There was a very small group of only three at this month’s Skills Clinic, on a very gray day in May.
The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park.
You can see the photos in our May photo gallery.
Archive for the ‘Santa Monica Mountains’ Category
May Skills Clinic photos posted May 6
Saturday, May 6th, 2017Schwarzenegger proposal to help narrow Calif.’s huge deficit would close 220 state parks
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010By SAMANTHA YOUNG , Associated Press (reported in the Minneapolis – St. Paul Star Tribune)
Local parks slated for closure include
The California State Parks Foundation has compiled a complete list of parks proposed to be closed. What you can do to help prevent closure of our parks
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts could mean the closing of up to 220 state parks, among them the home of the world’s tallest tree and other attractions that draw millions of visitors. Schwarzenegger this week recommended eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed.
“This is a worst-case scenario,” said Roy Sterns, a spokesman at the state parks department. “If we can do less than this, we will try. But under the present proposal, this is it.”
Among the parks that could be closed, the parks department said Thursday, are Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, Will Rogers’ Southern California ranch and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which boasts the world’s tallest tree, a giant that tops 370 feet. Even the Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento is on the list.
The Legislature last year rejected the governor’s proposal to close 48 state parks. But lawmakers said that with California’s budget deficit now at $24.3 billion, the situation is so dire that it is likely some parks will close.
“Things that were previously dead on arrival are a lot more viable in a crisis like this,” said Democrat Jared Huffman, chairman of the Assembly’s parks and wildlife committee. “I think some cuts are coming to the parks, and they’ll be cuts I won’t like and the public won’t like.”
The state parks department said a $70 million cut would leave it with enough money to run just 59 of California’s 279 state parks.
The state’s famed park system attracts nearly 80 million visitors a year. William Randolph Hearst’s Castle on the Central Coast and a dozen other so-called moneymakers would remain open, as would many Southern California beaches that attract millions of visitors year round.
But others that could close include: Fort Ross State Historic Park, the southernmost Russian settlement in North America; Bodie State Historic Park, one of the best-preserved Old West ghost towns; and Big Basin Redwoods, the oldest state park.
The proposal has angered conservationists and some Democrats in the Legislature, who say California’s parks are treasured spots that help the state and local economy.
“State parks draw tourism to California,” State Parks Foundation president Elizabeth Goldstein said. “This proposal makes the budget situation worse.”
The foundation estimates the state gets a $2.35 return for every dollar it spends on parks.
California spends roughly $400 million a year running 279 state parks and beaches, with roughly a third of the money coming from the state general fund. The rest comes from user fees, which account for slightly more than a quarter of the revenue; bond funds; gasoline taxes; federal money; and other sources.
Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines said the state cannot afford to subsidize state parks when lawmakers are being asked to make severe cuts in even more vital areas.
“Parks are just not going to be a priority over public safety and education, as much as we hate to see them close,” Villines said.
At least 2,000 park rangers, biologists, lifeguards, interpreters, architects and maintenance workers would be laid off if the proposal is adopted, said Sterns, the parks spokesman.
The layoffs would be in addition to 5,000 state positions the governor has already recommended cutting.
“When you cut that much, you have to let go highly trained teams of biologists that you can’t get back in a year or two,” Huffman said. “It’s a myth to think you can mothball the entire system. These cuts will cripple the park system for a decade or more.”
Sullivan Canyon reopens November 6th
Thursday, November 5th, 2009November 5, 2009
by Sharon O’Rourke, Public Affairs Manager, The Gas Company
The Gas Company is pleased to announce it is completing the first phase of it’s planned work in Sullivan Canyon by Friday, November 6, 2009. The maintenance road has been re-established and 10 pipeline exposures have been covered with protective revetment mats. The maintenance road now has the articulated concrete mats (revetment mats) in a few areas of the roadway to provide protection and covering for the pipelines. The public should exercise caution when crossing these areas with the revetment mats. By November 6th, the construction equipment and vehicles will be removed as well as ending the guard service.Minor work to hydro-seed vegetation in certain areas will start the week of November 16th and last for approximately 2 weeks. This work will be during weekdays only from 8am – 5pm. The canyon will remain open to the public while this work is proceeding as cones will be placed and signage will be posted as a safety precaution due to the presence of vehicles and to protect the newly seeded areas. Occasionally a water truck may be used to water these areas to help the growth of the new plantings.
We want to thank the public for its patience and courtesy while we worked to ensure the safe operation of our pipelines. The second phase of our project will start next year approximately in the spring to cover the remaining pipeline exposure areas and to finish the planting of vegetation and the sycamore seedlings.
We also wanted to share with you that our security guard, stationed at the northern end of the canyon, observed a small brush fire off of dirt road Mulholland on Friday, Oct. 31st at approximately 11 p.m. The fire was caused by a mylar balloon (silver metallic balloon) that was loose and touched the power line, creating sparks that set off a small brush fire. Our guard called 9-1-1 to report the fire which brought an immediate response from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s air and land crews. The fire was limited to 1/2 acre. We are thankful that this guard was diligent, alert and responded quickly by calling in the Fire Department.
August 31 Public Meeting on Sullivan Canyon Closure
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009A community meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 31 at 7pm at the WLA Municipal Center (1645 Corinth Ave, LA 90025) arranged by the Brentwood Community Council and Councilmember Rosendahl’s staff. Southern California Gas Company representatives will explain their project in greater detail and provide attendees an opportunity to ask their questions. The gas company still plans to close their canyon property to the public beginning September 1, 2009 and expect to re-open the canyon when the work is complete.
Dirt Rag Magazine Credits CORBA with first volunteer mountain bike patrol group
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009September 1, 2009
In an article on the history of IMBA‘s National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP), Dirt Rag magazine reviews the role CORBA had in spearheading volunteer mountain bike patrols. To quote:
“Although the NMBP was officially ‘started’ in 1994, volunteer mountain bike patrol’s roots run deep, back to the early days of mountain biking, when trails were rife with user conflict, and blanket mountain bike bans threatened great riding locations from coast to coast. The Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) was arguably the first organization to begin volunteer patrol activities with their Mountain Bike Unit (MBU), formed in 1988.
“Based in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Los Angeles, CORBA was at risk of losing many great riding venues. ‘Due to frequent complaints about user conflict, land managers were throwing their hands up,’ explains Blumenthal. ‘The [mountain bike advocacy] toolkit had to be developed quickly.’ So, with support from the National Park Service and the California State Department of Parks and Recreation, the patrol was formed, and became an overnight success, being nominated for the ‘Take Pride in California Award’ in 1991.”
Read the entire article, 15 Years of Service: A Look Back at IMBA’s National Mountain Bike Patrol.
Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club works to keep mountain bikes off trails in Los Angeles
Monday, June 1st, 2009Chapter activists working to keep city parks hiker-friendly and mountain-bike free
By Carol Henning, Co-Chair, Southern Sierran Editorial Board. The following article appears in the June 2009 edition of the Southern Sierran, Vol 65 No6.
You’re hiking down a steep trail, enjoying the view, trying to remember the name of a trailside wildflower when, whoosh! Inches from your left arm a mountain bike comes careening down the trail. Most close encounters with mountain bikes leave all parties unharmed – most, but not all.
“We have seen conflicts,” reports Kevin Regan of the Department of Recreation and Parks. There have been “close calls and accidents.” A Los Angeles City Ordinance prohibits bicycles on unpaved trails in all City parks. This ordinance was reaffirmed unanimously by the City Council in 2000. Moreover, this April, the Angeles Chapter passed a resolution supporting efforts to uphold the existing ordinance.
The backstory has been documented by Sierra Club hike leader, AI Moggia. 1995 saw the Concerned Off Road Bicycle Association (CORBA) requesting access to dirt trails in city parks from the Department of Recreation and Parks (DRAP), whereupon a Mountain Bike Task Force was formed including CORBA, DRAP, the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT and the L.A. Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). The L.A. City Planning Department spooned up this alphabet soup and other entities to formulate a Bicycle Plan Element. In 1996, the DRAP Commission denied requests for a mountain bike event in Griffith Park, citing the municipal ordinance and an opinion by the City Attorney. Also in 1996, the City Council adopted the Bicycle Master Plan as part of the Transportation Plan Element of the General Plan of L.A. City.
DRAP, CORBA, DOT and BAC studied the feasibility of opening City parks to mountain biking.
In 1998, LADOT City Bicycle Coordinator Michelle Mowery and BAC member Alex Baum made a special presentation to DRAP. There was minimal public notice of three community meetings in 1999, but over 400 residents attended. 95 percent of the attendees expressed their opposition to biking on city parks’ dirt trails. Despite the apparent dearth of public support, Elysian Park was selected in January 2000 for a mountain bike pilot program. Word of mouth and work by the Citizens’ Committee to Save Elysian Park brought out more members of the public to a meeting at Grace Simons Lodge, where they opposed the mountain bike pilot program. A subsequent meeting brought out more community members, a vast majority of whom opposed the program. Elysian Park was spared, and the City Council passed the motion rejecting changes to the ordinance prohibiting mechanized use of City park trails.
Mountain bike advocates tightened the straps on their helmets and soldiered on. Perhaps feeling jilted by Recreation and Parks, they decided to hop onto the handlebars of the Department of Transportation. But is this not an issue of recreation rather than transportation? The DOT’s Bicycle Master Plan is about cycling in the City. The focus is presumably on the transportation aspects of the bicycle plan, not on the thrills of jouncing down a narrow dirt trail, dodging (one hopes) hikers, runners and equestrians.
A September, 2008, memo by Jordann Turner, Bike Plan Project Manager, wondered “why and how the meetings in the past between cyclists/equestrians/etc. have been contentious.” Might it have been those accounts of clobbered hikers, frightened horses and thrown riders? To avoid this sort of testimony, DOT decided to use a consultant who has experience with this subject matter to conduct small mediated working-group meetings. Attendance at these meetings was by invitation only, with no notice to the public. The Los Angeles Bike Plan Stakeholder Advisory Group consists of nine invited participants – three hikers, three mountain bikers and three equestrians. Where are the runners? Where are the dog-walkers? Where are the homeowners associations’ representatives? They were not invited to the table.
It seems clear that the question is not whether mountain bikes should be permitted in City parks but which parks should allow them and how should access be designed. Two Sierra Club members represented hikers’ interests at the first meeting. Neither was an official representative of the Angeles Chapter. After the show, the distinction between being a Sierra Club member and a designated Sierra Club spokesperson was explained to the facilitators. supposedly neutral consultants with ties to to the Osprey Group of Boulder, Colorado, whose website documents its experience securing trail access for mountain biking.)
| Webmaster’s note: Michelle Mowery, Bicycle Coordinator for the LA City Dept of Transportation (LADOT) testified recently that “The Needs Assessment … identified bicycling and walking trails as the number one need. … It identifies equestrian use as last on that list. So it’s clear that there is a need and a desire for bicycle facilities within the parks.”
For more on this issue, including video clips of outrageous claims during testimony, visit our LA City Parks web page. |
Club policy on mountain bikes opposes their use in officially designated wilderness areas unless determined to be appropriate by analysis, review and implementation. The Park City Agreement (1994) between the Sierra Club and the International Mountain Bicycling Association called for site-specific analyses and stated that not all non-wilderness trails should be opened to bicycle use. Of concern are the effects of off-road biking on soil erosion, the impacts on plants and animals, and the displacement of other trail users. When considering the introduction of off-pavement bikes to a park, Sierra Club guidelines mandate consideration of these issues: whether the safety and enjoyment of all users can be protected, and whether there has been a public review and comment procedure for all interested parties. In this case, the response is no.
A late 2008 DRAP Citywide Parks Needs Assessment demonstrated virtually no demand for mountain biking [Webmaster’s note: See the inset at right to evaluate the accuracy of this claim]; yet, a small advocacy group seems to be trying to sneak its agenda past an unsuspecting public. Most of us have not been invited to join the discussion, but we can make our voices heard. Send letters and e-mails to LADOT, to DRAP and to your city councilmember.
CORBA in the News: Volunteers wage weekly fight with mountain trail erosion
Sunday, April 12th, 2009From the Ventura County Star, Sunday, April 12, 2009
 Burt Elliott, trail maintenance coordinator, leads volunteers and fellow members of the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Council to the Saturday work site. Volunteers cut back shrubs, cleared minor slides and upgraded runoff canals along a 1.4-mile stretch. |
Encumbered by heavy tools, a dozen members of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council met Saturday morning in the dirt parking lot of a trailhead on the Backbone Trail. Their mission: trail maintenance.
Oxnard resident Dave Edwards, group leader, said the purpose of the volunteer, nonprofit organization is establishing and maintaining the public trail system throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. That’s why he and his colleagues were shouldering pickaxes, grappling with loppers (oversized pruning shears) and swinging McLeods, the five-tooth rake with a cutting edge used by California Division of Forestry firefighters. They were heading out on a two-mile hike to combat trail ruts and erosion from rain and mountain bikes by digging water bars to drain rainwater from the trial.
There also was a report of two small landslides near the mountain crest that needed to be checked out and cleared if necessary. “We spend a lot of time putting in drains,” said Edwards, 62. “Maintaining these trails gives all of us a sense of accomplishment. We may only do 300 or 400 feet (of trail) today, but we keep coming back, even though the pay is lousy.”
And they do come back — every weekend and one Wednesday a month, 10 months a year. July and August are a respite because of the heat. Edwards said they are often joined by the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force of Sierra Club or members of Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA).
Burt Elliot, 76, of Thousand Oaks said he’s been a Trails Council member “going on 17 years.” “I hike, run and mountain bike the trails,” he said, striding briskly up an incline. “I’m a retired engineer, and I like to build things. It’s also neat to have a relationship with the park. Our crew leaders are actually unpaid staff.”
 CORBA members Steve Clark of Newbury Park and Claudia Mitchell of Oxnard team up Saturday to groom Backbone Trail with the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Council. |
At age 22, Celina Armenta was one of three in the group not eligible for AARP membership. Edwards said a lot of Trails Council members are retired, giving them more free time. Armenta drove from Downey to join the group for the first time. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara, but only recently became interested in hiking. “I’m not much of a hiker. I grew up in Los Angeles, where everything is flat,” she said between gasps for air. “All these older people can outhike me. They tell me how to fix the trail and the names of flowers and I say, ‘Cool.’ I definitely want to do this some more,” she added. “And I’m going to make my lazy friends come out here — forget the YMCA.”
Armenta said she might bring her friends to meet her new hiking friends at the 28th Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days — 2009. The three-day event will kick off April 24 at Point Mugu State Park. It’s a weekend devoted to building new trails and restoring old ones in partnership with the Trails Council, California State Parks, CORBA, California Native Plant Society, the National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains Natural History Association, Temescal Canyon Association, Santa Monica Mountains Task Force of Sierra Club and Conejo Sierra Club. Camping is free for trail workers. All volunteers are welcome; trail work experience is not required. Camp will be at the Danielson Ranch multiuse site under sycamore and oak trees in the heart of the park.
For more information, call 818-222-4550 or visit http://www.smmtc.org. More photos are available in the VenturaCountyTrails.org photo gallery.
Jeff Klinger, chairman of CORBA, responds to the statement in this article that “trail ruts and erosion… [are caused by] rain and mountain bikes”
The article indicates that the trail erosion was caused by two factors: rain and mountain bikes. Identifying one user group without mentioning the array of factors that contribute to erosion does not fairly portray that group and implies that erosion is somehow use-specific, when it is not.
Independent studies demonstrate that mountain bikes cause no more surface erosion than other types of trail use. And, many factors contribute to the erosion of trails, including natural and human sources. Water causes the most damage to trails, as it is the most erosive force of nature (that’s how we got the Grand Canyon). All trail recreation has some impact, however that impact is increased or decreased as a result of many factors, including trail design. Sustainable trail design and properly constructed water control features serve to minimize erosive effects of nature and trail users.
The bottom line is that trails are built by people primarily for recreational use. Because trails are unprotected by vegetation and exposed to the elements, particularly concentrated rainwater erosion and continuous plant growth into the open trail space, trails must be maintained or they will erode away and be overtaken by vegetation. Hiking and biking groups such as the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council and Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association take a leadership role and deploy volunteer teams year-round to maintain these precious resources for the community to enjoy. We welcome everyone to come out and join us.
Mustard Growth on the New Millennium Trails in Calabasas
Friday, May 9th, 2008
May 9, 2008
Spring has sprung and so did the Mustard plants! The New Millennium Trail has become so overgrown with this plant the trail is unusable at this time! The CORBA Trail Crew was out on 4/15 and 4/17 working on the trail. It was a slow process but we managed to clear .7 of a mile from the intersection of the Bark Park Trail heading south. There is still much work to be done!
CORBA has been communicating with the Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) to come up with a solution to get this great trail passable once again! The MRT has mobilized their Crew to work on brush removal on the trail. The CORBA Trail Crew returned to the trail on 5/9 and worked on some slides and erosion problems on the South side of the trail near Normans Way.
The MRT Crew has cleared the brush from Parkway Calabasas past Normans Way/Stokes Canyon to the switchbacks and Parkway Calabasas towards Calabasas Road/Gun Club Road past the water tank on the ridge above the other set of switchbacks.
We hope to be able to report very soon that the entire trail is once again usable!
Web pages to check out:
December 7, 2008 Update: The trails are completely clear of mustard and other weeds.
Stunt High Trail
Friday, February 8th, 2008Feb 8, 2008
Updated Feb 15, 2008
CORBA has received complaints about irresponsible Mountain Bikers on the Stunt High Trail. The trail is located in Stunt Ranch off of Mulholland Highway a few miles west of Old Topanga Road. This trail runs through Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority (MRCA), Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) and University of California Reserve land. This trail is used as part of an outdoor education area for young kids to learn about the Native Americans, Plants and Animals.
On 1/27 a group of five riders came down the trail. Four of the five riders were considerate and slowed down as they passed a group of instructors and young kids on the trail. One of the five riders did not slow down at all. The report is that he was out of control and yelled to the group to get out of the way! He nearly missed individuals in the group as he sped passed. After he passed the group he crashed! This apparently was not the first incident like this on this trail. Although this trail has probably been ridden by many riders for years it did not become an issue until this incident. Remember your actions on the trail affect us all!
On Thursday 2/14 we met with the managing authorities for the Stunt High Trail. The outcome of the meeting is not good for Mountain Bikers. The trail will remain closed to Mountain Bike riders! “No Bikes” signs will be installed and MRCA Rangers will patrol and issue tickets to anyone riding the trail! All UC Reserve land is closed to bikes due to its Reserve status. We may have been able to convince the MRT to open their part of the trail to bikes but it is such a small section of the upper trail that it would not have meant much. Other options such as a reroute around the reserve or a new trail in the area were also discussed. A reroute around the reserve will not work due to private property outside of the Reserve land and steep rugged terrain.
Please only ride on trails that are open to bikes. Always control your speed and your bike. Scan the trail ahead for other trail users and animals. Use a bell to alert others of your presence! Bicyclists yield to hikers and horses.
Fire Breaks
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007August 8, 2007
The City of Los Angeles Fire Department’s Special Operations Division and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy noted that the current fire potential is extremely high and unprecedented. The LA City Fire Department Special Operations Division, with the permission of the Conservancy, took “fire life safety” actions to protect the community from wildfire this coming season. The Fire Department’s goal was to re-blade pre-existing fuel breaks (ridges) that run perpendicular to the northeast Santa Ana winds to a width of at least 50 feet wide. While we warmly refer to them as ridges, the fire authorities cut them decades ago to serve as fuel breaks, yet they have not been re-bladed in approximately 20 years. Should fire occur, a DC10 will be flown along the fire-side of the ridges and drop a swath of fire retardant 1/4 mile long per each pass. Fire crews and helicopters will be positioned to fight fire on the leeward side of the fuel breaks, if it is deemed safe.
The ridges that were re-bladed were Kenter Ridge, East and West Mandeville ridges, Westridge and Sullivan Ridge. Per the Fire Department, those are the only ridges that are being “re-bladed.” Only ridges that are, according to the Fire Department, pre-existing fuel breaks, were bulldozed. Trails adjacent to the ridges, such as the Whoops, were not and will not be touched. The Assistant Fire Chief would not commit to including community groups such as CORBA in the fire life safety planning process. While CORBA is not in the business of fire prevention planning and we have no intention of interfering with fire prevention efforts, we are in the business of saving trails. We have requested to be contacted prior to future work projects and that such projects be posted so trail users are aware of what and why a project is being done. We believe that trails can be preserved while authorities accomplish their goals of fire protection.
