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ENLARGE
Adventure Bound River Expeditions owner Tom Kleinschnitz (center rear) leads a raft trip through Ruby Horsethief Canyon Saturday and Sunday to help volunteers plant cottonwood trees along the banks of the Colorado River. Standing is Matt Simpson, Al Kreinberg (blue jacket); seated are Mara Ferris and Joe Neuhof.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Boatman Tom Kleinschnitz remembers his first river trip as a kid.
“I said, ‘Holy Toledo, this is as good as it gets,'” Kleinschnitz said.
He's made a career on rivers ever since — from chief pot scrubber for a rafting company at age 14, to owner of Adventure Bound River Expeditions since 1973 leading trips down Colorado and Utah rivers.
Kleinschnitz and four other volunteer guides — Matt Simpson, Al Kreinberg, Josh Powers and Jeff Winegar — donated their time and equipment during the weekend by leading a group intent on restoring shade and natural habitat along a stretch of Colorado River in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
Kleinschnitz and his crew led three rafts though Ruby Horsethief Canyon Saturday and Sunday, camping along the way in an area called Black Rocks where members of Friends of McInnis Canyons NCA planted 20 Fremont Cottonwood trees.
Dams on the Colorado River have eased natural flooding over the years, causing fewer cottonwood saplings to take hold. Additionally, invasive plant species such as tamarisk compete with cottonwoods for water.
Eight years ago, Bureau of Land Management park ranger Troy Schnurr — 2009 National River Ranger of the Year — began planting cottonwoods along the Colorado to bring shade and native habitat back to the area. To date he's planted 275 cottonwoods in Ruby Horsethief Canyon. He tends to the saplings all summer long.
Owen O'Fallon, president of Friends of McInnis Canyons NCA, contacted the BLM about contributing to the agency's effort at restoring the native Cottonwoods.
“I said, ‘Holy Toledo, this is as good as it gets,'” Kleinschnitz said.
He's made a career on rivers ever since — from chief pot scrubber for a rafting company at age 14, to owner of Adventure Bound River Expeditions since 1973 leading trips down Colorado and Utah rivers.
Kleinschnitz and four other volunteer guides — Matt Simpson, Al Kreinberg, Josh Powers and Jeff Winegar — donated their time and equipment during the weekend by leading a group intent on restoring shade and natural habitat along a stretch of Colorado River in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
Kleinschnitz and his crew led three rafts though Ruby Horsethief Canyon Saturday and Sunday, camping along the way in an area called Black Rocks where members of Friends of McInnis Canyons NCA planted 20 Fremont Cottonwood trees.
Dams on the Colorado River have eased natural flooding over the years, causing fewer cottonwood saplings to take hold. Additionally, invasive plant species such as tamarisk compete with cottonwoods for water.
Eight years ago, Bureau of Land Management park ranger Troy Schnurr — 2009 National River Ranger of the Year — began planting cottonwoods along the Colorado to bring shade and native habitat back to the area. To date he's planted 275 cottonwoods in Ruby Horsethief Canyon. He tends to the saplings all summer long.
Owen O'Fallon, president of Friends of McInnis Canyons NCA, contacted the BLM about contributing to the agency's effort at restoring the native Cottonwoods.
About a dozen people participated in the tree-planting river trip, including Greg Joder of Boulder.
“I wanted to be part of a neat conservation project with a bunch of people who clearly appreciate the river,” Joder said.
Laney Heath of Grand Junction also attended the trip.
“It will be wonderful to come back in maybe 10 years and see the cottonwoods shading this beautiful area,” Heath said.
Schnurr and Katie Stevens, NCA manager for the BLM, arrived to Black Rocks Friday, bringing with them the trees and shovels. Twenty trees were planted Saturday in several campsites in the Black Rocks area.
Wherever along the river there's a cottonwood sapling with a wire cage around it, there's probably a bucket nearby.
Schnurr devised a watering system where barrels filled with river water are hooked up to a gravity-fed drip system timed to water the trees every other day. Schnurr refills the system every two weeks beginning in the spring.
He also relies on campers to pitch in and water the trees as well. Buckets are left at poles with signs asking campers to haul a bucket or two of river water to the young trees.
“Next year we'll focus on the old Cottonwood galleries along the river corridor,” Schnurr said. “The best way to keep those cottonwoods healthy is to go in and remove the tamarisk out from underneath those old cottonwood trees.”
The thirsty tamarisk compete for water and are a source of fuel in the event of fires, Schnurr said.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
“I wanted to be part of a neat conservation project with a bunch of people who clearly appreciate the river,” Joder said.
Laney Heath of Grand Junction also attended the trip.
“It will be wonderful to come back in maybe 10 years and see the cottonwoods shading this beautiful area,” Heath said.
Schnurr and Katie Stevens, NCA manager for the BLM, arrived to Black Rocks Friday, bringing with them the trees and shovels. Twenty trees were planted Saturday in several campsites in the Black Rocks area.
Wherever along the river there's a cottonwood sapling with a wire cage around it, there's probably a bucket nearby.
Schnurr devised a watering system where barrels filled with river water are hooked up to a gravity-fed drip system timed to water the trees every other day. Schnurr refills the system every two weeks beginning in the spring.
He also relies on campers to pitch in and water the trees as well. Buckets are left at poles with signs asking campers to haul a bucket or two of river water to the young trees.
“Next year we'll focus on the old Cottonwood galleries along the river corridor,” Schnurr said. “The best way to keep those cottonwoods healthy is to go in and remove the tamarisk out from underneath those old cottonwood trees.”
The thirsty tamarisk compete for water and are a source of fuel in the event of fires, Schnurr said.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
