RSVP HERE!
Friday, February 3rd from 10 AM to 4 PM
Wildlife In Need
Our local big game herds are in need of help. For years, elk fencing has been installed throughout the North Fork, limiting where mule deer can migrate and access water sources and habitat. These pinch points can result in wildlife-vehicle collisions, and animals getting caught in tall fences causing fatalities.
WSCC is partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers to remove unneeded elk fencing throughout the Valley. We are looking for volunteers to help with fence removal projects.
The Project
For our first project of 2023, we will travel to Redlands Mesa to a property just east of Orchard City. We will be completing this project on Friday, February 3rd, from 10 AM to 4 PM. We envision this project will take 4 to 6 hours to complete, depending on the number of volunteers and equipment available. If you can only for a portion of this time period, we would still like your help!
We will be arranging carpools from Paonia and Hotchkiss, with a departure time of 9am/9:15am. We’ll email you a couple days before the event with the specific location and to make arrangements for carpools.
Volunteers should bring their own gloves, safety glasses, fence/bolt cutters (if you have them), water, and lunch. Be sure to wear clothing and sturdy shoes that will stand up to fencing materials.
Please RSVP here to let us know you are coming and get specific information on the location. For questions, please contact Ben Katz at [email protected] or 970-527-5307.
What We Need
We are looking for a group of volunteers willing to put in a day of hard work. This will be difficult, manual labor. Work includes cutting fence off of posts, pulling t-posts out of the ground, rolling fence up, and loading those rolls onto a trailer.
We are also looking for equipment. Some of the things we are looking for include:
- Manual t-post remover
- Chainsaw
- Fencing pliers/cutters
- Skid steer
- Extra work gloves
- Extra safety glasses
- Tie wire
If you are able to bring or let us borrow any of this equipment, please contact Ben Katz at [email protected]. If you would like to donate lunch to the volunteer crew, we would be more than happy to accept the gift.