Youth Corps supports Watershed Restoration

Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) partnered with the High Line Canal Conservancy to restore the High Line Canal by mapping, inventorying, and removing 115 invasive Russian olive trees from 14 miles of the corridor. As one of the longest (over 71 miles) continuous urban trails in the country, the Canal twists through the most populated area of Colorado while crossing multiple and varied communities. Over 350,000 residents reside within one mile of the Canal and annually more than 500,000 people use the Canal as a recreational asset.

During 2022, through the support of CWCB, 19 young adults served on a crew at Mile High Youth Corps to reduce the impact from invasive trees which tax limited water resources and outcompete native and desired vegetation. If allowed to continue to spread along the corridor unchecked, established trees and new plantings will struggle to compete with Russian olive for increasingly limited water resources. This project support helps to highlight the importance of investing in watersheds across our communities.