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As of 5 pm on Friday May 3, Malibu Creek State Park was closed due to high fire danger, and it was unclear as to whether it would be open on Saturday. In addition, air quality was poor due to smoke moving south into the area from the fires burning in the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. Therefor we have cancelled the 5/4/13 Introduction to Mountain Biking Skills Class. Hope to see you next month, June 1!
By Mark Langton
As the coordinator and instructor for the monthly CORBA Introduction to Mountain Biking Skills Class at Malibu Creek State Park, I look forward to the first Saturday each month to help yet another group of eager mountain bikers become safer and more proficient. I also provide private lessons (mountainbikeskills.com) and have gotten quite a few new clients over the last couple of months, which is pretty typical for this time of year, what with the weather getting nice and a crop of races just around the corner.
What continues to amaze me is how many people think they don’t need coaching. As I say all the time, even the best athletes in the world have coaches. I see people in the CORBA classes who have been riding for quite some time who have developed bad habits that are quite debilitating. And they almost always can be easily corrected with a few minor adjustments. But the adjustments aren’t always intuitive or obvious, and that’s where a coach comes in. If there were a better way to improve one’s technique instead of using interpersonal coaching, I think they would have come up with it by now!
So hopefully I’ll see you one of these months at the FREE CORBA skills class. No reservations needed. Come back as many times as you like, it’s always free!
Join CORBA and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council as we fix up CORBA’s adopted trail, Space Mountain (Los Robles Trail West) in Thousand Oaks. We’ll be doing treadwork, clearing silt out of the drainages. This is a favorite mountain biking trail, especially in the winter when other trails are muddy. Our work on Saturday will help keep the water off the trail and open to riding next winter!. After the trailwork is finished, CORBA will have prizes for some (or all) lucky volunteers, and treat you to lunch afterwards.
No experience is necessary to help out with trailwork. Tools and instructions on how to use them safely and effectively will be provided. Children must be over 7-years old to attend, and children under 14 must be constantly and directly supervised by their parent or guardian who brought them. And you don’t need to be a mountain biker to help out – Everybody is welcome! For more information on trailwork in general, visit our trail crew web page.
Be sure to wear protective clothing (sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, hat, golves) and bring snacks, sunscreen and water. CORBA will provide the tools and training.
We request that you pre-register online so that we’ll know how many tools to provide. Remember, by registering here, CORBA will treat you to lunch afterwards, and enter you in the drawing for mountain biking prizes! We have some great 2.25″ CST tires, for both 26ers and 29ers.
CORBA’s thank-you lunch will be after trailwork ends at 2:00 pm, so bring some snacks to tide you over.
Meeting location and details are on the online registration page.
Originally this trailwork had been planned for Guadalasca Trail in Pt Mugu State Park, but we relocated because the Springs Fire has closed that park.
GGR NEWS!
Bells Bells Bells Bells! In accordance with CORBA & IMBA, GGR will start to incorporate using BELLS on their bikes. Bells and communication on the trails with the hikers and equestrians is key to keeping all users of the trails aware that bikers are coming.
GGR is now soliciting sponsors for their main event Oct 20th at Malibu Creek State Park. This is also a CORBA membership drive and fund raiser. Please email wendy@girlzgoneriding.com for details on becoming a sponsor. It’s EASY!
Please check out the GGR Calender!
http://www.girlzgoneriding.com/calendar/
Rides and special events are posted on the FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350083721682365/
During the annual Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days in Pt Mugu State Park, CORBA volunteers with the help of a few others repaired drains and cleared brush along the entire 1.8 miles of the Wood Canyon Vista Trail, a segment of the Backbone Trail.
Clearing brush on the Wood Canyon Vista Trail. Links to the photo galleries are at the bottom of this article.
The SMM Trail Days is a weekend-long event organized by the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council that has taken place at the end of April for 32 years running. As well as helping with trailwork on Saturday and Sunday morning, volunteers are able to camp over Friday and Saturday night at the Danielson Multiuse Area, enjoy a barbecue dinner on Saturday, and win great prizes on both Saturday and Sunday in appreciation for their work.
On Saturday morning, 17 CORBA Volunteers and a few others were shuttled from the registration area to the bottom of the Wood Canyon Vista Trail. We split into four groups, headed by CORBA trail crew leaders Steve Messer and Steve Clark, and Trails Council crew leaders John Kross and Greg Sweel, and started up the trail. Two of the groups focused on cleaning sediment out from existing drainage dips and cutting new drainages where needed, while the other two groups wielded loppers or a hedge trimmer to cut back overgrowing brush. In addition, we had the support of two employees of California State Parks who used a gas hedge trimmer to cut back a major overgrown section halfway up the trail. This section included lots of poison oak, so we are extremely grateful for their help!
Overall we fixed up about 1.3 miles of trail from the bottom.
While we were working on this section of the Backbone Trail, other groups were working on Coyote Trail, and in the Boney Mountain Wilderness Area, Blue Canyon Trail, Old Boney Trail and Chamberlain Trail.
Preparing dinner on Saturday night.
On Sunday, a smaller group of 6 CORBA volunteers plus 3-4 others were shuttled to the top of the Wood Canyon Vista Trail so we could work down to where we had left off the day before. We split into a group with loppers led by CORBA trail crew leader Steve Clark to cut back brush, and a group with treadwork tools to clean out drainages, led by Trails Council crew leader Howard Cohen. We completed the upper section of the trail in about an hour and a half, then hiked to the bottom to catch a ride back to the registration area. On the way down we were able to take in the magnificent view of Sycamore Canyon and Boney Mountain, something we don’t have as much time to appreciate when we’re riding our bikes.
Other groups were working on the Upper Sycamore Trail and “Toe Stubber” Trail (part of Old Boney Trail) in the Wilderness Area on Sunday.
I’m very pleased with the work CORBA volunteers accomplished over the weekend! I never expected we’d get the whole trail completed. I’m also grateful for the help of a few other volunteers, and especially the State Park staff who took care of the poison oak. Without them, we wouldn’t have completed the trail.
A special thanks goes out to the Trails Council for the outstanding job they do in organizing this event, with the extras like free camping, bagel breakfasts, Saturday night BBQ dinner, and great prizes for everyone. And the rangers and other employees of the State and National Parks had a huge part in making this event such a success. All this effort ensured that the volunteers came away not only with a sense of accomplishment for helping to keep the trails in good shape, but also with great memories of the whole weekend!
Here are links to photo galleries of the weekend:
Officials from Los Angeles county and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) are advising visitors that ticks from Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills recently tested positive for Lyme disease. Three separate pools of western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) found along the Coyote Trail were found to be positive.
“This is a good reminder for visitors to stick to the trail and avoid the vegetated areas where ticks like to hang out,” said Evan Jones, SMMNRA chief ranger. “Though Lyme disease can be very serious, simply following a few basic steps can greatly minimize exposure.”
Jones also advises the public to check clothing and exposed skin before heading home, making sure to brush off any small creatures. Wearing light-colored clothing with long sleeves and long pants is also recommended.
Lyme disease is an infectious disease that can start as a mild flu-like illness and develop into severe chronic health problems over time. If identified in the early stages, it can be successfully treated with antibiotics, but the potential for long-term complications increases if the disease progresses untreated.
Paramount Ranch was one of three Santa Monica Mountains park sites that came back positive for Lyme disease in tests conducted by Los Angeles County West Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Control District. The other two locations were Tapia Park and Malibu Creek State Park, both located within a short distance of one another.
Robert Saviskas, executive director of the L.A. county agency responsible for conducting the tests, said this was the first year his agency tested for Lyme disease at Paramount Ranch, among approximately 12 sites tested within the Santa Monica Mountains. The first tick known to carry Lyme disease was found in the mountains in 1998.
“We’re finding that about 1 or 2 percent of western black-legged ticks in the area carry the Lyme disease bacteria, so it’s important for us to identify where the problem is occurring,” said Saviskas. “This particular tick is most active from late November through May.”
More information is available at www.lawestvector.org or by calling 310-915-7370.
It was another perfect day to be riding in Malibu Creek State Park to participate in the free monthly basic skills clinic. This month we had 26 riders and I’m sure eveyone had a great time with the clear and warm weather! You can see the photos in the April Skills Clinic Photo Gallery.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The National Park Service (NPS) is advising visitors that trails at Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons will be intermittently closed during April and May due to the demolition and removal of surplus water conveyance infrastructure.
Several days of trail closures are expected, though limited to weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Visitors can find up-to-date information on trailhead signs, by calling 818-889-8996 or by visiting www.nps.gov/samo.
The Cheeseboro Reservoir, capable of holding four million gallons of water, can be seen in the distance. Along with a pump station at Palo Comado Canyon, the reservoir will be demolished and removed during April and May. Courtesy of National Park Service
Triunfo Sanitation District (TSD) will be removing the Palo Comado Pump Station and the Cheeseboro Reservoir. These facilities, owned by TSD, were built in 1959 at the behest of comedian Bob Hope, who had hoped to build thousands of homes in the surrounding area as part of a master-planned community. TSD is decommissioning the facilities as part of an agreement with the NPS and other agencies.
Large trucks will be hauling salvaged materials along both the Palo Comado and Cheeseboro Canyon trails to recycling centers. For their safety, visitors are asked to refrain from using these trails when posted as closed.
Entrance to trails from Cheeseboro Canyon, Doubletree and Smoketree trailheads will be periodically closed. The China Flat trailhead and trailheads for Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve will remain open.
The NPS and TSD appreciate the public’s cooperation with this effort. Additional information is available by calling 818-889-8996.
Once a year we have an opportunity to work on the trails and then BBQ and camp at Danielson Ranch in Pt Mugu State Park. It is opened annually for the Santa Monica Trail Days! This is a unique opportunity to work on the trails that we enjoy so much in Sycamore Canyon, and the Saturday workday is followed by a BBQ and prizes, with free camping available on Friday and/or Saturday night. This is hands down the best day to get in some trail maintenance work! Camping is optional; you may leave with the escort after the BBQ. There will be trailwork projects on both Saturday and Sunday. Sign up for one or both! Pre-registration is requested by April 17th so we’ll know how many people to prepare for.
Schedule at a glance
Friday night April 19 – arrive for overnight camping (optional). Bagels and hot beverages supplied Saturday morning for campers.
Saturday April 20 – Trailwork, barbecue dinner, prize give-away. Bring your own lunch. Optional overnight camping. Bagels and hot beverages supplied Sunday morning for campers.
Sunday April 21 – Trailwork, prize give-away. Bring your own lunch.
You can volunteer to help out on Saturday, Sunday, or both.
BRING: LUNCHES, BEVERAGES, SNACKS AND WATER. Tools and instruction on using them are provided.
WEAR: Gloves, hat, long pants, protective clothing, and work boots or sturdy shoes.
REGISTRATION: Advance registration is required for the activities shown below, and appreciated by April 17th!
Saturday Registration: http://www.meetup.com/CORBAmtb/events/106405302/
Sunday Registration: http://www.meetup.com/CORBAmtb/events/106408382/
TRAILWORK: Saturday and/or Sunday. Help out with one or both! There are also opportunities to help out in the camp instead of trailwork.
CAMPING: Free camping Friday and/or Saturday nights for volunteers at the Danielson Multi-use Area located under the sycamores and oaks in the heart of Point Mugu State Park. Bring your own gear.
DINNER: Sat. Night Barbecue Free FOR VOLUNTEERS. Bring appetizers and beverages.
PRIZES: Thank-you prize give-aways will be held Saturday after dinner and Sunday after trailwork.
VEHICLE ACCESS: You will be able to caravan into and out of the park by vehicle only at these few designated times:
ARRIVE: Friday – 5 pm and 7 pm Saturday – 8 am and 4:30 pm Sunday – 8:30 am
DEPART: Saturday – 4 pm and after campfire Sunday – 8 am and 2:30 pm
Full details and camping/dining details are also provided on the registration pages.
The CORBA Kids Club returned to Sullivan Canyon for our monthly ride. Four dads, one mom, and 6 kids participated. You can view photos from the ride here.
On Saturday April 6 the CORBA Kids ride Malibu Creek State Park. Meet in the lower parking lot at 9 a.m. Email corbakids@corbamtb.com for more information.
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