GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado - For Dave Hamilton and the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, their work is never done. But then again, that may be the way Hamilton likes it.

"We always have more work than we can accomplish," said Hamilton, who is the executive director of RFOV.

That's why the group welcomes any who want to help in their ambitious projects. They currently have about 40 volunteers signed up for the first project of they year, creating a trial around sections of Lake Christine in the Basalt State Wildlife Area. However, Hamilton hopes for another 25-30 more volunteers to help out.

"We can use a whole bunch," Hamilton said. "It's really putting the finishing touches on the lake. Some volunteers will be helping with the construction of the trail and others will help with the removal of some cattails that aren't native to the area."

The new section of trail will stretch more than 1,400 feet around the lake and will replace the old trial that is now under water due to reconstruction of a dam that failed in 2007. When the Colorado Division of Wildlife fixed the dam it increased the lake's surface area and raised the water level, covering the existing trail. It was at that point the DOW asked the RFOV for assistance in constructing a new access trail, according to Hamilton.

"It should be a great project," Hamilton said. "This is the first time we've ever worked with the DOW to build a trail, mostly because they don't typically build trials. But it's a real recreational friendly area and the DOW wanted people to be able to use it. It's a really interesting opportunity for the RFOV."

The second part, and the most "ecologically beneficial" aspect of the re-construction according to Hamilton, will be the newly created one-acre wetland complex at the inlet to the lake, which is currently overgrown with non-native cattail.

"The way it works is, we give it our best effort," Hamilton said. "We may not get all the cattails out, there is at least an acre-and-a-half of cattails. But, the trail is the key piece of the puzzle for the DOW."

This is the first of 10 projects the RFOV has planned, extending into October, from Aspen to Silt. Collectively, the group has done over 110 projects since it began in 1995, according to Hamilton.

"One thing I tell people is, if everybody that goes out and enjoys the trails could give us one day a year on a project, we could do an incredible amount of work," Hamilton said.

Last year the RFOV completed around 10 major projects with help from between 750 and 900 volunteers, equaling around 1,200 volunteer days.

Contact John Gardner: 384-9114jgardner@postindependent.com





Post Independent, Glenwood Springs, Colorado CO