SPOT Events

Trail Clean-up and Fundraiser – Oct 1st

On Saturday, Oct 1st please join the Ark Valley High Rollers (AVHR) and Salida-area Parks, Open-space & Trails (SPOT) volunteers in sprucing up the Rodeo Run paved trail on CR 120. Meet at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds parking lot at 9 am, on your bike, skates, or on foot with sunscreen and work gloves.

A Fundraising Event, hosted by SPOT, will immediately follow at Elevation Beer Company and Eddy Out Grille from 12 noon to 4pm. A portion of all sales will be donated to the CR 120 Trail Extension project to construct new trail westerly along CR120 and up Hwy 50/285 to CR128, across from the Poncha Springs Crossroads Visitors Center. There will be a silent auction, with items from Absolute Bikes, Vino Salida, Eddy Out Grille, AVHR, D&J Rare Gems, Alpha Dog Care, The Mixing Bowl, Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center and more.
For more information or donations please call Donna 719 221-4008.

Hello dear Salida Trail Volunteers,

Greetings to you all.  I hope you had a fun 4th of July weekend!

During the last week of June we had our first Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) crew of the summer and we got a lot accomplished!  The crew helped us pull a ton of cheatgrass and Russian thistle, dig up many mullein plants, clip and spray countless Canada thistle plants with vinegar, weed and mulch the habitat island at 7th Street, plant a stormwater mitigation wetland in front of the AHRA building, plant a new island of upland vegetation along the trail between 1st and 2nd Streets, and plant several new accent plants along the creek including choke cherries and red-twig dogwood.  I invite you all to get out on the trail and check out the new improvements.

I’m writing to you today because a crucial part of ensuring that the trees and shrubs we planted are able to survive and thrive is to make sure they are well-watered, especially during the heat of the summer.  If you would be willing to help water these new plants it would be of great help!

I have stashed a 5-gallon bucket along the trail between 1st and 2nd Streets, which can be dipped in the creek and used to water the Rocky Mountain Junipers (6), Rabbit brush (5), Western sagebrush (5), and Apache Plume (3) newly planted along this stretch of trail.  The bucket is hidden behind the willows where they first begin growing along the creek coming from 1st Street.  If you walk this stretch of trail regularly and could chip in by watering please let me know.  

The plants in the habitat island at Holman Ave could also use additional water.  I have stashed a 5-gallon bucket at the base of the tree at the corner of the landscaped lot nearest the parking area across from the habitat island.  The bucket can be filled with the hose at the dog park across the street and used to water the plants in this habitat island.  Perhaps some of you live in Trailside (or know someone who does?) and would like to help water these trees and shrubs?  Again, please be in touch if you would be available to help these plants take root and provide valuable wildlife habitat along the trail corridor.

If you would be interested in registering as a volunteer with the City of Salida and getting trained on using their water truck to water plants along the trail, that is a possibility as well.

Thank you so much for all you do!
Buffy
Salida Trail Ecological Restoration Project Coordinator
Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas
mailto:sterpcoordinator@ltua.orgua.org
719-539-7700

Thank you to GARNA

The Board of Directors of Salida-area Parks, Open-space & Trails (SPOT) thanks GARNA profusely for recognizing SPOT for its outstanding volunteerism in 2014.  The award was presented at GARNA’s annual meeting and environmental presentation on behalf of GARNA’s many volunteers February 5, 2015 at the SteamPlant Ballroom.  The award was accepted by Cheryl Brown-Kovacic for the SPOT Board.

SPOT very much appreciates the opportunities we have had to work with GARNA through the years in various projects including trail planning, environmental interpretation and training and, most recently, the Salida Trail Restoration Project, which is a long term project to irradiate weeds and plant native vegetation along the Salida Trail System and beyond.  Together, we also look forward to our partnership in the rehabilitation and re-use of the historic Valley View School.

Thank you to Moonlight Pizza

The Board of Directors of SPOT thanks Moonlight Pizza for honoring us as part of Moonlight Monday!  Moonlight Mondays are held by the restaurant to promote their great business and to support a variety of worthwhile community causes.  On Monday, February 9th, all day, Moonlight Pizza generously donated 10% of sales, to SPOT, Salida-Area Parks, Open-space & Trails for future projects!

Thank you, Moonlight Pizza, for your delicious food and your community support – all in one dinner!

Hutchinson Homestead Quilt Raffle Award

Shawn Gillis, Donna Rhoads, Cheryl Brown-Kovacic, Laurie Ferber, Susan Ragan, Katy Grether

Laurie Ferber, valley resident and former president of the Monarch Quilters, won the raffle of the handmade quilt to benefit the programs at the Hutchinson Homestead and Learning Center, 8913 West Highway 50.

Non-profit sponsor Salida-Area Parks, Open Space & Trails (SPOT) held the drawing on Saturday, September 27th at 4:00 P.M. at the Homestead Visitor Center.  The raffle raised almost $3,400 for operations and programs at the Homestead.

SPOT would like to thank the generosity of Susan Ragan who designed, pieced and donated the blue-shaded flying geese-motif quilt to SPOT, the Smokin’ Needles Club who hand-stitched the quilting, Carol Cartwright who photographed the quilt for our tickets and posters, Cindy Lantz who loaned SPOT the display frame, and all of you who bought tickets to support the agricultural and historical enrichment programs that we do at the Hutchinson Homestead and Learning Center.

Donna Rhoads, Denise Wentz, Donna Rhoads, Katy Grether, Samantha Bahn, Cheryl Brown-Kovacic