Rocky Mountain Tree Festival 2017 Focus: Restoring Lyons, Colorado

In 2017, the Vivax CommunityFoundation had its sights set on Lyons, Colorado. After meeting with Wildland Restoration Volunteers and partnering with the CAN’D Aid Foundation, the Vivax Community Improvement Foundation had its beginnings for the second annual Rocky Mountain Tree Festival. In September 2013, a massive flood damaged Left Hand Creek Watershed, degrading the channel and adjacent overbank areas, and scouring away most of the riparian vegetation. This area became the focus of 2017’s restoration efforts.

The project area encompassed four reaches, which extend from the mouth of the canyon downstream of Hwy 36. Altogether, the project encompassed about 8 acres of riparian area with over 300 volunteers from Vivax Pros, Oskar Blues, WRV and the community. They saturated the banks of over 8,000 linear feet of stream banks of the river which ran through 17,855 sq. feet of restored riverbank. In one day, these volunteers accomplished restoration that would have taken 3-7 years naturally without their help.

Nearly 100 native species of vegetation were reintroduced into the ecosystem, 1,983 stakes were hammered, 3,570 feet of trenches were dug, over 1,000 wetland plugs were put into the ground, and about 3,000 willows were probed into the soil. And this was made possible by volunteers like you. We hope you’ll join us for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Tree Festival!

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