FTA News October 2002 October Meeting: Wednesday, October 9th, 6:30 PM, U.S. Forest Service Office, 22830 Foresthill Rd. (parking and meeting room is in rear of the building)

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, learn about trails, help preserve and develop our trail system!!!!!!!! Bring a friend.

Agenda Items
1. CSHA Insurance Question
2. Election of officers
3. George Grant - trails/development
4. Patent Rd Staging Area update
5. Extend the loop/trail at PRSA 6. Brochure

Local good guys
Ben of "Brushbusters", a local brush clearing business, has generously agreed to clear a secion of the connecting trail at the Patent Road Staging Area.

FTA would also like to thank John Worton for the generous donation of 20 bales of straw to help alleviate any erosion problems at the Patent Road Staging Area. Placer County is very particular on this matter and the bales have been so helpful with this project.

Please Note:
Although the Staging Area parking area is taking shape, the little section of trail where the Staging Area connecting trail joins the Western States Trail has not been fixed and is very very steep and not recommended for equestrian use. The Trails Alliance is working with the Auburn State Recreation Area to redo this section. It will take some time and volunteers to accomplish so please be patient and use the other access points.

The following is the latest e-mail from Greg Soderlund on the 2003 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run:

Dear WS Volunteers --
Hope you are all well and enjouing this fabulous Fall weather. The 2003 entries are rolling in now, and the total number of applicants should be up approximately 150 - 200 over the '02 applicant numbers. This is probably due to the "Race For The Soul" ('01 WS Run) being shown nationally on PBS last March, and 2003 will be the 30th Anniversary of the Run.

We will again be using this year's course changes in 2003. The rehab of Duncan Canyon is on hold while the US Forest Service attempts to coordinate and approve a recovery process for a very badly burned forest with the environmental watchdogs. The upside of this is that it will give us another year to define which trees will likely die and need to be removed. The biggest problem is with the removal of surface fuels accumulated from killed and dying trees and where the money comes to pay for it. WS Board members have attended two USFS meetings concerning the Star Fire and have given input at each of these meetings. We have toured Duncan Canyon and gotten a first-hand view of the damage along the WS Trail and what is needed to restore it.

Race Weekend!! June 28th and 29th, 2003
You, volunteers, are the life-blood of this event. Thank you for giving so much of yourselves to the WS Run.
Greg Soderlund, RD, Western States 100, Presented by TNF

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