Program addresses fast-paced growth of outdoor visitation through community volunteerism

Now in its third summer, the Chaffee Rec Adopters program has given more than 2,000 hours of volunteer time to monitor conditions on public lands and work with land managers to address impacts. More than 40 tons of ash and trash have been removed from hundreds of campsites this season.

A key part of the Chaffee Rec Adopters program is individual volunteers who adopt a section of public lands to monitor, similar to the successful “adopt-a-trail” effort. The Chaffee Rec Collector App allows these volunteers to use technology to monitor and take care of their favorite lands. More than 80 individuals have adopted 45 different land zones in the county.

Projects include dispersed campsite installation with the Bureau of Land Management, barbed wire fencing removal to improve wildlife habitat, riparian restoration on Fourmile Creek, and monitoring with the Chaffee Rec Collector App. Four projects are coming up for which volunteers are needed. The first will occur Friday, Aug. 16 at Burmac near Salida to install metal campfire rings in newly designated campsites. This will be followed on Wednesday August 21, with a project in the Tunnel View area on the Arkansas River north of Buena Vista. Saturday, Sept. 14, Valley Fellowship Church is set to do its annual Second Saturday cleanup event in the South Cottonwood Creek area. The public is invited.

For readers; planning purposes, this is the calendar of Rec Adopter Events:

Friday, August 16
Burmac Fire Ring Installation with Chaffee Rec Adopters
9:00 am – 12:00 Noon
The BLM is converting dispersed camping to designated dispersed camping in the popular Burmac recreation area near Salida. Join the Chaffee Rec Adopters to help install new metal campfire rings and remove old rock rings.

Wednesday August 21
Tunnel View Clean Up with Chaffee Rec Adopters
5:00-6:30pm
For this “Weeknight Wednesdays” event, Chaffee Rec Adopters will gather at the Tunnel View Recreation Site with the AHRA to help improve wildlife habitat, fix up campsites and more. Tunnel View is located on the west side of the Arkansas River north of Buena Vista.

Saturday September 14
South Cottonwood Campsite Cleanup
9:00 am- 12:00 Noon
Chaffee Rec Adopters will do a dispersed campsite cleanup with the Valley Fellowship Church Second Saturday volunteer group at the South Cottonwood dispersed camping area west of town. All are welcome.

Thursday September 19
Fencing Removal on CR 181
9:00 am-12:00 Noon
Chaffee Rec Adopters will work with the US Forest Service on CR 181 in Salida to clear out some old range fencing in mule deer winter range habitat. This project started last summer when over 2,000 feet of barbed wire fencing was removed. Help us take out the rest! View all “Adopter” events and sign up for them at ChaffeeRecAdopters.org.

Saturday September 28
National Public Lands Day
9:00 am- 12:00 Noon
Chaffee Rec Adopters will partner with the Bureau of Land Management for National Public Lands Day. Location is TBD.

October 9-10 & 26-27
Fourmile Creek Restoration
9:00 am-1:00 pm
Join Chaffee Rec Adopters for one or both events on Oct. 9-10, and Oct. 26-27 in the Fourmile Travel Management Area near Buena Vista to contribute to this exciting restoration project! Fourmile Creek supports just a fraction of its habitat potential because the water is channelized into the creek bed. This project creates conditions that could bring back the wetlands that are vital for many local wildlife species.

To volunteer and to sign up for these and other events, visit ChaffeeRecAdopters.org or contact Rec Adopter Coordinator, Jessica Downing, at [email protected].