17 Nov 2018
Native grass finally takes root on reclaimed land aside Horse Gulch Road
Native grass is taking root on a stretch of land aside Horse Gulch Road after a multi-phased reclamation project carried out by La Plata County officials.
Grass takes root in the reclaimed land aside Horse Gulch Road.
La Plata County began working on the road in January after requests were made by Trails 2000 and City of Durango officials to fix the mess of interwoven ruts that crossed the road.
The previous condition of Horse Gulch Road was aesthetically chaotic, but had some erosion problems that people wanted to see mitigated. Emergency response officials had also requested last year that the road be made accessible for their vehicles.
In January, a bulldozer was used to regrade the road below the Meadow Loop. Waddles and water bars were installed to stabilize the drain paths. Native seeds were cast out along the flattened soil, and raked in, according to La Plata County Environmental Specialist Leslie Jacoby.
Later, orange plastic fencing was erected to discourage people from traveling across part of this regraded landscape.
By August, seed was still having trouble taking root, and a big rut was forming at the bottom of the reclamation project.
Grass raked into soil
After expressing concern with Jacoby, work was initiated on the corridor once again. Boulders were used to help direct traffic away from the reclaimed area. Cobble stones were used to help stabilize the soil where runoff was concentrated.
Soil in the corridor along Horse Gulch Road was raked aggressively, and green grasses are starting to flourish. The soils were audaciously reseeded to make this happen.
The orange plastic fencing was removed. A sign declaring the are closed for revegetation was left on site.
I want to thank Leslie Jacoby for putting in the work and effort needed to make this project successful. Much appreciated!
New grass sprouts alongside Horse Gulch Road in an area that’s closed for revegetation.
