Arapaho

Arapaho National Recreation Area ANRA News Serving Colorado’s Great Lakes Region 2017 Edition Volume 17 USDA Forest Service Your fees at work New docks at Green Ridge provide safer access for public and partners By Dan Matthews ANRA Manager In the spring of 2016, the ANRA installed new public and administrative docks at the Green Ridge boat ramp. These floating docks are located on the south shore of Shadow Mountain Reservoir. The two public docks replaced the previous docks that had been in place for almost 25 years. Those docks had been damaged over the years by shifting ice and were in danger of slipping off the foundation pillars. The new docks are two feet wider than the old docks and have weather resistant decking. The Forest Service was also able to replace its administrative dock at Green Ridge. That dock, which is located several hundred yards west of the public docks, allows the ANRA to store their boats while operating on Shadow Mountain Reservoir. Although used mainly by the Forest Service there are other government agencies that use that dock. Funding for this project came from the fees collected in the ANRA and from an internal grant funded by recreation area fees through the Forest Service’s Regional Office. The grant provided $24,000 in 2015 to pay for the purchase and delivery of the new docks. Installing weather resistant decking on the new docks. That funding paid for the anchors, hardware, metal rope and other materials needed to finalize the installation of the three docks. Forest Service employees set the anchor buoys and secured those to the docks. These are very high quality docks and we hope you enjoy them for decades to come. Construction The Point Park picnic area provides outstanding views of Mt. Baldy and the high mountains east of the Town of Grand Lake. The picnic area is located partially along Grand Lake and partially along the channel that connects Grand Lake to Shadow Mountain Reservoir. The Point Park walkway provides handicap accessible bathrooms, benches, fishing platforms and picnic pavilions. In September 2016, U.S. Forest Service crews replaced a section of that walkway. The section was built with a timber edging and a crusher fines trail surface. This surface will be easier and less expensive to maintain than the previous blacktop. The majority of the funding for the materials was provided by the Arapaho Roosevelt Pawnee Foundation. The Foundation is an organization dedicated to collecting funds specifically for important Forest Service projects. The work in 2016 included reconstruction of 400 feet of walkway, improved access to benches, three fishing platforms, and one picnic pavilion. This constituted the great majority of work that needed to be done. The remaining work, repaving the walkways for the four remaining pavilions, will be completed in 2017. Page 2 ANRA News Winter Wonderland The Arapaho National Recreation Area is open year-round Flatwater recreation is one of the major draws of the Arapaho National Recreation Area. From the time the ice melts in May until the first snows of October, the recreation area invites visitors from across the state for its prime boating, camping and fishing opportunities. Once the ice thickens, the lake surfaces and trails of the ARNA have many adventures in store for the outdoor enthusiast. Jon Morrissey and Pearl Meet the Ranger All the ANRA reservoirs are popular for ice fishing. The Three Lakes Ice Fishing Contest occurs Jan. 27- 29, 2017. In June 2016, the Sulphur Ranger District, which manages the ANRA, welcomed a new district ranger, Jon Morrissey. He replaces Craig Magwire who retired after serving as the district ranger for more than a decade. Morrissey comes to the Arapaho National Forest from the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Since 2013, he has been the District Ranger on the Pemigewasset District. Prior to that he was the Leadville District Ranger on the San Isabel National Forest. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, he has a master’s degree in forestry from Texas A&M University. “Jon brings an extensive amount of natural resource and administrative experience to the Forest,” said Forest Supervisor Monte Williams. “His experience in recreation management, working with partners, and in building and maintaining relationships internally and externally will be an incredible asset to the District and the ANRA.” SNOWMOBILING is enjoyed in the forest and on Lake Granby and Shadow Mountain Reservoir. FAT TIRE BIKING over snow covered roads and groomed trails is a new sport that is gaining popularity. CROSS COUNTRY SKIING & SNOWSHOEING happens throughout the Sulphur Ranger District in the winter months. Monarch Lake provides a good opportunity for snow travelers to get some exercise. Page 3 2017 Edition MOOSE ON THE LOOSE A moose at Shadow Mountain Reservoir. Though one of the most majestic looking creatures in Colorado, these are also one of the state’s most dangerous animals. They will attack humans and pets and can be deadly when dogs are off leash. If you see a moose, keep your distance. Keep your pets on a leash. And use a zoom lens to capture shots like this! Conservation in the ANRA—A multi-generational program By John Simmons Lead Interpreter What better way to learn about the outdoors than to make the outdoors your classroom! The ANRA has hosted conservation education programs for Grand County school children for more than 30 years! This past year, 280 students from public, private and home schools enjoyed learning about plants, animals, recreational activities and land management occupations at the Point Park 2nd Grade, and Monarch Lake 5th Grade Conservation Education Days. Children who attended back in the 1980s and 90s are now attending as chaperones along with their children! A special thank you to our education partners: Rocky Mountain National Park, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, National Sports Center for the Disabled, Grand County Water Information Network, and Trail Ridge Marina. If you visit in mid-May or mid-September, you may see busloads of kids participating in the various education stations at Point Park, Hilltop boat ramp and Monarch Lake. Interested in the future of trails? Headwaters Trails Alliance has completed master trails planning for the Winter Park/Fraser Area and is now beginning planning for the Granby/Grand Lake area. Headwaters Trails Alliance also runs the Adopt-A-Trail program through which you can volunteer to work on trails. Please see their website for more information on the community trails plan and for information on volunteer trail maintenance opportunities at headwaterstrails.org. WORK YOUR PASS OFF The annual Work Your Pass Off event is held on the third Saturday of May. This year the date will be May 20, 2017. Each adult that volunteers from 8 a.m. until noon will receive an annual ANRA vehicle pass worth $30. Volunteers should show up at the Stillwater or Sunset boat ramps on Lake Granby by 8 a.m. Dress for weather changes and bring work gloves, water, and boots for walking on uneven ground. Pre-registration is not required. OSPREY TOUR Love osprey viewing? The ANRA now has a selfguided tour for driving, biking, kayaking and canoeing. The tour can be printed by going to www.fs.usda.gov/goto/arp/ OspreyTour or by using your smartphone QR code app. The Grand County Wilderness Group staffs the Monarch Lake Trailhead Cabin on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the summer, answering visitors’ questions. Learn more about volunteering at GCWG.org. S’MORE ways to make S’MORES Give your favorite camping dessert a makeover. Here’s some interesting twists to try on the traditional recipe:  Use a peanut butter cup instead of chocolate;  Spread on Nutella;  Sprinkle on some candied bacon;  Try dark chocolate instead   and sprinkle on some chili powder and cinnamon; Use chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers; Add fruit like bananas or strawberries to the mix. Finish your creation with these cooking methods: Foiled—make your s’more sandwich and then wrap it tightly in a piece of tin foil. Place on the grate of the campfire and wait 1-2 minutes for the ingredients to melt together. Coned—instead of using graham crackers try an ice cream cone. Load the cone with marshmallows and chocolate and then wrap tightly in foil and place on the grate of the campfire for a couple minutes. This works well on a camp stove as well! GET CONNECTED www.fs.usda.gov/arp Find us on @usfsarp Use your smartphone to access this QR Code and learn more about the ANRA and all its recreation opportunities. U.S. Forest Service Sulphur Ranger District Arapaho National Forest ANRA PO Box 10 9 Ten Mile Drive Granby, CO 80446 Phone: 970-887-4100 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Page 4 Serving Colorado’s Great Lakes Region News from the nest: Shadow Lives! By Doreen Sumerlin Wildlife Biologist If you followed the osprey telemetry story from 2013 and 2014, you know that the female osprey named “Shadow” was fitted with a telemetry harness in June 2013, and we followed her movements in Grand County during the breeding season, then while migrating, and finally at her winter destination: Laguna Madre Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. By March 2014, her telemetry showed prolonged stationary locations; then the equipment failed. Shadow’s fate was unknown. Enter Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and the National Park Service. In the spring of 2016, they contacted the Forest Service to see if we wanted to install another telemetry harness on an osprey to try again to learn about migration and winter habits. We selected the Shadow Mountain Picnic Area site again, due to its accessibility. neoprene harness on her winter range and the solar-charged batteries would have lost charge if the panels were blocked. Shadow went on to raise and fledge 3 chicks this summer and she followed a somewhat different path and schedule to Laguna Madre Biosphere Reserve. As of November 2016, her transmitter is working well and we continue to follow her movements as she enjoys some warmer weather along the Gulf of Mexico. To see how Shadow’s doing, visit the Bird Conservancy website (there’s a link at the bottom of the page to track Shadow’s movements): www.birdconservancy.org/a-tale-oftwo-osprey/ Upon capture of the female in June 2016, we discovered, via leg band, that it was the original female (“Shadow”) that we captured in 2013. Her fate was finally know: she likely shed her Shadow with her telemetry harness. IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGES FOR ANRA VISITORS Many of the adult lodgepole pine trees in the ANRA were killed by a mountain pine beetle epidemic about ten years ago. Those trees are falling to the ground as their root systems continue to deteriorate. Please be aware of the potential for trees unexpectedly falling when you are hiking in windy weather or establishing your backcountry camp near dead trees. crews also place buoys on Lake Granby to mark shallow locations as the lake levels rise and fall throughout the spring, summer and fall. Please observe these hazard buoys to protect yourselves and your boats. Many people enjoy snowmobiling and riding their All-Terrain Vehicles throughout the winter on ANRA lakes. Beware of open water and ice shelves created by shifting ice, which can occur throughout the winter. One of the more complicated and expensive aspect of operating the ANRA is the lake management program. Our employees place over sixty buoys on Shadow Mountain Reservoir to mark hazardous shallow areas. The ANRA ANRA crew installing over sixty hazard buoys.