Trail News October '98 Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30 PM, at the Community Rm behind the library

Foresthill Divide Loop Trail - Opening Ceremony Nov 1st
At last, the Foresthill Divide Loop Trail will be officially opened to mountain bike riders and equestrians on November 1st. There will be a short work session, beginning at 10 AM at Upper Lake Clementine Rd. The ceremony and trail ride/run/hike will follow. This trail has been under construction for the past three years and thousands of hours of volunteer work have been poured into it. Greg Wells from State Parks and the FATRAC Mountain Bike Club have done most of the work and have given the area a tremendous new 10 mile trail. Please join us to celebrate and thank them for their efforts!

Mountain Quarry Railroad Trail Proposal
Enclosed is a draft of a proposal from State Parks for new trail along the old railroad bed in the Confluence area. State Parks is trying to talk with all interested groups to see if there is sufficient community support and enthusiasm for this project. They are making modifications to their proposal based on the feedback they are receiving. The equestrian users have expressed some concern that a one mile section of the Western States Trail and the Mountain Quarry Bridge itself would be converted to multi-use as part of this project. At the September meeting this draft was reviewed and we voted to write a letter of support for this project. Our view-point is that the railbed is appropriate for multi-use and this project would significantly enhance the Confluence area, make it accessible to more users and provide a meaningful link to the past as well as physical links to explore and enjoy today.

Map Homework
Thank you to everyone who turned in a map in September. We are consolidating the information and trying to come up with a plan and some goals for each area. The area for this month is between Upper Todd Valley Rd and the Middle School on the Middle Fork side of Foresthill Rd. One thing to note, we are not asking people to trespass on private property to scout out trails and we do not intend to publish maps of trails going through private property "to the world", as we were accused of doing at the last Forum meeting. We are trying to gather together an inventory of existing trails which we use at FTA and Community Plan team meetings and do not publish. In many cases we do not know who owns the property until we do further research. We are primarily focused on trying to make connections to trails on public lands and to provide for trails as part of new development. Trails through private property are extremely sensitive. We'd like for trails in new development to be on dedicated public property rather than on easements so that expectations are clear and liability issues are avoided. We are grateful for people who allow trails through their land. This is one of the most generous gifts one could give. We want to do what we can to help with problems. If you have a trail concern or know someone who does, please contact us and we will try to find a solution. You can write to the address below or talk to any FTA member.

THANK YOU Robber's Roost
Thank you to everyone who ate out at Robber's Roost on Sept 30th, and a very special thank you to Robber's Roost for offering local non-profits this great way to raise funds. We received a $390 check from Robber's Roost and an invitation to sign up again.

Cleaning Up Along Foresthill Rd
Thank you to Lori Lunsford for taking over coordinating this activity. We cleaned our section of Foresthill Rd which is just above Baker Ranch.

Board Elections at October Meeting!!

Agenda for October 14th, 6:30 PM
Community Rm, behind the Library

1. Call To Order
2. Treasurer's Report
3. Political Action
     - Community Plan - Town Hall Meeting 10/29
     - Forum Meeting Report
     - Roberta Hansen Project Report
4. Trail Maintenance
     - Foresthill Divide Loop Trail - work day, opening ceremony 11/1
     - Todd Valley Trail, no motor vehicle signs
     - Trail Scouting Reports
5. Outings
     - Family/Youth Outing - 11/1, Foresthill Divide Loop Trail
6. Old Business
     - Todd Valley Trail connection next to Sky-View
7. New Business
     - Insurance 
     - Board Elections
     - Meeting night schedule change?
8. Open Forum
9. Work on Maps
     - Trails between Upper Todd Valley Rd. and the Middle School(turn in)
     - Trails between the Middle School and California St.