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Opportunities for Local Ecosystem Restoration!
Restoration on the move.
Here are two ongoing opportunities to get involved with pesticide-free weed mitigation and ecosystem restoration, organized by local community members.
You can join their email list for additional opportunities to join local ecosystem restoration projects on public natural lands without exposure to recent herbicide spraying.
Community Stewardship of Natural Restoration of US Forest Sevice Land on Winiger Ridge, near Forsythe Canyon Trailhead
The US Forest Service has agreed to allocate land on Winiger Ridge for the community to demonstrate stewardship and natural land restoration. The US Forest Service has not used herbicides in the area and will not use these products for the foreseeable future. Instead, the US Forest Service is looking to community volunteers to apply natural restoration methods to reinforce the positive impact of a prescribed fire implemented on the land in the Spring of 2023. The fire did a spectacular job of restoring the health of the local fire-adapted ecosystem. The vegetation is incredibly vibrant and much more diverse than before the prescribed fire.
Now it is up to community volunteers to encourage the further health of native vegetation by removing localized patches of invasive species. Christel Markevich (christelmarkevich@gmail.com) is acting as the community representative to the US Forest Service on this project, and she is also coordinating volunteer efforts on this land. Please contact her for more information or to participate in this ongoing project.
Location: Winiger Ridge, near Forsythe Canyon Trailhead
Details: Weed removal will be along a reasonably steep trail.
Needed gear: Long-sleeve shirt, long pants, sturdy footwear, gloves (ideally derma-lite gloves, as seeds won't stick to them), sunscreen, hat, water, and snacks. If possible, bring a bucket to collect the cheatgrass and a pair of rounded-tip scissors to cut the seed heads of the cheatgrass plants that are too mature to be pulled without losing their seeds. Additional buckets, scissors, and gloves will be available.
2. Mechanical removal of spotted knapweed, Spruce Gulch, bottom of Left Hand Canyon
Please contact Tim Seastedt at timothy.seastedt@colorado.edu for more information or to participate in this ongoing project.
Restoration goal: Removal of knapweed from riparian area disturbed by 2013 flood. Removal of potential seed source that could spread during spring run-off. Site is known for long-term knapweed study using mechanical and biological control procedures that date back two decades.
Details: Weed removal in riparian zone of roadless area. Steep topography, unstable rocks, cactus, poison ivy and rattlesnakes are of concern in this area!
Needed gear: Long-sleeve shirt, long pants, strong footwear, gloves, sunscreen, hat, water and snacks. Plant is best removed using hand pulling helped by sharp-shooter shovel. Not recommended for minors or folks not often exposed to strenuous activity.
Note: This event is not on public land. The land is privately owned and is being converted into a Conservation Easement property by Boulder County. As a result, it is not open to the public. Tim Seastedt, a Professor at CU Boulder, has been the weed manager on this property for over twenty years, and his inviting us to join him for tours/weeding.
You can also watch his webinar "Science-based Management of Cheatgrass in the Colorado Front Range” hosted by People and Pollinators Action Network.