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Inmates from the Buena Vista Correctional Facility added more trees and native plants to the alpine garden at Upper Lost Man Viewpoint.
Buena Vista Correctional Facility inmates helped create a new path between the old Farwell Mill and the Ghost Town about one mile east.
Left to right: On July 19, 2012, long-time supporter Father Ron Cattany joined IPF Board members King Woodward, Boots Ferguson and James Peterson, along with other Board members and contributors, in celebrating the rededication of the Braille Trail.
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IPF's work is distinctive in the variety of projects that it undertakes each year throughout the Independence Pass corridor. In addition to its ongoing work at the Top Cut, IPF takes responsibility for other projects on an as-needed basis. We work closely with the Aspen Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service to identify needs and plan and manage projects.
IPF has planted over 26,000 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses, and coordinated the work of hundreds of volunteers on the Pass. An extraordinary 45,039 hours of labor have been contributed by volunteers ranging from Roaring Fork Valley school children to Buena Vista Correctional Facility inmates.
For many years, IPF has worked with the Colorado Department of Corrections, recruiting work crews from the Buena Vista Correctional Facility to assist with projects. The inmate workers, for example, have been an enormous help in maintaining and improving trails throughout the corridor.
IPF continues to discuss and investigate the potential for a new loop trail around the Independence Ghost Town. In 2012, we took a first step towards making that trail a reality by installing a new path between the old Farwell Mill and the Ghost Town about one mile east. The trail installation was approved by the Forest Service, and historic preservation oversight was provided by Anna Scott of the Aspen Historical Society. Anna walked the trail as it was being installed by our inmate crew to ensure that no artifacts were damaged or removed and that the historical integrity of the site was maintained. The trail follows the old Toll Road that traversed the Pass in the 1880s, and users will find that it provides a new perspective on both the Farwell Mill and the Town. We encourage visitors to park at the Ghost Town next summer and take advantage of this new amenity for a short and pleasant walk down to the Mill and back.
Next year we will collaborate with the Historical Society to design and install several signs describing the sites along the trail and their history. We also hope to collaborate further with the Forest Service to do environmental impact studies for other legs of the trail so that they can become included in our future work plans. |
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Inmates from the Buena Vista Correctional Facility used specially-designed jacks to lever hundreds of rebar rods out of the ground along the ridge south of the summit. The rebar rods were left behind when a water development project dating back to the 1960s was abandoned before completion.
In 2012, the Independence Pass Foundation planted 487 trees.
Custom Log Furniture of El Jebel fabricated a wooden bench for visitors to the Upper Lost Man Viewpoint to enjoy.
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