Archive for the ‘Trail Crew’ Category

Working on the Los Robles Trail West, CORBA’s adopted trail

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Ruts on the trail where a new rolling dip was built

CORBA’s adopted trail, the Los Robles Trail West in Thousand Oaks, wasn’t in very good shape this spring after the winter rains. Long segments were wildly overgrown by mustard and thistle, and some steeper sections had deep ruts. Over the years, the tread of the trail had become U-shaped in cross-section. The natural rims keep rainwater on the trail, where it runs down the middle, taking soil with it and forming a jagged rut.

COSCA hired professional trail workers to fix up the trail in the spring. They cut back the overgrowing weeds and filled in the deep ruts. Unfortunately, they didn’t build water diversions (‘rolling dips’) to keep future rain from running down the trail and reforming the rut. Furthermore, the center of the trail, where the rut had been filled in, was much more loosely packed than the rest of the trail, making it much more susceptible to water erosion.

The rain that we had in the last two weeks of October was enough to start carving new ruts. At the beginning of November, a rut a few inches deep had formed on one of the steeper sections of the trail.

CORBA trail crew members and local residents Danusia Bennett-Taber and Steve Clark spent three hours fixing up the trails. They built two rolling dips on a steeper segment, one near the top and another just above a very steep part. These water diversions will redirect rainwater off the trail so it shouldn’t form another rut. They also filled in the rut on the very steep part at the bottom. Being protected by a rolling dip from above, this rut should not reform once it is packed down by trail users.

View a short photo gallery of the work that was done.

Sullivan Canyon Update November 2010

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

From Sharon O’Rourke, The Gas Company

I wanted to give you an update of our Sullivan Canyon Pipeline Protection Project.  The project will take longer than originally estimated due to the recent rains we have experienced.  We originally expected to complete the work sometime by November 12th.  The new estimate for completion is now December 10th, weather permitting.

On August 4th, we started construction to repair the access road and install protective concrete mats over 12 pipeline exposure areas.  These exposure areas make the pipelines vulnerable to damage.  Of the 12 exposure areas, 8 pipeline areas have been inspected, repaired and covered with the protective concrete mats.  We have 4  exposure areas to complete.

Due to on-going pipeline construction activity, public access to Sullivan Canyon remains closed.

Sycamore Canyon Trailwork Day – Nov 13

Monday, November 1st, 2010

After last winter’s rains, the Wood Canyon Vista (Backbone) Trail in Sycamore Canyon (Pt Mugu State Park) was in pretty bad shape with deep ruts and loose rocks. The outside of the trail had collapsed in places. It was much more than could be fixed during the annual Santa Monica Mountains Trail Day last April. To repair the trail, the State Parks maintenance staff ran a Sweco (miniature bulldozer) down the trail to broaden and level it.

Now we need to add proper drainage to the trail to make sure the ruts don’t reform this winter!

CORBA will be giving away some great prizes to mountain bikers who participate, including a pair of Ergon grips! Go to our events portal page to register so we’ll know how many tools to bring.

BRING: water, lunch, work gloves, eye protection, sunscreen, hat; wear sturdy shoes, long sleeve shirt, long pants. Tools are provided. For some general information on trail work and what to expect, visit our Trail Crew page.

Meet at Wendy Dr & Potrero Rd in Newbury Park for shuttle. From the 101 Freeway take Wendy Rd. south to the end of the road at Potrero Rd. The meeting time is 8:30 am. We will drive from there down to the bottom of the trail, but you may ride your bike in instead if you like.

This is a joint project with the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council.

El Prieto Trailwork Day – Nov 7

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Join CORBA, the Friends of El Prieto, the St. Francis High School MTB Team and others to help restore this favorite trail in the Angeles front country.

We will meet at 7:45 so we can head out by about 8:00 a.m. Join us to do brush removal and trail repair on one of So Cal Mountain Bikers’ favorite trails.

The trail repair work may involve some heavy lifting, rock-reinforcing some sections and rebuilding sections of trail. We’ll also be clearing brush from much of the trail, which has grown back since the Station fire. We need to prepare the trail for the coming winter and to keep it in good shape for when this part of the forest eventually opens (Note that it is still closed, and we will be working in the area with Forest Service permission).

Flat Attack Tire Sealant

This trailwork day is being sponsored by Flat Attack. The first 20 people to RSVP at http://membership.corbamtb.com will get a bottle of this great flat-prevention product.  CORBA’s trail crew also receives generous support for REI.

No experience necessary. Tools and instruction will be supplied. Be prepared with long sleeves, long pants, sturdy hiking shoes and drinking water.

Please RSVP at http://membership.corbamtb.com.Flyer is available for you to download, print, and spread the word. Rain cancels.

If you can’t make November 7th, but still want to help, there is another opportunity this weekend. 8 a.m. on October 30th, Conor Uhlir will be restoring the picnic table area along the El Prieto trail as part of his Eagle Scout project. Download the PDF flyer for his trailwork day here.

Ventura County Star Report on COSCA Trailwork Day

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

From the Ventura County Star (with a few additions)

About 175 people volunteered on Saturday to help create a new trail in Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks as part of the 20th annual Conejo Open Space Trail Work Day.

The new section, which runs eight-tenths of a mile, connects the Santa Rosa Trail in Wildwood Park with the Baseline Trail in Santa Rosa Valley, also known as the Lower Santa Rosa Trail.

For Will Donley and his son, Blake, it was the third consecutive year they took part in Trail Work Day.

“My son is in Cub Scouts, so we come out and do it as a community service project,” said Donley.

“We had to lift rocks and make a path,” said Blake, a member of Cub Scout Pack 3712. “It was fun.”

“It’s the first time we volunteered and we enjoyed it. It was a great family project,” said Alik Shulman of Thousand Oaks, who came with his 11-year-old daughter, Daniela.

Trail Work Day was organized by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Conejo Open Space Foundation, which raises funds for and maintains open space and multiuse trails in the Conejo Valley. Also participating were frequent trailwork volunteers from CORBA, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association, and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council.

The new trail is part of a network of 112 miles of trails within the COSCA area and is a shared-use trail available to hikers, cyclists and equestrians.

“It went from a section that was pockmarked with big boulders to a nice, fairly even tread surface,” said Mark Langton, a volunteer with COSF.

After a morning of hard work, volunteers were rewarded with a free barbecue lunch at Botanic Garden on Gainsborough Road.

Julie Penry, a 32-year-old attorney who moved to Thousand Oaks from Oregon two months ago, said she has enjoyed exploring the local trails since coming to the area and wanted to give back.

“I use them, so I should help to keep them up,” she said. “It was a blast and I got to meet a lot of people, too, which is great for someone new to town.”

Kristin Foord, the manager of COSCA, said they couldn’t have created the new section of trail without the help of the volunteers.

“There’s no way we could have done that with our five rangers. It would have taken a month to finish it, and so we really appreciate that everybody came out today,” she said. “People have been asking us to provide that connection for a long time and I think it will be a popular trail.”

View our photo gallery of trailwork and the finished trail.

Station Fire Closure Order Extended

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Last week the Forest Service issued an updated closure order for the Station Fire burn areas of the Angeles National Forest. The closure order has been extended until 9/19/2011. Part of the Forest has been opened. Unfortunately, the newly re-opened section of the forest is limited to a small portion in the Sunland area. This is much less than most had hoped for, but includes areas around the Doc Larsen trail which CORBA trail crews worked on back in June and July.

Here is the official press release from the Forest Service:

Date: Sept. 17, 2010
ANF Release # 10-12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Angeles National Forest
701 N. Santa Anita Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91006

www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles

Contact: Sherry Rollman or
John D. Wagner at (626) 574-5208

Angeles National Forest reopens areas offering hiking, picnicking

ARCADIA, Calif.–Angeles National Forest will reopen an area about five miles long and two miles wide, northwest of Sunland, closed since the Station Fire last year.

The reopening of the Little Tujunga-Riverwood area is set for Monday (Sept. 20) and will offer the public recreation including picnicking and hiking. The area is being opened after trail improvements and storm-debris removal were completed.

The bulk of the forest’s burned areas remain closed for public safety, until further notice. “The Forest Service intent is to reopen areas severely damaged in the fire over the next few years as conditions allow,” said Jody Noiron, forest supervisor.

“We are developing a cohesive plan to create healthier, more sustainable ecosystems, involving water, vegetation and wildlife,” Noiron said. “We are making the hard decisions toward a healthier open-space for the L.A. basin in the future.”

Reopenings are taking place through a restoration plan, which engages the public on improving the health of the San Gabriel Mountains, and enlists volunteers.

The Forest Service invites volunteers, partners and others to help the forest with its natural resource conservation needs. If individuals or groups are interested in joining the efforts please visit our website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/.

The forest order for the pending reopening and an official map can also be viewed on the website.

Order No. 01-10-05
AREA CLOSURE
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST
Pursuant to 16 USC 551 and 36 CFR 261.50(a) and (b), and to protect natural resources and provide for public
safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Station Fire Recovery Area of the Angeles National Forest. This
Order is effective from September 20, 2010, through September 19, 2011.
1. Going into or being upon National Forest System lands within the Station Fire Recovery Area, except
the Hidden Springs Day Use Area and Monte Cristo Campground. The Station Fire Recovery Area is
described in Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit B. 36 CFR 261.53(e).
2. Being on any National Forest System road within the Station Fire Recovery Area, which is described in
Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit B. 36 CFR 261.54(e).
3. Being on any National Forest System trail within the Station Fire Recovery Area, which is described in
Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit B. 36 CFR 261.55(a).
Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:
1. Persons with a permit from the Forest Service specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or
omission.
2. Owners or lessees of private land within the Station Fire Recovery Area are exempt from the prohibitions
listed above to the extent necessary to gain access to their land.
3. Persons who reside on private land within the Station Fire Recovery Area are exempt from the prohibitions
listed above to the extent necessary to gain access to their residences.
4. Persons with a special use permit or contract from the Forest Service authorizing work within the Station
Fire Recovery Area and their employees, sub-contractors, or agents are exempt from the prohibitions listed
above to the extent authorized by the special use permit or contract.
5. Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the
performance of an official duty.

Castaic Lake SRA Trailwork Day – Oct 9

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Help us get ready for CORBA’s annual Fat Tire Fest, which will take place on October 17th. On Saturday, October 9, 2010, we’ll be doing brush removal and some minor trail repair on the trails that will be used for the CORBA Fat Tire Fest.

Come out and join us! You don’t need any experience but should be prepared with long sleeves, long pants, sun protection, sturdy hiking shoes and drinking water and a snack. We’ll supply tools and instruction.

RSVP to trailcrew@corbamtb.com or on our facebook page. Meet at 7:45 a.m. so we can roll out at 8:00 a.m. There is a parking fee to enter the park, however, let the entrance station attendant know you’re there to do “Volunteer trailwork with CORBA” and your entrance fees will be waived. Enter the park through the guard station and turn left. Meet at the fourth parking area on the right. Details of the meeting spot are below:
View CORBA Castaic trailwork 10/9/2010 in a larger map

Deukmejian Park Trail Building Workday 9/18

Monday, September 6th, 2010

Duekmejian Park was in the Station Fire burn zone. The trails in the park were heavily damaged from the heavy storms in the months after the fire. As a result the park has been closed since the fire.  Right now the efforts are on the main park trails. Such as Dunsmore Canyon and Le Mesnager loop.  Some of the trails are being rerouted and some are being repaired.  Hopefully by next year the upper trails Crescenta View and Rim of the Valley can be repaired as well.

We will meet at the main parking lot at 8:00 and work until around noon.  Lunch will be provided by CORBA.

Calendar Now Shows Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council Trailwork Days

Monday, August 30th, 2010

The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council trail crew has recently started using Google Calendars to display their trailwork days. The nature of Google Calendars allows us to display their events on our own calendar, which we are now doing. This means you can see their planned outings without having to visit two web pages. If you would like to pitch in, the Trails Council would be delighed to have you help out. You can find out more about their trailwork on the SMMTC Trail Maintenance page. But don’t forget to help us at our CORBA trailwork days, too!

Why do trailwork? Because Mother Nature wants the ground back, and without our help, all trails would become overgrown ruts. We’ve all been on trails like that and we know they’re no fun to ride!

$700,000 sought to fix trails, roads destroyed in Station fire

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

From the Glendale News-Press and the LA Times 

An incinerated car sits in the devastated hamlet of Vogel Flats, which is along Big Tujunga Canyon Road in the Angeles National Forest, in September of 2009 . Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Roughly $700,000 has been earmarked for improving the forest roads and trails that were destroyed last year during the Station fire, officials said. 

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) secured the earmark in the Interior Appropriations bill for restoring the 160,577 acres of scorched landscape that’s in severe need of restoration. 

“The roads and trails have been eroded and degraded,” said Richard Toyon, former forest ranger and president of the local nonprofit Volunteers Organizing in Conserving the Environment. 

Trekking on some trails in the forest is challenging because they eventually disappear, he said, and some roads and trails are no longer recognizable. 

The bill must still pass the full House and Senate before reaching President Obama’s desk, said Schiff’s spokeswoman, Maureen Shanahan. 

If the bill is approved, the funding would be allocated to the U.S. Forest Service to handle the restoration work. 

“This funding will help repair the roads and trails that were damaged in the fire to restore safety and access for families to enjoy one of California’s greatest natural resources,” Schiff said in a statement. 

Engineers for the Angeles National Forest have estimated that about 300 miles of roads and 225 miles of trails were harmed during the Station fire, according to Schiff’s office. 

Damage to roads and trails worsened due to erosion and landslides during the winter. 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Feb. 11 declared the footprint of the fire a disaster area. 

Some of the roads have been closed due to the extensive damage, and trails that have been deemed unsafe for hiking have been off limits. 

Officials are planning to focus the funding on the most critically damaged roads with the largest access points. 

Some road improvements include installing retaining walls, reconstructing low water crossings, grading surfaces, repairing drainage, repaving and restoring signage, according to Schiff’s office. 

Trail improvements include drainage repairs, re-stabilizing slopes and restoring walking surfaces.