We will be meeting Forest Service personnel at the Shirley Site, a parking area on the dirt road that goes to O’Haver Lake. Drive south on Hwy 285 out of Poncha Springs, going up Poncha Pass, and take the right turn to O’Haver Lake. The Shirley Site is approximately 1.5 miles down the road, on the left where you would turn right to go to the lake. We can park in the Shirley Site lot, and Forest Service personnel will ferry us up to the work site on Silver Creek. Since more travel than usual is involved, the volunteer lunch after work will be moved back to 2:00pm behind the Salida Cafe and Roastery.

As usual, come prepared with water, gloves, long pants and sturdy boots. You might want to bring a snack if you get hungry before 2. Tools will be provided.

Saturday, February 12, 2011, 9:00am: ShinDig to Open Little Rainbow.

Weather permitting, SMT is scheduling the February Volunteer ShinDig to coincide with the Grand Opening of the Little Rainbow Trail and to do some re-routing of the trail as it reaches the CR110 parking lot. Meet at the CR110 trailhead parking lot, which is 2.2 miles south on CR110 from Hwy 50. Turn left at the 2.2 mile point and go up a short incline to the parking lot. We will work on the trail until 12 noon, at which time the trail opening ceremony will take place. After the ceremony, lunch will be provided to the volunteers behind or inside the Salida Cafe and Roastery. As usual, come prepared with water, gloves, long pants and sturdy boots. Be sure to dress warmly for the low February morning temperatures. Tools will be provided

Please try to join us on Sunday to help make up this deficit.  If you can’t come, please consider making a donation (tax deductible).  You can donate or just read more about the Little Rainbow on this website: http://salidamountaintrails.org/little-rainbow-trail.html

USDA Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Region Pike & San Isabel National Forests, Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands Salida Ranger District 325 West Rainbow Blvd. Salida, CO 81201 http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/sal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts Brett Beasley, 719-530-3953 : Ann Ewing, 719-539-3591

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CHAFFEE COUNTY NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY PROJECT

SALIDA, Colo., September 14, 2010 – The U.S. Forest Service, San Isabel National Forest – Salida Ranger District will celebrate National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 25 with a trail maintenance project on the Colorado Trail.

The section of the Colorado Trail to be maintained is located west of Nathrop and travels south from the Chalk Creek canyon to Browns Creek. This portion of the trail is very popular with hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers. The project will involve routine trail maintenance and volunteers should come prepared with drinking water, hiking boots, work gloves and long pants and shirt.

National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Last year over 120,000 volunteers worked at over 1,800 locations throughout the United States. National Public Lands Day helps to educate Americans about environmental and natural resources issues and helps to build partnerships within the local community that lead to improvements in outdoor recreation and public involvement in public lands management.

Interested volunteers may contact Brett Beasley at (719) 530-3953 for more details.

One particular Land trust project of direct benefit to fishermen is the Moyer Ranch in Lake County. This easement opened up over a mile of both sides of the Arkansas River to public access, as well as ensuring that one of Lake County’s most senior water rights stayed with the land.

The intention is to make this event an annual happening, in doing so extending its reach to encompass other outfitters. Guides who participated in the event were Bill Dobson, Rob Whitman, Don Puterbaugh, Kevin Potter, Jerry Graves, Will Yinger, Greg Felt and Hayden Mellsop. Photos courtesy of Mike Wilbur, who has previously worked for Time / Life.

This event is being organized in conjunction with the Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas, and will see guides donating their entire guide fee for that day to the Land Trust to help continue the Trust’s efforts to preserve and enhance the river corridor, native water rights, wild life habitat and open space throughout the Upper Arkansas Valley. In recognition of their contribution, ArkAnglers owners will cover other associated trip costs.

For anglers, this means book any trip for that day with ArkAngler’s guide service, and one hundred percent of the trip cost will be donated to the Land Trust. Anyone who has been a guide, or been around guides, knows that the seasonal nature of the business means that guiding is not an overly lucrative career, so the level of commitment shown by these local guides deserves our recognition.

For fishermen, probably the most significant project the Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas has completed is the Moyer Ranch easement in Lake County. Thanks to the efforts of the Land Trust, and the cooperation and generosity of the Moyer family, over one mile of the Arkansas River was opened up to fishing access, and one of Lake County’s most senior water rights was tied to the land in perpetuity. There are several ongoing projects the Land Trust is currently involved in that will serve to benefit anglers as well as the public at large.

Any angler, be they novice or experienced, can contribute by calling ArkAnglers at 719 539 4223 to book their trip. There will be a post trip barbecue and refreshments provided at ArkAngers Fly Shop on Highway 50 for those participating.