Foresthill Trails Alliance Newsletter
March 1996
60 People Show Up For Trail Building Class
A great crowd sat on the sunny rocks at 8-mile curve on
Foresthill Rd. and took notes as
Greg Wells, State Parks and Rec. Ranger in charge of trails,
gave a quick overview of building
trails. Mark Lambert, Forest Service Ranger, also volunteered
his own time to help with the
class. Notes from the class will be available
at the April FTA meeting and via the Internet
on our home page at foothill.net/fta on the web. After the
overview we set to work
breaking ground on the new loop trail. Greg had brushed out
about 100 yards for us to work
on, but we quickly finished that so they got out two chainsaws
and started clearing. The rest
of us worked with pulaskis, shovels, and McClouds digging the
trail out of the side of the slope
at the proper grades. By noon we had finished about 300 yards of
trail. It is going to be a
beautiful trail that follows the contours of the hills and
winds by great views and rock outcroppings. If you didn't get a
chance to attend the class, stop by and check out our work.
About 10 people from the FTA participated in the class. The
rest of the people came from
off the hill. A good cross-section of trail users contributed,
including motorcycle riders, but the most numerous and
enthusiastic were from the Fat Tracks bicycle club. There were
also a lot of kids helping. It was a great start. Everyone who
participated felt good about building
this new trail. There is something about building it with your
own hands that makes a thing dear. New trails are few and far between.
This project is a chance for all trail users to
work together in partnership with Parks and Rec. The
relationships forged through shared labor may be very valuable in the future.
The next big work day will be Sunday, April 28th -- part of the
California Trails Days weekend.
Rex Bloomfield Endorsed
At the March meeting we voted unanimously to endorse Rex
Bloomfield for Supervisor. Rex
is an active supporter of trails. He attended many of our
functions including the Snow Play
Day and our Christmas Party. He rode in the Foresthill 4th of
July Parade with us. When
Rex has been with us he has been low key and unobtrusive. He
listens and does what he
can to help. He arranged for the County to give us $1000 to get
help get our organization
going in its first year. He helped preserve 6000 acres on the
North Fork of the American
River. He has worked hard to get the trail along Auburn Ravine
built and has pushed for
trails through new developments that have come before the
Supervisors.
We had hoped that Gerda Percival would also support trails, but
she made her position clear
at the Candidate's Night that she does not support trails
through new developments. When asked if the General Plan called for
preserving trails and open space would she honor it. She said that she
feels this is purely a private property rights issue
and would not support trails through private property, even if
it was in the General Plan. She thinks that trails should go along
the streets.
We are in the FTA because we have experienced the difference
between a trail and a sidewalk and decided that Rex Bloomfield is the
candidate who most strongly understands and agrees with us.
New Hitching Posts Installed
Check out the three new hitching posts that Dale Courville
installed by the Hangman's Tree on McKeon-Ponderosa.
At the last meeting we talked about putting some hitching posts there
and asking the Dept. of Fish and Game for a picnic table. Dale
said he had some posts and other people described how they would like
them -- corners angled off on the top and tall
enough to prevent a horse from trying to roll. Dale must have
been listening because the
posts are installed and they are perfect. He also did a lot of
work on McKeon-Ponderosa Rd.
He diverted the water into the ditch so it wouldn't further
erode the road. Last month he
cleared a huge pine tree that fell across the road. He also
mowed the grass at White Oak
Flat. He has been trying to keep the kids from riding
motorcycles there since they have
recently tore up the ground around the oak trees at White Oak
Flat. He even told the kids
that he has a truck and would give them a ride to the OHV areas
where they could ride
all they want. Next time you see Dale please tell him thank you
and be careful about
mentioning anything that might need to be done because he'll
probably do it.
No-Hands Bridge
Saturday March 9th was a beautiful sunny day. A perfect day for
being out on the trails. Yet
about 400 people were inside the Civic Center in Auburn to hear
BLM and State Parks and Rec.
explain why they had closed No Hands Bridge. The
representatives from BLM and Parks and
Rec. said at the beginning that the purpose of the meeting was
to explain why the bridge was
closed. It was not to get input from the public, although there
was an hour allocated at the
end of the meeting for questions and constructive suggestions
from the public. People representing organizations were allowed
to speak first and if there was time left
individuals would be allowed to speak. As it turned out there
was no time left.
The information provided by BLM depicting the condition of the bridge
will be available at the April FTA meeting. It is complicated to evaluate
the safety of the structure and the Western States Trail Foundation is
leading an effort to work with BLM and Parks and Rec to get an independent
engineering survey done that all parties will believe. Funds are being
raised for this effort and for repairing the bridge. Donations can be sent
to FOWSTA (Friends of the Western States Trail Alliance) 701 High St. #228C
Auburn, CA 95603. In addition a local runner has designed and is selling
"Save No Hands Bridge" T-shirts. She is selling them for $15 and all profits
go toward repairing the bridge. Over 400 T-shirts have been sold so far,
most of them in one day at the Cool Canyon Crawl.
Sherri Osborn spoke on behalf of the FTA and said that the
Western States Trail is an
important asset to our community and we will join with the other
groups to work to get
No Hands Bridge repaired and to preserve the Western States
Trail and other trails that the
bridge provides access to. Jill Pass also spoke for us sharing
some of the emotion of her
personal experience of finally crossing No Hands Bridge on her
good horse that had carried her
over the Western States Trail to finish the Tevis. She said
that now she points out the bridge
to her children and tells stories to them of that great
experience that she hopes someday they
too will be able to have for themselves. Hal Hall spoke for the
Historical Society and said
that the bridge is registered on their list of historical sites
and they too support its restoration.
Many other group representatives spoke passionately and eloquently.
I wish we had a video camera because it was a meeting
that the greater community should have seen.
Sled Dog Races
About 200 people showed up for the Sled Dog Races. The
organizers thought this was a
good turn-out given that this was the first year and the races
had to be postponed from the
original date due to lack of snow. The County (via Rex
Bloomfield) contributed $2000 to
the event and five local businesses each contributed $250. They
lost money this year, but
many consider it an investment in building up a new source of
input into the local economy.
They plan to do it again next year and say that with all they
have learned this year they should
be able to get closer to 5000 people to attend next year. Thank
you to the volunteers who went up and helped put on the event.
California St. Has Been Cleared
The rafters cleared the tree on Nugget Dr. and some unidentified good person
cleared the other big tree between miles 4 and 5. Equestrians should now
be able to ride the trail and it is ready for the WSTF Fun Ride on April 27th.
Auburn Dam To Be Discussed at April 4th Meeting
We talked about the Auburn Dam and how it may flood the last 30 miles of the
Western States Trail, Cool Canyon Crawl trails, Confluence trails and the
OHV area at Mammoth Bar at the March meeting. The members in attendance
leaned toward opposing the Auburn Dam, but wanted to give other members a
chance to join in the conversation before voting on any position or actions.
If you care about this please attend the April 4th meeting or communicate
your thoughts to one of the FTA board members.