Trail Maintenance Grant - courtesy of the Responsible Riders

Post date: May 06, 2016 5:58:51 AM

The Responsible Riders received a green sticker grant to improve/maintain motorized trails. There's been some delay in re-opening some previously F.O.I closed single track trails. So in the meantime, forward good ideas/projects on to Mike at thesierrariders@yahoo.com

Correspondence below:

Well, the check is in our bank to start buying tools and renting equipment to do some trail maintenance on singletrack or OHV trails. Finally some green sticker money that we get to put towards improving the trails and keeping them open, not closing them.

Here's what we need:

--We need folks to start identifying specific trails or areas of trails that need maintenance. First priority is trying to clear any of the existing trails from downed trees or any other winter effects so we can get those trails open and clear without everyone carving a new trail around the obstacle. If you have already been out scouting around and can help pinpoint where there is an issue, send it to us so we can arrange to get it taken care of. (if you can identify it on the inyo MVUM maps like those located here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5441969 or if you are using a cell phone app like pdf maps by avenza or google maps or whatever where you can drop a pin/gps and send it to us, road numbers, etc.).

-To make up our obligation for the grant, we need to have 1 or 2 workdays this season. We're looking for dates now--maybe one sooner rather than later so we can take advantage of some damp soil and knock down some whoops or whatever. if you have an idea of a trail you would like to see some work done on, let us know. We're trying to focus on trails in the area between Mammoth and June, either side of 395 to be consistent with the area we committed to doing work on for our grant.

Thanks,

-Mike

Sierra Responsible Riders

Hi All, that is good news. I'd like to help and get the word out but have a couple questions:

1. How much was the check for?

2. Is the geothermal singletrack open? (heard some rumors)

MammothMC has money too and access to some hard workers, my suggestion would be to focus on singletrack maintenance. -John.

Grant was for just over $15k. We got an advance of $7,500 to start buying stuff. We 'owe' as our match enough volunteer work-hours for about 2 workdays with about 8-10 people each day. I'm hoping we can know off a few hours with a small crew of 2-3 folks going out early and clearing some downed trails and then schedule a work day to bring a bigger crew and tackle a bigger section of trail (with power equipment as needed). And we definitely agree on putting the focus on singletrack maintenance so if you have ideas on specific areas, we're all ears.

On 2., no, not yet. USFS folks are behind schedule on getting those modified trail plans finalized and approved and now don't think they will get that done until late this year. (Our grant was originally planned to help open that back up but then of course, they got delayed so we are scrambling to find other work to do in the meantime). Good news is that to my knowledge, they didn't receive any significant adverse comments to opening that trail and we also got Regelbrugge to do a walk through with us on the single track that dead-ends at the wilderness boundary and agreement that we could loop that trail out rather than close it altogether.

OK, all sounds good. I'm going to get the word out and get some comments back. The geothermal singletrack should be the top priority once it is green-lighted. Same with the one that dead-ends at the wilderness. But I get there is a delay, so, I'm going to have to think about the remaining trails between Mammoth and June.

The main one we use a lot is the singletrack connector over to June near the Hartley Springs campground. (it's a fun side-hill route that seems OK, a tree fell across it a couple years ago but I was able to slide it downhill - 27E104) What other singletracks survived route designation? Little to none really, in the Mammoth to June area. And most of our roads are so whooped out and loose I'm not sure that if anything can be done to help.

In the Knolls there are a couple connected legal trails, perhaps those could be fixed up but they are decent until you hit one steep uphill, that's a mess. (27E205)

And for what it is worth, the MVUM looks slighter better than before but is still out of whack. There are some roads shown that don't exist so maybe we can claim them and "maintain" them into singletrack. -John.