetings from park residents such as mountain lions, red-tailed hawks and black-headed chicadees.

Friends groups are generally defined as nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations established primarily to support a specific Colorado State Park or a group of parks.

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quoteFriends

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Friends of Castlewood Canyon State Park wishes to give Castlewood a 50th Birthday Gift…Land.Friends has a couple of fundraisers happening this year. Our goal is to raise $1,000 for each year Castlewood has been a park. The first $25,000 is earmarked for the acquisition of the 1887 Klienert Homestead. Additional funds will go to supporting the Volunteer program and environmental education.

One event is a 10k Trail Run in Castlewood. The best part is you can sign up for the “Sleep In” run. For a mere $25 you can register for the event, tell your friends you are sign-up for a 10k trail run and not get out of bed. When asked “how were the trails” you can say “as smooth as a bed sheet”. Even if it is rainy and muddy that day you can report “dry and warm”. Search “Castlewood Canyon 10k” to get details.

Align Yourself With/In Nature…Yoga in Castlewood is another activity to help Friends reach their $1,000 goal.

LORY Friends Host Ice Cream SocialBy Sarah Myers, Lory Friends President

The Friends of Lory State Park, in Bellvue, held a successful Ice Cream Social fundraiser event on Monday, Aug. 4, Colorado Day. I have attached a few photos from the event. We may also have additional photos coming from one of our volunteers. Our event goal was to raise funds to support Lory State

Park’s Environmental Education program to start a scholarship fund to bring schoolchildren and teachers to the Park. We hope to launch the scholarship program in Spring-Summer 2015.

Search “Castlewood Canyon 10k”

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quoteFriends

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Lory Friends Receive REI GrantCongratulations! The Friends of Colorado State Parks / Friends of Lory State Park has been awarded a $3000 grant from REI.

This year marks 20 years that REI has had a store in Fort Collins and we are pleased to celebrate our 20th anniversary by supporting your organization’s efforts. We are excited to provide your organization with funding, but more importantly, we are committed to strengthening our partnership. Working together we hope to build greater awareness of your efforts to care for and create access to the outdoor recreation places our customers love, as well as REI’s investment in your organization.

Sarah, Larry, and allCongratulations! This goes to show that there are resources out there to tap into for those willing to put the time and effort into pursuing them. Let me know how we can help to implement the grant. -Tom Easley, President Friends of Colorado State Parks

Statewide Friends Group Looking for Board MembersThe Friends of Colorado State Parks is seeking applicants for its first Board of Directors. If you are interested please contact Tom Easley, Friends President at: teasley1@comcast.net.

Board member qualifications:

• Understanding and willingness to support the mission.• Willingness to support the organization with time and finances.• Willingness to help raise money through contributions, gifts,and grants.

• Willingness to help recruit new board members.• Proven ability to craft strategies and establish priorities.• Proven ability to implement plans and programs.• Experience with a non-profit organization and an understanding of non-profit management and best practices area abonus, but not necessary.

• Willingness to devote 8-12 hours a month to board responsibilities, including 1½ - 2 hour monthly meetings.

Partnerships

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Northeast Region Partnership Appreciation EventColorado Parks and Wildlife’s 2nd Annual NER Partnership Appreciation Event was a great success! We had approximately 85 people join us at the Doubletree Thornton on August 13th representing a wide range of diverse natural resource organizations including several of our Friends groups. Presentations were done by Cal-Wood and Poudre Learning Center. Nick Filler, Thornton Cabela’s was thanked for their on-going generous support of programs that encourage youth and families to spend more time outdoors.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to acknowledge the significant contribution that our partners make to the success of our agency outreach and their contribution to our Colorado communities. Through partnerships we have hosted many successful events in the Northeast Region from National Get Outdoors Day to Evergreen Outdoor Skills Day, the Big Horn Sheep Festival in Georgetown and the Elk Festival in Estes Park, to Free Fishing Days, Lake Appreciation Day at Barr Lake and the Cherry Creek Slocum Cabin Days, International Sportsmen Expo and the Novice Hunter Program to name a few. Over 24,000 folks were reached specifically through northeast region partnerships. Thank you Partners!

Special thanks to Jennifer Churchill, NER and Corrine Servis, Castlewood Canyon for all their hard work planning for the event.

Save the Date!Partnership Appreciation Events are also scheduled for the Southeast Region in Pueblo, CO at the Pueblo Convention Center on September 23rd and the Doubletree in Durango, CO on September 25th. If you would like more information contact Vicki Leigh, Statewide Volunteer Program Coordinator at vicki.leigh@state.co.us.

Save the Date!

Partnerships

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Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) Summer Projects Support CPW(Adapted from www.voc.org)

Lake Agnes Trail Restoration

On August 9 and 10, 32 volunteers gave back in the remote and stunning Lake Agnes region in State Forest State Park.

VOC volunteers built a 0.8 mile trail to lead to State Forest State Park’s Lake Agnes. The lake is a crater-created lake that is surrounded by the majestic Nokhu Crags Mountains, and it is a very popular year-round destination for hikers, fisherman, snowshoers, and skiers. Despite its popularity, there was no trail that lead to the west cove of the lake.

During this weekend’s project, volunteers not only enjoyed special guest speakers, a raffle drawing, delicious food and

campfire stories; they collectively built 465 feet of new trail, installed two rock walls, 4 rock steps and a 12-step timber staircase, as well as closed 100 feet of social trail! Thanks to our volunteers’ hard work, Lake Agnes is now a more accessible and safer place for all to experience.

After Fire Restoration at LoryLast spring, the Galena fire burned some 1,400 acres west of Fort Collins at Lory State Park and left bridges and trails destroyed. Since then, the bridges have been repaired but trails are still in need of help. “It burned out the base layer of the trail,” said Mick Syzek, a volunteer with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado. Dozens of VOC and Lory State Park volunteers joined him Saturday and Sunday [June 7-8] as they staged rocks for retaining walls and rebuilt the trails. They also seeded and mulched.

Partnerships

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Roxborough Hosts VOC Trail ProjectThe South Rim trail in Roxborough State Park is a much loved and highly used trail, and erosion has caused the trail to wash away and become less than ideal to hike. 48 VOC and Park volunteers took part in the South Rim Trail Restoration at Roxborough State Park on August 21. During this project, volunteers installed 81 check steps and one timber wall to help prevent further erosion and create a better hiking experience. They also closed 100 feet of social trail and built 120 feet of new trail, making for a much more pleasurable hiking experience in the future.

Project Statistics

• 48 volunteers x 8 hours = 384 hours

• 81 timber steps were installed

• 125 feet of new trail construction

• 75 feet of trail closed (this was a much needed switchback reroute)

• 1 dead man constructed

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quote

SUMMER RECIPE

Jalapeno PopperCommon summer BBQ fair is a good jalapeno popper.

Wrapped in bacon, these are delicious appetizerseven kids enjoy! Here is a spin on that classic - DeerPoppers...or elk, pronghorn, wild turkey, your pick! Get

creative and add these to your next BBQ menu!

Ingredients Original recipe makes 20 appetizers

• 1 pound venison steaks, cubed• 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning, or to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon steak seasoning, or to taste

• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing

• 1/2 cup jalapeno pepper slices

• 10 slices bacon, cut in half

• toothpicks, soaked in water

Directions1. Season the venison meat with Greekseasoning and steak seasoning. Place in abowl, and pour in enough Italian dressingto cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours tomarinate, but preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the grill for medium heat. Drainthe marinade from the meat, and discard themarinade. Place a slice of jalapeno on top of apiece of meat, then wrap with a slice of bacon.Secure with a soaked toothpick. Repeat withremaining meat.

3. Grill the deer poppers for 15 to 20 minutes,turning occasionally to brown the bacon. Serveand enjoy! Adapted from allrecipes.com

MORE TALES!To: Kyle, City of Brighton ForesterRe: Barr Lake Appreciation DayThank you so much for all your helpand support on Saturday. I have attached some great pictures. Thankyou again for all your support!- Michelle, Barr Lake Park Manager

SER POW WOWColorado Springs volunteers hosted a booth at the Pow Wow in July and contacted hundreds of people about wildlife.

New Rangers and DWM’s Class at Barr LakeThe 2014 Class of New Rangers and District Wildlife Managers learned more about partnerships, community engagement and volunteerism at Barr Lake State Park in late May.

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quoteMORE TALES!

SER Raptor OutingRaptor monitors at training held at Big Johnson Reservoir SE of Colorado Springs. Volunteers were able to view species such as eagles, burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks during their field training with CPW biologists. Stay tuned for future raptor trainings this late fall and winter.

A Hoot and A StainBy Roome Paget, SER Volunteer

I don’t know if you would have called it late winter or early spring, but my wife Victoria and I were at Barr Lake birding before the cottonwoods leafed out. We were on the lake perimeter trail between the Nature Center and the

Boat Launch ramp. It was cold and slow. We were looking away from the lake at some Canada Geese when there was a loud “hoot” right behind us. We both knew that there was a Great Horned Owl nearby. We stayed as still as we could and scanned the near trees. There was nothing to be found. We had just about decided that the owl that we had heard was just on the wrong side of something and could not be seen.

My wife’s dad, an excellent birder, had taught me to look for the incongruities. A white stain in an otherwise grey tree caught my eye. I located the owls, my wife snapped the photo.

Thanks from the Big Thompson Trees! The trees are looking great there is even a small cottonwood forest growing(bottom photo). Fencing is underway and the property is looking good.

Clayton Brossart, DWM - Loveland / Area 2

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Save the DateNational Public Lands Day September 27, 2014 www.publiclandsday.org

Make Your Mark Week (formerly Kids Care Week) October 19–25, 2014 www.generationon.org

Make A Difference Day October 25, 2014 (Fourth Saturday in October) http://makeadifferenceday.com

National Family Volunteer Day November 12, 2014 www.oneoc.org/get-involved/days-of-service/ national-family-volunteer-day

International Volunteer Day December 5, 2014 www.unv.org/en/what-we-do/intl-volunteer-day.html

2014 State and National Events

Funded in part by

6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216

C O L O R A D O P A R K S & W I L D L I F E

Volunteer Program