2024 LCCC Annual Report

In 2024 our crew of 8 corpsmembers and 1 crew leader installed:

• 5924 LED bulbs
• 368 faucet aerators
• 207 High Efficiency Toilets
• 298 showerheads
• 99 carbon monoxide detectors
• 72 smoke alarms
• 339 furnace air filters
• 143 clotheslines

In partnership with Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, Water and Energy corpsmembers completed one week of a reforestation project in 2024. Over the week, this crew planted 1,875 Ponderosa Pine saplings on private property that was burned in the 2012 High Park fire and did not see natural regeneration of native trees.

Post-fire reforestation efforts are being accomplished by many Northern Colorado organizations. Click the link below to learn about Cameron Peak Fire Recovery projects.

In 2024, LCCC supported five summer and two fall crews as they completed a variety of projects across Northern Colorado. These projects addressed needs within our community such as fire mitigation, trail construction, invasive species removal and trail restoration. Across these seven crews, 59 individuals joined LCCC for the opportunity to get outside and be stewards of natural resources resulting in 26,233 hours of service.

For over 30 years, LCCC crews have assisted CPW staff on maintenance and invasive species removal projects necessary for hatchery operations. In 2024, a crew of ten spent one week at the Bellvue-Watson Fish Hatchery with the main focus of work being digging 0.5 miles of irrigation line and installing irrigation pipes to help distribute water throughout the hatchery. The crew also cleared 7 raceways, 30 troughs and a retention pond (seen in the photo to the right).

A crew of 10 worked for 2 weeks alongside Lory State Park staff to assist with a variety of projects. Annual maintenance is required every year within the park to redefine trail paths, ensure proper drainage of trail and reduce invasive species populations. This crew worked on trails all across the park including West & East Valley Trails, Timber Trail and Arthur's Rock Trail.

• 13 miles of trail corridor cleared
• 2 miles of fence maintained
• 3 acres of herbicide sprayed to control invasive species
• 112 drains maintained
• 8 log steps installed
• 4 drains installed
• 3 rock walls installed

This eight-person worked with two fire protection districts in Boulder County utilizing funding from the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Plan. The nine-week project reduced wildfire risk to the surrounding communities by thinning trees, removing accumulated fuels, and creating fuel breaks.

• 108 Slash Piles
• 2.8 Acres Thinned
• 72 Trees Removed

• 20.4 Acres Thinned

With grant funding from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), this crew of ten worked alongside Larimer County Natural Resources staff on the  Inlet Bay to South Bay Trail Construction  project. Over 4 weeks, this crew constructed a 1,700 foot section of the new trail and installed 12 rock walls that provide support to the edges of the trail. The work involved technical trail building and dry masonry skills. Located on the banks of Horsetooth Reservoir, this new trail system will connect Blue Sky Trail to the southern Inlet Bay as part of LCDNR's Parks Master Plan. The trail is expected to finish construction and open to the public in 2025.

In collaboration with the State Land Board, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Colorado State Forest Service, eight LCCC sawyers spent six weeks felling trees and building slash piles to be burned at a later date. This project was funded by the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Plan

• 9.62 Acres of Thinning
• 54 Slash Piles

In 2024 LCCC continued our partnership with the City of Longmont's Button Rock Preserve where sawyers worked to improve forest health and engage in wildfire mitigation and watershed protection projects. Utilizing a combination of funding from the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Plan and Great Outdoors Colorado, this crew of seven completed 12 weeks of thinning, clearing storm damage, and improving emergency ingress/egress access.

• 56 slash piles built from storm damaged trees

• 1.81 miles of road corridor cleared
• 6.6 acres of forest thinning

LCCC has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service since 2021 to assist on crucial fire recovery projects on trails within the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. Project goals focus on crucial maintenance needs on trails that were burned in the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. This crew constructed new sections of trails, installed erosion control structures to re-establish existing trail tread and used crosscut saws to remove fallen trees from the trail. All of this work was completed with mentoring and oversight from USFS Trails staff to ensure trails are sustainable and safe for the public.

In 2024, a crew of twelve worked on projects for 8 weeks in early summer and a crew of four worked for an additional 8 weeks into mid October. Some of the trails maintained by this crew were: Fish Creek, Roaring Creek, Donners Pass, Corral Creek, Browns Lake and Lady Moon.

• 3.7 miles of trail constructed/maintained
• 2 miles of corridor cleared
• 44 rock steps installed
• 93 drains installed
• 9 rock walls constructed
• 3 waterbars installed
• 39 fallen trees cleared from trail
• 18 cairns built
• 1 day of river cleanup

The first year of a two-year project, Windy Gap was identified as a priority fuels treatment area by forestry staff at Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW). Six LCCC sawyers spent ten weeks cutting trees and hauling the resulting slash to the road for removal. They were joined for one week by a nine-member trails crew to help with slash hauling.

This project, funded through the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Plan. LCCC will return next year to complete another eleven weeks of treatment.

• 13.9 acres of fuels treatment

A crew of six LCCC sawyers spent three weeks removing Russian olive, Siberian Elm, and Tamarisk trees as part of a long-standing partnership with the City of Loveland Open Lands and Trails division. LCCC crew members helped to cut, chip, and treat the stumps of these invasive trees clearing 2.2 acres of city natural area along the Big Thompson River. The project, funded through Great Outdoors Colorado, will help restore these areas and improve their overall ecological function.

With LCCC's main office being located only an hour and half away, a five-person crew got the unique opportunity to complete 6 weeks of projects in the fall at various locations within RMNP while camping at Aspenglen Campground. With over 4 million visitors every year, trail upkeep and repair is needed constantly to ensure visitors are hiking on safe and sustainable trails.

The main focus during these project weeks was to replace decomposing log steps on Gem Lake to address erosion issues. This required the crew to use levels and calculate precise distances between each step. The crew learned these hands-on skills through mentorship from NPS trail staff at the park.

• 63 log steps installed on Gem Lake Trail
• 7 waterbars installed
• 3 rock walls installed
• 28 drains cleared on Bridal Veil Falls
• 270 trees thinned for fire mitigation at Glacier Basin and Timber Creek Campgrounds

For the ninth consecutive year, LCCC sawyers worked 10 weeks along the Elkhorn Creek at the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch to thin trees, improve forest health, and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

• 23.3 acres of forest thinning
• 274 slash piles