DOLORES, Colo. - A Sustainable Forestry Team (SFT) has been hard at work cutting roadside vegetation in Lone Mesa State Park to give firefighters greater access to the park in the event of a wildfire. The four-week project involved removing oak brush within 50 feet of the unimproved road that provides access to Lone Mesa.

Scot Elder, Lone Mesa State Park manager, saw the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) crew as a great fit for the remote park and the physically demanding project. "The resource values of Lone Mesa State Park are so diverse and incredible, including some of the rarest native plants in Colorado, vast big game populations and great habitat variety, but the park is remote and prone to lightning-caused wildfire," Elder said. "We recognize the value of fire to these habitats and natural communities, and we are working to manage the risks associated with those fires. This project is part of that effort.''

Each SFT crew has two crew leaders and six members. The Southwest Conservation Corps, in collaboration with the Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps, employs this particular crew. The crew, led by Jason "Willy" Gurath and Sean Flores, had a large task to tackle, but both young men have conservation corps and chainsaw experience and work well together as co-leaders.

The road to Lone Mesa cuts along a steep hillside thick with underbrush. As the sun beat down, the severed oak stems were dragged up or down to the road's edge where it was sorted and chipped. New oak stumps were chemically treated to prevent re-sprouting.

The work was tiring, yet many crew members thrived in the outdoors with a chainsaw in hand. Nathan Kasuse, who was on a crew last year, said he loves saw work. Next year, he hopes to be a crew leader. Trevor Kaufmann has been on Southwest Conservation Corps crews in Tucson, Ariz., and Salida, Colo., but this was his first time on a saw crew. "It's hard to say what I don't like about the job," Kaufmann said, but added, "I enjoy camping and being outside."

"These crews knocked out work on slopes that we can't treat with large equipment," said Elder. "With the experience the crew members have in this great place, it really is a win-win."

The Lone Mesa State Park fuels mitigation project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The U.S. Forest Service received $1.15 billion for forest project work nationwide and has directed a portion of the funding to states through a competitive grant process. The USFS awarded the Colorado State Forest Service a High-Priority Forest Restoration and Fuels Mitigation Grant. The CSFS then provided funds for the Lone Mesa project through a sub-grant to the Colorado Youth Corps Association.

Lone Mesa State Park is 23 miles north of the town of Dolores, encompasses 11,760 acres and ranges in elevation from about 7,200 feet to just over 9,000 feet. The park is closed to the general public until development and management planning is complete.

The SFT program gives 18- to 25-year-old men and women the opportunity to participate in fire mitigation, non-native tree removal and forestry projects on public lands throughout the Four Corners area. The SCC was founded as a non-profit agency in 1998, and provides young women and men structured, safe and challenging work and educational opportunities through employment projects that promote personal growth, development of social skills and an ethic of natural resource stewardship. To learn more about the Southwest Conservation Corps, visitwww.sccorps.org.

Attracting nearly 12 million visitors per year, Colorado's 42 State Parks are a vital cornerstone of Colorado's economy and quality of life. Colorado State Parks encompass 225,099 land and water acres, offering some of the best outdoor recreation destinations in the state. Colorado State Parks is a leader in providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, protecting the state's favorite landscapes, teaching generations about nature and partnering with communities. Colorado State Parks also manage more than 4,100 campsites, and 57 cabins and yurts. For more information on Colorado State Parks or to purchase an annual pass online, visit www.colorado.gov/parks.