Archive for the ‘Conejo Valley’ Category

Help CORBA with the restoration of Upper Guadalasca in Pt. Mugu State Park

Friday, September 27th, 2024

CORBA volunteers working on Lower Guadalasca in 2022

Guadalasca is a great mountain biking trail, so when California State Parks asked us to help fix it’s worst problems, we readily agreed.

Upper Guadalasca Trail in Sycamore Canyon (Pt. Mugu State Park) has been deteriorating since 2015 when it last had crews work on it. California State Parks is planning to fix the ruts and build drains to prevent them from re-forming. They have asked CORBA to help in this effort by clearing away some of the weeds that are overgrowing the trail. There is a lot of work to be done!

We are planning a number of work days to cut back the vegetation. Fortunately most of it is tall grass and light chaparral so the work should go quite quickly.

So far, events are being planned for Sunday September 29, Wednesday October 2 and Friday October 4, starting at 7:30 and ending at 2:30, with a half-hour break for lunch (plus whatever other breaks volunteers would like to take). We’ll ride down from the top of the park, and return to parking by 2:30.

We hope you’ll be able to help with the restoration of this great trail! We’ll need you to register for these events online so we’ll know how many people to prepare for. You can register online with “Golden Opportunities” (you’ll need to create an account the first time you use this system). Full details like what you’ll need and where to meet will be found on Golden when you register.

Individual events will be cancelled the day before (at the latest) for inclement weather or an insufficient number of volunteers.

We hope to see you there!

Cancelled: COSCA Spring Trailwork – March 21, 2020

Monday, March 2nd, 2020
COSCA Spring Trailwork

COSCA Spring Trailwork

UPDATE 3/14/2020:  In the wake of recent public health concerns, COSCA has cancelled this trailwork event. Stay tuned for new volunteer, opportunities. and most of all, keep yourselves safe!

 

Join CORBA, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Authority, the Conejo Recreation and Parks District, and our friends at the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council for a day of trailwork in Wildwood Regional Park. We’ll be working on the Santa Rosa trail.

COSCA Spring and Fall trailwork days are always a lot of fun, with over 100 volunteers giving back to the trails. After trailwork, the CRPD rangers will cook a barbecue lunch for all the volunteers. Details are on the flyer, or view a PDF here. Google Map directions are here.

March 21 schedule:

7:30 am: Meet at the inner (lower) lot for check-in at the registration table, complete a release form and pick up some snacks.

8:00 am: Trailwork begins with and orientation and safety instructions, then crew leaders direct teams to the work sites.

12:00 noon: Volunteers treated to lunch!

To help us plan for this event, please sign up in advance with our online form.

Summary of the Conejo Fall Trail Work Day held October 19 in the Conejo Canyons Open Space

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019

Digging to make a drain starts when the vegetation is all gone.

About 80 open space enthusiasts came out to help fix up the trails in the Conejo Canyons in preparation for winter rains. Volunteers came from various organizations such as the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council (SMMTC), CORBA, the El Camino Real charter high school mountain bike team, various Meetup groups and others. The CORBA crew added drains to natural dips in the Hill Canyon Trail so they wouldn’t become muddy bogs when it rains. The other folks hiked up the Canyon Overlook Trail to fill in ruts and remove loose rocks. At noon, the volunteers were rewarded with a taco lunch and prize give-away to thank them for their hard work and generosity in donating their time to open space improvement. COSF, COSCA and the other organizations would like to give a hearty thank-you to all the volunteers!

View some of the workers in our photo gallery!

Help restore trails in the Conejo Canyons during the 2019 Fall Trail Work Day on October 19

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

Join CORBA, SMMTC, COSCA and other volunteer groups to work on the Conejo Open Space trails in Thousand Oaks.

This year we’ll be repairing and doing preventative maintenance on trails in the Conejo Canyons / Western Plateau area that were damaged last November by the Hill Fire and then subsequent winter rains.

We’ll also be celebrating the re-opening of the Hill Canyon Bridge that was severely damaged by the Hill Fire.

There will be a thank you lunch and prize drawings at noon after the work. This is a great event with lots of like-minded folks to help out. If you use the trails in Thousand Oaks, come out and help build and maintain them! No prior experience is necessary and all volunteers work at their own pace, taking plenty of time to rest and chat with other trail enthusiasts!

This annual Conejo Valley event always helps to put some very sweet trails into good shape. Be sure to stay afterwards for the free lunch and prize give-away.

Registration starts at 7:30 am on Saturday October 19 at the Santa Rosa Valley Park (use this Google Map to find your way), and crews assemble and head to the work sites at 8:00 am.

Please help us by signing up online in advance to we’ll know how many people to prepare for – Thanks!

Things to bring:

• work gloves
• long pants and long sleeved shirt
• water, snack
• sunglasses and sunblock

Tools and instructions on how to use them safely will be provided. There will be a free thank-you lunch and prize give-away afterwards from noon until about 2:00 pm.

Remember to sign up online!

Report on the March 16th COSCA Spring Trailwork Day in Hawk Canyon

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

Forty-five to 50 volunteers turned out to help restore several hundred yards of the Hawk Canyon Trail in the Conejo Canyons/Western Plateau open space areas on Saturday March 16th for the annual COSCA Spring Trail Work Day. The area had been burned by the Hill Fire in November, then inundated by heavy winter rains. We worked on the north-eastern half, the newest section that was built in 2017 during the Spring Trail Work Day.

The primary focus of the work was to move the trail slightly uphill, further from the flood plane where it had been buried by mudflows. Because of all the rain, the soil was quite soft and quite easy to dig out and pack down. This made the work easier than normal, but still there was a lot of dirt to move where the cross-slope was quite steep, and there was one section of about 20 feet that was covered by large rocks that had to be moved.

About a quarter of the volunteers worked a little further up the trail, clearing the heavy grass, mustard, thistle and other weeds that were choking off the trail.

Everyone did such a great job that we got finished and back to the staging area for lunch before the expected time of noon.

The event was a cooperative effort of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), the Conejo Open Space Action Committee (COSTAC), the Conejo Open Space Foundation (COSF – provided the thank-you lunch and snacks), the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council trail crew, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) trail crew, and dozens of other volunteers. Thanks everyone for helping make the trails safer and more enjoyable for everyone!

View more photos of the work day in our Spring Trail Work Day photo gallery.

Sapwi Bike Park after the Rains

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019

Good News!! The Sapwi Bike Park in Thousand Oaks remains in good condition. Members of the Sapwi Bike Park Committee have been working hard to protect the pump track with tarps to help minimize the maintenance required. Please continue to not ride the track in a wet/muddy condition and respect the closures.

The committee is preparing for the second phase of the park. They hope to have the funding and plan in place soon.

It has been wonderful to see the many kids enjoying the park and learning new skills.

COSCA March Trailwork Day March 16th

Monday, February 25th, 2019

The Conejo Canyons and Western Plateau in Thousand Oaks have taken a real beating this winter, first by the Hill Fire that denuded the terrain, and then the heavy rain that resulted in ruts and washouts. We’re going to get out there to restore these trails to their original glory!

We use the Conejo Open Space trails regularly, so this is our chance to give back to the community while expanding our trail opportunities!

At noon, following the morning of trail-building, workers will be treated to a thank-you lunch while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow trail enthusiasts!

Wear protective clothing (long-legged pants, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses), sturdy shoes, gloves, hat and sunscreen.

No experience necessary. Tools and instructions on how to use them safely and effectively will be provided. Must be 18+ years of age. As always when in the open spaces, be aware of poison oak, ticks & rattlesnakes. Everyone works at their own comfort level.

Follow instructions of park rangers and trail crew leaders at all times.

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Newbury Park, exit at Rancho Conejo Blvd heading north. Drive 1.8 miles, almost to the end, then turn left onto Conejo Center Drive. Continue 0.3 miles then park in the dirt lot on the right or at the side of the road.

Map: Use this Google map to help you find your way http://bit.ly/UchB4u

Help us prepare for the number of volunteers who will be participating by registering on our Meetup event.

Woolsey and Hill Fire Closures (Updated 12/21)

Tuesday, November 27th, 2018

This past week has been devastating. Our hearts go out to all those who were impacted by the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire, which have ravaged our local mountains. We know that a good portion of CORBA’s membership are in areas affected by the fire. A few lost homes and property. CORBA’s storage shed near Malibu Creek State Park survived, though we weren’t able to confirm so until after Thanksgiving. We truly appreciate the firefighters and first responders who put themselves at incredible risk to battle these fires and save as much as they could.

With so much loss, it may sound a little selfish to be concerned about trails. Being able to go for a mountain bike ride can brighten your day and bring a sense of normalcy to these tumultuous times. But with most of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area closed, where can we ride? We’ve provided a listing below, with links to each park’s web site for the latest updates. We’ll do our best to keep this information current.

Please respect trail and park closures. Our land management agencies have their hands full with fire recovery and damage assessments. Trails in burned areas can be extremely hazardous, even after the fire is “out.”  Fine particulate ash is a lung irritant and can cause severe health problems. Burned, weakened trees can fall at any time, especially in the early days after the fire, or as the ground softens with rain and no vegetation. Once our first big rains hit, trails will be heavily damaged and may become impassable. Just don’t ride closed trails.

As soon as we are able, CORBA will be scheduling trailwork events to help restore trails that will be heavily damaged this coming winter. It might be some time before we can do trailwork or ride. Watch our meetup group or Facebook page for upcoming trailwork events in the new year.

OPEN Areas (Updated Dec 21, 2018):

CLOSED Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (Facebook PageTwitter

CLOSED California State Parks (FacebookTwitter):

  • Malibu Creek State Park – closed until further notice due to the Woolsey Fire. State Parks lost some structures, such as employee residences, the historic Sepulveda Adobe, Red House, Hope Ranch also known as the White Oak Barn (including historic Adamson rowboats) and Reagan Ranch. – Update 12/21: Malibu Creek State Park is now open. Campgrounds are closed, but trails are open. Please stay on the trails!

 

CLOSED Conejo Open Space Areas:

CLOSED Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (FacebookTwitter):

CLOSED Roads:

Last updated: Nov 26, 2018.

Sapwi Trails and Bike Park opens on Sept 22!

Thursday, September 6th, 2018

The ribbon cutting ceremony for Sapwi Trails Community Park in Thousand Oaks will take place on Saturday, Sept 22, 2018 at 9:00 am. The celebration will continue until noon. For updates on this event, visit the Thousand Oaks Sapwi Trails web page.

The volunteers, in coordination with Bellfree Contractors (a trail building company), have been hard at work getting the bike park ready for use. The pump track is shaping up really nicely!

For updates on the bike park, visit the Sapwi Bike Park website.

Report on the COSCA Spring Trailwork Day, June 16, 2018

Sunday, June 17th, 2018

Last month, we started building a new trail that would lead 1.3 miles from Westlake Village Community Park and YMCA up to the Saddle Pass Trail on the ridge above it. This past Saturday we had a larger work day and hoped to finish the trail, but rough terrain made for slow progress, and with only about 70 volunteers, half of what was hoped for, we didn’t make it to the top. But we did compete 0.4 miles of trail, doubling its length. There is a half mile left to connect to the Saddle Pass Trail.

The new trail work areas had a very steep cross-slope. That meant that we had to dig out a lot of dirt to create a trail with the standard 4′-wide tread. On top of that, the dirt was mixed with lots of rocks that made the digging difficult. But the volunteers persevered and we ended up with some sweet new trail!

Lunch was catered by Billy D’s BBQ in Newbury Park. There was lots for everybody!

Thanks to all the volunteers who came out! To see more photos, visit our photo gallery of the Spring trail work day.