Our Project at Happy Meadows marks the end of our Conservation Projects for this year. The 11 volunteers deserve a hearty thank you since this was one of the more difficult work days of the year. Despite the frozen ground, they persevered and succeeded in leveling and preparing the ground, disturbed by heavy equipment used for bank stabilization, for planting with Riparian seed custom mixed for the South Platte drainage. Several hundred native willow shoots were harvested and planted strategically to prevent erosion.After the work was completer there was time to fish the Happy Meadows area. All who fished caught fish!
Our conservation for 2012 work focused on the restoration of the Upper South Platte River drainage system damaged by the Hayman fire.This year, in addition to our monthly River Watch and Quarterly Temperature Monitoring in the South Platte we completed 4 Restoration Projects, 1 Fish Rescue , 2 River Clean Up Projects,Over 6000 Willow shoots and 160 Ponderosa Pines were planted along Trail Creek, West Creek and the South Platte River.18 miles of stream banks were cleaned up along the South Platte near Deckers and along Clear Creek at Idaho Springs.To accomplish this, 86 hard working Volunteers contributed over 1400 hours of their valuable time.Thank you Volunteers, the work you do is import and and much appreciated!I would like to acknowledge and send a special thanks to the following individuals who assisted me during the year.Jim Rasmussen, my mentor and back up who also leads the temperature monitoring project, andBill Honeyfield who heads up River Watch,Ray Carney who leads the Clear Creek Clean Up every year. Be sure to attend the Conservtion Auction on November 13th. at the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Volunteers, remember we will have a Conservation Awards raffle, your earned your raffle tickets, come collect them and see if you will win a nice prize.This year you could win: A full day fishing raft trip down the Colorado River donated by Ray Carney , a box of super flies tied and donated by Richard Pilatzke, Orvis rod case, Orvis fly line or Orvis fully equiped lanyard. Hope to see you there and thank you again for your hard work this year.Jim Klug