Stewardship

For our final project of the season, HCCA partnered with UGRWCD and the BLM to restore wet meadow habitat in Gold Basin. Volunteers helped maintain five existing structures and built thirteen new ones, including one Zuni Bowl, over two days. These efforts support Gunnison Sage-Grouse habitat by improving water retention and vegetation growth by minimizing erosion in the area. Thank you to our 26 volunteers who logged 156 volunteer hours over two days!

HCCA partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to map cheatgrass infestations in the Almont Triangle using CheatMaps, a GPS-based app designed for the invasive species’ detection. The event marked the first treatment effort in the area, with 26 volunteers logging 130 hours and identifying 199 cheatgrass infestations across 42 acres—supporting future herbicide applications.

High Country Conservation Advocates joined the City of Gunnison’s Annual Cheatgrass Pull Day, helping tackle this invasive species within the city limits. With 15 volunteers contributing over 60 hours, more than 400 pounds of cheatgrass were removed. The event emphasized the growing need for community involvement to protect native ecosystems from the continued spread of cheatgrass in the Gunnison Country.

High Country Conservation Advocates partnered with Colorado Parks & Wildlife and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District for...

Thank you to our partners who came together to make this project possible: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) US Fish &...

Each May the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) enters into north-facing steep slopes all over the Upper Gunnison Basin to protect...

It’s been a busy stewardship season at High Country Conservation Advocates and we would like to share the story of our most recent...

High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) hosted their first volunteer stewardship day of the season partnering with the US Forest...

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. Volunteers built rock baffle and wicker weir structures, which help "wet the sponge" of these meadows, allowing water to stay on the landscape longer in the season, supporting the health and resiliency of our local landscape and communi

By Bella Biondini - Staff Writer for the Gunnison Country Times Gunnison Ranger District hosts beaver dam building day  The newly...

We had 15 HCCA volunteers join Forest Service personnel to implement 9 beaver dam analogs (BDA) and plant native willow harvested on-site...

Last fall our intrepid volunteers headed out in the field to harvest and plant willow stakes as part of a restoration project on a...

With 25 total hours of volunteer time, this group built 4 fences (totaling 24 linear feet), installed 3 USFS travel management signs, and...

With 25 total hours of volunteer time, this group built 8 fences (totaling 102 linear feet), installed 6 USFS travel management signs,...