High Altitude Revegetation 2016 Summer Field Tour
July 26 and 27, 2016
Southwest Colorado

In association with:
Central Rockies Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Participation is free and open to everyone.  Boxed lunches will be provided on both days of the tour. Participants provide their own transportation and arrange for their own lodging.  Carpooling is greatly encouragd.  So that we can arrange for the proper number of lunches and other logistics, please RSVP by July 15 to mark.paschke@colostate.edu if you plan on attending the tour; please indicate any dietary restrictions. 

Participants should come prepared for high-altitude summer weather and bring plenty of water, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, sturdy shoes, rain coat, etc.

Click here for a detailed agenda.

Tuesday July 26

Morning – Summitville Mine Superfund Site led by Mark Paschke, CSU and Camille Richard, Lake Fork Valley Conservancy. Heap leach processing for extraction of gold began in 1985 at Summitville Mine in southwestern Colorado, and by 1994 the site was declared a Superfund Site by the USEPA. In 1995, CSU became involved with a science-based approach aimed at restoring 200 ha of highly disturbed land. The short-term goal of the restoration was aimed at stabilizing soils and preventing off-site movement of metal-containing sediments. The longer-term goal was to encourage development of a plant community that resembled a reference condition. During this visit, we will discuss the systematic approach for restoration and see results of the restoration efforts in this highly disturbed landscape.

Evening – Relax with friends and colleagues at the Irish Embassy for one of CeRSER’s famous Pub Talks given by Mike Wight, River Restoration Director, Southwest Conservation Corps. Food, Fun and Ecological Restoration, does it get any better?

Wednesday July 27

Morning – High-elevation wetland restoration at Chattanooga Fen near Silverton, led by Marci Bidwell and others, Mountain Studies Institute. MSI has been utilizing experimental techniques to restore hydrological function and revegetation practices to improve cover.

Afternoon – Telluride golf course wetland restorations led by David Cooper and Jeremy Sueltenfuss, CSU. The development of the Telluride Ski and Golf facilities in the 1990s resulted in the filling of more than 70 acres of wetlands.  A settlement reached between Telski and the US government for the unpermitted fill was to restore a set of more than 10 different wetlands including streams and their riparian systems, fens, and wet meadows. On this trip we will visit restored stream/riparian areas along Prospect Creek, fens and wet meadows and discuss ski area and golf course management with Telski staff.