The Rocky Mountain Conservancy will be able to host four Conservation Corps crews for a total of 20 AmeriCorps members in 2020. Although the season will serve a smaller number of members and be delayed by two weeks, the Conservancy is pleased to be able to host these crews. The crews will be based in the Boulder and Sulphur Ranger Districts of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests. These districts border the southern and western borders of Rocky Mountain National Park and encompass over 500,000 acres. This includes the Indian Peaks, James Peak, and Never Summer Wilderness areas.
To ensure the health and safety of these crews amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conservancy has developed the following COVID-19 Corpsmember Engagement Strategy.
Highlights from this document include:
- Virtual training and orientation rather than in-person programming with all crews together.
- Delayed in-person season start date to June 15th
- Increased PPE/cleaning supplies for crews to include hand wash stations, disinfectant wipes/spray, face masks, hand sanitizers, and oral thermometers.
- Gear will be assigned individually for use, rather than to crews for shared use.
- Modified vehicle use policies to reduce number of passengers, require face masks, increase cleaning, and mitigate exposure.
- Cancellation of mid-season and end-of-season all crew activities (joint work projects, end-of-season picnic, and all-crew hike).
- Crisis Management and isolation/quarantine strategies for presumed positive cases and exposed individuals.
In addition to these updates on the Conservation Corps, the Conservancy cancelled the 2020 High School Leadership Corps.
Please Note: The COVID-19 Corpsmember Engagement Strategy is subject to change based on the criteria outlined at the end of the document.