For over four decades, HCCA has been the public lands watchdog for the Gunnison Country. Thriving into the future requires meeting current and emerging public lands and community needs. One need that has materialized locally and throughout the West is stewardship.

Why Stewardship?

Advocacy is a form of stewardship, and for four decades HCCA has advocated for the responsible management of our shared public resource. But emerging issues – such as increased recreation pressure and technology, climate change, fossil fuel development, and forest health – are likewise spawning emerging stewardship opportunities.

In 2018, HCCA began working to understand stewardship gaps on local public lands and opportunities for our organization to address those gaps. In 2019, HCCA began building a programmatic wing to foster on-the-ground, volunteer-driven stewardship projects that work closely with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Our goal was to soon have a full-fledged Stewardship Program to complement our Red Lady, Public Lands, and Water Programs, which we accomplished in 2020. The success of our numerous and diverse stewardship projects depends entirely on the willingness and enthusiasm of our members and supporters to come out and get your hands dirty. Stewardship still continues in the Gunnison Valley!

The Gunnison County Wet Meadows Restoration Project has built over 2,500 structures, successfully treating 43 miles of stream and 140 acres riparian habitat. Thank you to all our project partners throughout the years that are continuing this dedication to protecting our valley's most precious water systems. 

Project Highlight: Wet Meadow Restoration

In the arid hills of the Gunnison Country, wet meadows were damaged by historic human uses and the landscape erosion that followed. These landscape features absorb water, spur vegetation growth and provide a drinking source for wildlife. Their dilapidation has made survival for wildlife difficult among the hills of sage.

One bird in particular - the Gunnison Sage-grouse - is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It relies heavily on these wet meadows for survival. Nearly 80% of the bird’s total remaining population of just a few thousand can be found right here.

Completed Projects

Points on a map

Stewardship News

Featured
Centennial WMA Volunteer Project Recap
Centennial WMA Volunteer Project Recap

Sixteen volunteers and 84 hours later, our work prevented further erosion and restored wildlife habitat at Centennial State Wildlife Area, just west of Gunnison.

Recap: Douglas-fir Protection Project
Recap: Douglas-fir Protection Project

Each May the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) enters into north-facing steep slopes all over the Upper Gunnison Basin to protect mature and old growth Douglas-fir stands from the Douglas-fir beetle.

Recap: Labor Day Weekend Wet Meadow Restoration Project
Recap: Labor Day Weekend Wet Meadow Restoration Project

Our Labor Day Stewardship Weekend was a huge success thanks to the hard work and volunteerism of this community. In partnership with the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, 61 volunteers spent three days restoring five acres of critical wildlife habitat and improving watershed health at Black Sage Pass in Waunita Park, and Miller Ranch State Wildlife Area in the Ohio Creek Valley.

Willow Creek Fence Project Recap
Willow Creek Fence Project Recap

High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) hosted their first volunteer stewardship day of the season partnering with the US Forest Service (USFS) and Gunnison Valley Mentors (GVM) to build a buck and rail fence to protect a critical riparian area. The project took place along Willow Creek, a stream that feeds into the Taylor Reservoir, an area that contains significant wetland vegetation and is often frequented by moose.

Past Projects

Featured
National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day

On this year's National Public Lands Day HCCA partnered with the BLM to host a volunteer workday at Chance Gulch near Gunnison. We had 7 community members volunteer to spend their morning restoring and preserving critical mesic meadow habitat.

One Dam at a Time
One Dam at a Time

The newly rewetted land made a satisfying squelch underneath rubber boots as volunteers walked upstream. The small creek wove through the basin down toward the mountains, but something was missing.

Union Park Stewardship Projects Update
Union Park Stewardship Projects Update

Last fall our intrepid volunteers headed out in the field to harvest and plant willow stakes as part of a restoration project on a heavily eroded stream crossing in Union Park. We planted stakes along banks reconstructed with willow plugs and wads. We also did some experimental plantings with leftover willow stakes to determine if the soil up above the floodplain could support new growth.

Trail Creek Beaver Dam Analogs
Trail Creek Beaver Dam Analogs

We had 15 HCCA volunteers join Forest Service personnel to implement 9 beaver dam analogs (BDA) and plant native willow harvested on-site along Trail Creek in Taylor Park. This project uses low-tech process-based restoration methods to strengthen the resiliency of riparian systems, improving watershed health. Mimicking beaver structures helps attenuate water in the landscape and return complexity to poor riverscapes, allowing more wetland vegetation to grow.

Taylor Park Travel Management Workday Recap
Taylor Park Travel Management Workday Recap

With 25 total hours of volunteer time, this group built 4 fences (totaling 24 linear feet), installed 3 USFS travel management signs, and restored roughly 600 feet of previously impacted roads which will improve watershed health and terrestrial wildlife in Taylor Park.

Taylor Park Fence Building
Taylor Park Fence Building

With 25 total hours of volunteer time, this group built 8 fences (totaling 102 linear feet), installed 6 USFS travel management signs, and restored previously impacted roads which will improve watershed health and terrestrial wildlife along the Taylor River.

Ninemile Hill Stewardship Recap
Ninemile Hill Stewardship Recap

This past Saturday, HCCA volunteers joined BLM staff to improve wildlife habitat and protect sensitive areas in the Ninemile Hill area south of Blue Mesa Reservoir.   Volunteers constructed worm fences and strategically placed rock and woody debris to effectively treat head cuts forming in the meadow on site.

River Cleanup
River Cleanup

On the first day of May, High Country Conservation Advocates and the Gunnison River Guide Coalition kicked off the summer guide season by hosting a "Ramp to Ramp" cleanup of the Gunnison and Taylor Rivers.