Announcem Messages - Denver Area Council
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Announcem…Messages
Volume 1, Issue 3 August 2021
“Society grows great when old men and women plant trees whose shade they
shall never sit in.”
- Anonymous
Upcoming Fall Family Picnic:
The 2nd Annual PVAA Fall Family Picnic will be Sunday August 22nd, 11am to
3pm. We’ll meet at Creede campsite, share some stories, and discuss what
projects we want to do next. Then we will hike the Betty Forsyth Conservation
Trail to install new signage and blazes. Special thank you to Jason Brandsma for
sourcing and making the blazes.
Cost: FREE
Alumni Association
Bring your own picnic
Please email peacefulvalleyaa@gmail.com if you can attend.
Peaceful Valley
Membership Options:
− Current or Recent Staff – Free until the year that you turn 24 years old
− Yearly Membership - $25 / year
− Lifetime Membership - $250 total
− Lifetime Member, Founding Member - $500 total, available only in 2021
There is an option to pay for either Lifetime Memberships with installments.
Additional donations can also be made to PVAA’s capital campaign fund. More
information and proposed projects will be released soon.
Are you a currently registered Scout or Scouter? Please give to your local
Investment in Character campaign first as your Council depends on those funds.
Please click here to join.
You can also find more information at our website or ask questions by emailing
peacefulvalleyaa@gmail.com
How Will Membership Funds Be Used?
While there are some administrative costs and credit card fees, we plan on
directing over 85% of funds raised to projects at PV. Please note that 85% is an
incredibly high amount for a 501(c)3 nonprofit to be able to dedicate towards
its cause. This in in part due to the support from Council and our volunteers.
Our hope is to raise enough through memberships that the funds can be placed
in an endowment where the principal will remain untouched, and the interest
can be used to fund projects.
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Betty Forsyth Conservation Trail - Update
On May 1st, 2021, members of the PVAA met to work on Betty’s Trail. Much
progress was made. The cinder blocks and rebar were removed. These had
been identified as a top priority due to the safety issues they posed. This task
was extra difficult as the blocks were filled with concrete and many of them
were connected in pairs.
Before:
Alumni Association
Peaceful Valley
After:
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We also installed brown fiberglass trail
markers with trail finding stickers.
These are the same types of trail
markers that are standard in many
state parks and federal lands. We also
picked up some large rolls of barbed
wire from along the trail and worked
on other ways to make the trail safe.
The day wasn’t all work. Chuck and
Miki Forsyth were able to make it and
we all took the time to say hi and relive
some memories. As usual, Chuck did
most of the talking and everyone was
happy to listen.
Special thanks to all in attendance:
Craig Ritzdorf, David Weaver, Jason
Newell, Andrew Ritzdorf, Gavin
Erickson, Chuck Forsyth, and several
Alumni Association
future PV staff. Not pictured, Miki
Forsyth and Kevin Johnson.
Peaceful Valley
Betty Forsyth Conservation Trail – What’s
Next?
We will continue work during our Fall Family Picnic on August 22nd. We’ll add
custom trail name stickers to the fiberglass trail markers. We’ll also nail blue
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trail blazes to the trees to aid in trail finding through the snow in the winter.
Special thank you to Jason Brandsma for sourcing materials and making the
trail blazes.
The next phase for 2022 would be to install new signage along the trail to aid
Scouts in identifying the various plants. The previous attempts at adding
signage have deteriorated. The new signs would be of the quality that you
typically see in interpretive signs along trails. Here are samples of flower and
tree signage that could be installed.
Alumni Association
Peaceful Valley
The idea would be to not show the name of the plant on the sign, but the scout
leader could use the number in the top right and a key provided at the trail
head to quiz the scouts on the plants. The color photos also allow year-round
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use of the plant identification part of the trail. Allowing the scouts to identify
the flowers and deciduous trees even when they cannot be easily spotted.
If there is interest and enough funds are raised, we could also add similar signs
for mammals, birds, geological interests, or about forest management.
The PVAA is looking for several alums to aid in the sign making. There is the
graphical design of the signs as well as the design of a mount that would
securely hold the sign along the trail with considerations for vandalism and
graffiti.
What Projects Should the PVAA Work on
Next?
We would love to hear from you about what projects should be done next.
Please let us know what areas of PV you are passionate about and could benefit
Alumni Association
from our help.
Peaceful Valley
The PVAA will also gather a list of skilled alums who are willing to lend their
skills to the camp. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, arborists,
mechanics, and many more could greatly alleviate the workload of Scott Field
and his staff. Please email peacefulvalleyaa@gmail.com if you have any skills
that PV could use. There are regular work Saturdays throughout the year and
unique days could also be scheduled as needed.
How Can You Help the PVAA?
Our focus right now is increasing membership. Reach out to former staff or
leaders passionate about PV. Make sure they know about the recent changes to
the PVAA and how to join.
The PVAA is looking for someone to work on the graphical design of the plant
identification signs. As well as the design and fabrication of the mounts to hold
the signs.
I’ll leave you with the closing lines of the “Peaceful Valley Song”
Peaceful Valley you are ours
And will always be.
Peaceful Valley we’ll be true
Through eternity.
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