Trail News
Foresthill Trails Alliance
April, 1996
New Meeting Place -- Courthouse Cafe
Due to remodeling at the Forest House, our meeting on May 2nd
at 6 PM will be at the Courthouse Cafe.
Celebrate California Trail Days, April 27-28th
This is the big weekend of the year in California, the time when
all trail users join together and work on and publicly celebrate
the trails. Thousands of people all over the state will be
participating in the best of volunteer, grass-root traditions --
doing it ourselves, and doing it together. When we work on the
trails, we invest ourselves in them and plant memories that we
may recall and enjoy for years to come as we use the trails
that we have built. The more people who come out and spend some
time working on the trails, the more people who invest even a
little effort, the stronger the roots of the trails will be. We
are lucky that government and tax dollars do not do it all in
this case. Through our efforts we build, maintain and own the
trails. There are many public facilities over which we have
little input and little control, but trails are one of the few
that we still can and must claim. So, invite your friends and
family and let's go out and work on the trails together.
Especially invite the young people for this is something that
they can help build for their future. As kids make meaningful
contributions like this they have something on which they can
build hope, a future in which they have invested. Kids need to
see their parents and grandparents working for the public
benefit in ways that they can understand. It will be fun and we
may feel tired at the end of the day, but we will feel good
inside. Here is the list of projects to choose from:
Saturday, April 27th
Culvert Trail, 9:30 - 12:30 -- Meet at the junction of Old
Foresthill Rd and Mammoth Bar Rd.
Sponsored by State Parks and Rec. and FATRAC. Contact: Chris
Marney, 339-2833.
Sunday, April 28th
New Trail, 9:30 AM -- Meet at
8-mile curve on Foresthill Rd to
continue building the new trail. Greg Wells from Parks and Rec.
will coordinate volunteers and provide equipment. Wear long
sleeves and pants and bring water. Be prepared for poison oak.
Afterwards we will have a barbeque at the rocks by
8-mile curve where the trail starts. Mike Winslow has offered to
cook chicken, ribs and roasted corn on the cob for us. Any side
dishes that you'd like to share will be welcome. Sponsored by
State Parks and Rec., FATRAC and the Foresthill Trails Alliance.
Contact: Greg Wells, 367-2760.
Francisco's, 9 AM -- Meet at
Francisco's (take Driver's Flat Rd
to the river and go up McKeon-Ponderosa) to build a short trail
around the edge of the swampy area and install a picnic table
and two hitching posts at the back of the pasture. We will also
be installing warning signs directing horses away from the
swampy area. Bring the usual trail building equipment, water
and beer (Charlie's suggestion). Volunteers are also invited to
join in for the barbeque at the New Trail. Sponsored by the
Western States Trail Foundation. Contact: Charlie Gabri,
367-2981.
Morningstar Trail Blocked by Property Owner Unhappy with
Motorcycles
We are in danger of losing Morningstar Trail which goes through
private property in the Eaglecrest sub-division and is an
important connection between Spring Garden Rd and Ponderosa Way.
There have been confrontations
between a property owner over whose property and driveway the
trail passes and kids (or at least one kid) who
rides motorcycles on the trail. The property owner also was
reportedly threatened by an adult who said they had been riding
motorcycles there for years and no one was going to stop them.
The teachers at the Forest Cottage Preschool have also had
run-ins with a boy riding his motorcycle. They take the kids
for trail walks on Morningstar Trail and have been almost run
over by the speeding motorcycle. Contacting the parents has not
changed the situation. This really is a nightmare for us. We
may lose an important trail because of this conflict.
Motorcycles used to be a big problem on the Todd's Valley Trail.
The noise and the speed make motorcycles incompatible with
neighborhood trails. There are two extensive trail sites
dedicated for motorcycles in our area -- Mammoth Bar and
SugarPine OHV areas. Unfortunately they are not readily
accessible to kids every day after school. We hope that if
there is enough interest in riding motorcycles outings and
transportation could be organized. We have at least one member
who has offered to provide this transportation. We don't want
to lose neighborhood trails completely because of motorcycles.
Responsible use by equestrians, bicyclists and pedestrians can
be sustained through neighborhoods. Trails are an asset to the
community that greatly enhance our quality of life.
We will be contacting the parties involved to try to work
something out. It is important to have a connecting trail to
Ponderosa Rd. There are no easements in place for the
Morningstar trail. Last year we spoke with the planner for the
Driesback development through which this trail also goes. He
agreed to preserve the trail within the development. We also did
some maintenance work on the trail. If the Eaglecrest homeowners
are unwilling to allow continued use of the trail, maybe a trail
can be built along Foresthill Rd. when the road is rebuilt. We
hope we can find solutions and keep the trails available.
No-Hands Bridge Update
Thousands of people (including all 16 people who attended our
March meeting) have signed petitions calling for the restoration
of No-Hands Bridge and the preservation of the Western States
Trail. The Western States Trail Foundation is coordinating
efforts to repair and re-open the bridge. Copies of the
petitions are being sent to local Supervisors (who recently
voted to support repair of the bridge) and to our Senators and
Representative. Measurements for an independent engineering
survey to determine the structural strength of the bridge have
been taken and the numbers are being crunched now. A report of
the results should be coming out soon. In the meantime
fundraising for repairs is progressing with more than $15000
pledged. If you'd like to make a contribution, please send a
check made out to "No-Hands Bridge Fund" to 701 High St., #228C,
Auburn, CA 95603. Private money alone will not be enough to
finance the repairs so efforts to secure public funding are also
underway. They plan to repair the bridge THIS FALL while the
river water is low. Techniques for repairing the structure
without diverting the water are being researched. The cost of
the repair is estimated at $160,000. For comparison, the
historic Walker Bridge is being re-installed as a pedestrian
bridge one mile above the Rainbow Bridge in Folsom for a cost of
$750,000 and is targeted to open in September.
Good News from the Forest Service
The Forest Service is proceeding with the "Rustic Option" for
Robinson Flat which is the one we asked for -- separate camping
areas for equestrians and other campers, new loop trails and
expanded parking and turn-around areas.
A new section of trail that the Western States Trail Foundation
has been working on for the last ten years is finally going to
be built. It will replace a section of the trail on the road
from Deep Canyon to Last Chance. The trail
will be about 3 miles long and will be built this year, but not
used in Western States events until 1998.
Insurance -- We finally have it!
Youth Outing -- April 26th, 2 PM -- Walk/Run the Culvert Trail
to No-Hands Bridge. For more information, call Sherri 367-3928.
Foresthill Trails Alliance
P.O. Box 468 Foresthill, CA 95631
916-367-3851
e-mail: fta@foothill.net
Web Address: http://foothill.net/fta.html