Red Mountain Open Space Historic Horse Barn, CO 2023 (RMOS Barn)
Nestled in the valleys of Larimer County’s majestic Red Mountain Open Space stands an iconic horse barn in need of dedicated preservationists. We invite you to join us this fall in northern Colorado to cap a season of historic volunteerism!
PROJECT PARTNER: Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
SESSION DATES: September 17-22, September 24-29, October 1-6, and October 8-13
PROJECT SUPERVISOR: Ian Oeser
CREW LEADER: Daniel Ensalaco
SPECIAL OFFER: *All volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt and be entered in a drawing to receive a Larimer County Parks Pass*
Project Site Description & History
The Roberts-Goodwin buildings at Red Mountain Open Space serve as physical historic remnants of the area’s pioneer agricultural and ranching heritage. The focus of our work is on a 100+ year old horse barn that shares the history of farmers and ranchers who settled here between the 1870s and 1920.
Two hundred years ago, French-Canadians and Native Americans traveled through the region, working their way over the course of several days along the edge of the Rockies to reach the trading hub of Bent’s Old Fort. Twelve thousand years ago, humans, including the Shoshone, Arapaho, and Eastern Cheyenne nations, established settlements in the area, taking advantage of the abundant natural resources they found there. Today, Red Mountain Open Space, owned and managed by Larimer County’s Department of Natural Resources is part of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains conservation project that conserves more than 55,000 acres.
At this ecologically unique area where the mountains and plains meet, RMOS boasts an incredible wealth of biodiversity and provides critical habitat to a wide variety of species. The area holds archaeological artifacts that share the stories of the many peoples who have lived here over thousands of years, and miles of trails weave through the striking red rocks, prairie grasses, and hidden streams that weave through the landscape.
HistoriCorps is excited to return in 2023 to repair and rehabilitate the historic horse barn following the successful restoration of the historic schoolhouse our volunteers completed back in 2021. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to camp up at an open space that doesn’t normally allow this type of use. We hope our volunteers are as thrilled as we are to continue this project surrounded by the beauty of Red Mountain Open Space!
Location and Logistics
SESSION DATES: September 17-22, September 24-29, October 1-6, and October 8-13. Please plan to arrive at the campsite no earlier than 5pm and no later than 7pm on the first day of your session.
LOCATION: Located roughly 50 minutes north of Fort Collins. We will camp at the shady grove just before the barn.
· MAP to CAMPSITE
· MAP to PROJECT SITE
ACCESS: 
We will be making camp just outside of the job site. Volunteers must adhere to the rules and regulations at Red Mountain Open Space. Tents are permitted and there is room for a few truck or van campers in designated spaces. No RV spaces will be provided. Showers will not be available so please come prepared to dry camp. No campfires are allowed, cooking stoves are permitted. The project partners are committed to diverse wildlife in this important conservation region and therefore no dogs are permitted at this site. We appreciate your understanding, and our project partners will too!
WEATHER: Anticipate highs in the 70s and potentially lows in the 30s. Weather conditions may be rainy, cloudy, or sunny. Volunteers are responsible for checking weather conditions before their session begins, and packing appropriately.
ABOUT VOLUNTEERING: HistoriCorps projects are free for volunteers! HistoriCorps will provide all meals, tools, training, equipment, and a campsite. Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation to the campsite, sleeping equipment, work gloves, clothes and boots, and other personal gear.
Scope of Work
SCOPE OF WORK DIFFICULTY: 
HistoriCorps is committed to educating and training volunteers in preservation skills, with an overarching mission of inspiring a preservation ethic in all those involved. Expect moderate difficulty from being at elevation above 7,000 feet, sun exposure, climbing scaffolding, and working at heights.
- Repair/replace deteriorated wood siding (30%)
- Scrape, prime, and paint all siding (40%)
- Repair/replace trims (10%)
- Repair/replace selected metal roof panels (10%)
- Rehabilitate windows and doors (if time allows) (10%)
Please note: Tasks vary by day and by week, depending on a variety of factors including: weather, project priorities, previous groups’ work, and more. Though it is likely you will get to learn and practice most or all of the above tasks, it is not guaranteed. The higher percentage of the scope a particular task is, the more likely you will get to practice it.
Sign Up!
We’re thrilled this project has inspired you to volunteer!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Visit our Job Calendar to see if a project session is full.
*All registrations submitted to projects at capacity will be automatically added to our waitlist.*
You will know your registration was successful when you receive a confirmation email. Contact volunteer@historicorps.org for assistance.
HistoriCorps does not charge for its volunteering projects. HistoriCorps relies on donations to continue engaging volunteers to save significant historical sites across America for generations to come. Your donation of any amount will make an incredible difference! Increase your impact – make a generous gift today.
Volunteer Logistics, Policies, and Advice
We’re so glad you’re interested in joining this project! If you’re new to our community, review the Volunteer FAQ first! Please note the following logistics and policies:
- Volunteering with HistoriCorps is free! We will provide all meals, tools, training, equipment, and a campsite or shared indoor lodging. Dinner is not provided on the first night.
- Volunteers are responsible for bringing their own gear, work gloves, sturdy work clothes and boots, and appropriate sleeping equipment. Check the average temperatures before you start packing – the nights and mornings may be colder than you anticipate! Then, read this advice about how to stay warm when tent camping in colder places.
- Campsite accessibility varies by project. Some projects can accommodate tents only; others can accommodate small RVs. Please review the project site description above for more information, and if you’re still not sure, email volunteer@historicorps.org for help.
- If this project does not offer showers, you might want to consider bringing a solar shower or research other methods to clean up after the work day.
- Volunteer crew sizes generally range from 4-8 volunteers, with two HistoriCorps staff that lead and train volunteers in the work.
- Safety is one of HistoriCorps’ top priorities, and volunteers can contribute to a safe working environment by ensuring their physical fitness is adequate for the work. See above for this project’s scope of work and difficulty level. Please, call us if you are not quite sure if a project is a good fit for your skills or fitness level. We may be able to suggest a project more suitable and enjoyable for you.
- Hard hats, eye protection, ear protection, gloves are standard personal protection equipment (PPE) required on all projects. Hard hats must be worn at all times on the project site, unless working in a designated safe space. Field staff will train volunteers on correct use of PPE.
- Dogs are generally allowed to accompany their humans in project campsites (actually, we love having dogs join us around the campfire!). Dogs are not permitted on the job site for everyone's safety. HOWEVER: HistoriCorps also follows the rules and regulations of our project partner. If the project partner does not permit dogs onsite then HistoriCorps is no exception. Please ask HistoriCorps or the project partner directly if you have any questions about whether Fido is welcome.