Stonyford,
CA - Three groups of trail volunteers were
fully engaged on the Mendocino
National Forest the weekend of April 20-21 in a diverse range of conservation activities. Most of the work
is related to helping rehabilitate this destination OHV riding area
after it was devastated by the 2012 Mill Fire. The catastrophic wildfire
burned over 82,000
acres last summer, impacting about three-fourths of the
trail system in the Grindstone Ranger District.
One group of volunteers is finishing its official
Forest Service chainsaw certification class that will enable them to
help clear downed trees that often block trails. Other trail enthusiasts
worked with agency staff and installed new trail barriers that help
delineate the route and protect sensitive areas from
unauthorized use.
Club members also did work on Trail 33, otherwise
known to local dirtbikers as the Steam Donkey Trail. These post-fire
volunteer efforts have been in progress since October 2012 in an effort to reopen
the area for public use by June 1, 2013.
Don Amador, Western representative for the
BlueRibbon Coalition, said, "It has been amazing to see the heroic
efforts made by the volunteers, Forest Service staff, crews from CA OHV
Division and Trails Unlimited and many others to repair trail erosion control
structures, signing and ... trail delineators so that the unit can
be reopened for public use."
"This collaborative effort is a good example of
what can be accomplished when trail enthusiasts work side by side with
federal and state partners to maintain and improve OHV recreational
opportunity for this and future generations, particularly after the area
was hit by a destructive event," Amador concluded.
