A very big THANK YOU to the nearly 800 employees and their families who came out for an incredible Vail Resorts Echo Day on Saturday, October 1; almost double the volunteers from last year's inaugural VR Echo Day!
In total, Vail Resorts Echo contributed over 3,000 hours of volunteer service to each of our communities, helping improve local habitats and trails to better the areas where we live and work. seven locations
With an outstanding 27% participation rate, Team Heavenly is the winner of this year's VR Echo Day participation contest. Congratulations and thank you to the 114 people who worked hard in South Lake Tahoe! Every employee volunteer from Heavenly will receive a lift ticket for any Vail Resorts' mountain to give to a friend or family member. Congratulations and well done Team Heavenly!
Summit County, CO, employees and their families helped control erosion and improved drainage on Peaks Trail while learning what makes a trail sustainable.
Employees of Heavenly Mountain Resort and their families partnered with the Sugar Pine Foundation to assist in planting more than 1,000 sugar pine (the biggest pine tree in the world) seedlings in the Gondola Fire scar area in Van-Sickle State Park. “Through the support of VR Echo, we are able to kick off a series of tree planting days that will improve forest health in the area. In total, the Sugar Pine Foundation plans to plant 10,000 seedlings this fall," said Maria Mircheva, Sugar Pine Foundation’s executive director.
In Truckee, CA, Northstar employees and their families spent the day repairing land that has been damaged by motor vehicle use and readying the property for public use. “This property is important not only because it is part of the scenic gateway to Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, but also because its trails are key connections to a larger, regional network of trails,” said John Svahn, the Land Trust’s stewardship director.
In the Colorado Front Range, employees and their families spent the day creating and installing self-guided interpretive posts and signage, which will mark the Fountain Valley and Willow Creek hiking trails. They will also clean up around the Willow Creek Falls area and assist with bridge maintenance at the Park’s Sundance Ranch, a unique landmark site. “Roxborough wouldn’t be the beautiful place that it is without the help of generous volunteer groups like VR Echo,” said Farrow. “This specific project will enable visitors of all ages to thoroughly enjoy the self-guided trail in this natural landscape.”
In Bimini Bay employees and their families cleaned and cleared an area to plant new trees and bushes. The team then built a new playground for local children to use. What was once an overgrown lot, now has a swing set, a tire swing, chin up bars, a see saw, a balance beam and over 35 new plants and trees.
The day after the event, Lloyd Edgecombe,a Chief Government official for Bimini, said, “Yesterday was a great day for the people of Bimini and for the people of Porgy Bay in particular. On behalf of Local government and the good people of Bimini, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the team for the amazing job at the park. The kids are all excited about the park. Congratulations to the team.”
Pictures from the 2nd Annual VR Echo Day are being posted. Checkout the photo gallery to see the pictures as they are added.
The Vail Daily has posted an article recaping Eagle County's VR Echo Day which can be found here. The Summit Daily also has an article about Summit County's VR Echo Day which can be found here.
See you at VR Echo Day 2012!
