Storms!
It’s been a busy and interesting year in Joaquin Miller Park (JMP). Significant changes came to JMP due to the 2023 winter storms. Two storm systems dumped massive amounts of rain on the Oakland Hills and beyond and brought 70 mph plus winds to the region. BTCEB responded.
First, BTCEB volunteers John and Morgan rode and hiked every trail in JMP and documented the location of over 70 trail blockages. Although the mapped data was shared with the City of Oakland park managers, the City’s tree crews were busy taking care of trees that had fallen on public streets and were not available to help with clearing trails
Throughout the spring, an ad-hoc team of local stewards gradually cleared trails even as more trees continued to fall. In some cases, such as on south Big Trees Trail, the base of a fallen tree was so large that the trail was simply moved to go around the obstacle rather than cut through it. Typically, smaller tree branches are cleared using a simple folding hand saw (which some riders started carrying on their bikes). In other cases, larger saws were needed including a two-person cross-cut saw, also known as a “misery whip”.
Most of the trees in the park were planted or are invasive species. One study by a UC Berkeley scientist estimated that the tree has something like five times the amount of tree cover as it did before development, The big pines are the Monterey species and are at the end of their lifespans. During the second storm system, several of these “lollypop” trees topped over at the lower parking area crushing picnic benches. JMP is also home to the invasive acacia tree which seems to fall over if you just look at it funny. The trails were blocked by these two types of trees as well as bay laurels which are native to the area; they seem to have no trouble re-sprouting after they get knocked sideways. We now have a new appreciation for how many trees will come down in a big storm!
In addition to the falling trees, pipes under the historic stone bridge became clogged with debris causing part of the bridge to collapse into the creek. Volunteers rescued the bridge from further damage by clearing the pipes. We hope to restore the bridge soon.
DRAINAGE!
In March, middle and high school mountain bike teams assembled in the lower part of the park to improve trail drainage, such as the middle portion of the Sinawik trail. Conditions were still “soupy” but at least and we could see where the water was coming and [not!] going.
This brings up an interesting point and a big challenge of trail work in our sunny State: in most cases the soil needs to be nearly saturated with water to make it soft enough to dig and compact but not so wet as to have the consistency of clam chowder. That leaves only a few months to get stuff done: December through April — though every year is different. Scheduling in those months means that events will likely be cancelled at the last minute due to the weather. In JMP, the weather scheduling is further complicated by wind. We don’t want to be under all those old pines and eucalyptus when the wind starts whipping them around!
WEEDS!
Record rains brought record weeds. The upper north section of the Castle Park Trail was overrun with thistle and fennel. The City of Oakland normally has goats graze that hillside to reduce the fire risk, but in 2023 the City’s efforts were far behind schedule. Riding Castle Park was becoming a painful experience–literally.
Jumping into action, BTCEB’s Vice President Jamuel Starkey swiftly got on the weeds and returned the trail to passable condition using only his trusty weed-eater under the watchful eye of his faithful trail companion, Ms. MollyMo McDoggo of course!
RING A DING-DING!
Friends of JMP worked with an Eagle Scout to install two bike bell stations in the park. These stations are bulletin boards, located at the top of the meadow and at the Sequoia-Bayview trailhead, with bike bells available for loan or gifting.
The bells are supplied by the BTCEB and Friends volunteers. The bells help avoid hiker-cyclist conflicts and to promote both organizations (logos are on the bells). The bike bell stations have been met with praise by many users and will be restocked going into 2024.
Clearing Lower Palos!
Later in early June, a few intrepid volunteers from BTCEB and Oakland Park Patrol worked to clear the lower segment of the Palos Colorados Trail which was blocked by trees and erosion. This section of trail runs from the trail junction and wooden bridge down to Joaquin Miller Court (where the creek then passes under Highway 13). The trail is not open to bicycles due to the very narrow tread and steep slopes. Storm damage rendered it nearly impassible to even the hardiest hiker. This trail is one of the prettiest in the park and will need constant maintenance.
At the bottom of the trail near its terminus at Joaquin Miller Court, the creek decided to change course and bypass the wooden crossing. Rather than try to put the creek “back where it belongs” or build a new crossing, strong-backed volunteers Gary, Brian and Gary’s friend, who happened be hiking the trail, literally picked up and moved the bridge over! We are anything if not resourceful! Will the creek go another direction this winter? We shall see…
Fun fact: the Sinawik trail is Kiwanis spelled backwards. The local chapter of the Kiwanis Club made improvements to the park decades ago including building the former Sinawik Cabin which was located where that trail meets up with Palos Colorados at that nice wooden bridge over Palos Seco Creek. Which leads me to…that wooden bridge.
WOODEN BRIDGE!
In July it was reported that the railings on the bridge (photo) that joins Palos Colorado and Sinawik Trail had rotted off and fallen into the creek. This bridge is a critical bit of trail infrastructure linking several heavily-used trails together and getting hikers and cyclists safely across Palo Seco Creek.
While the railings had rotted off, the massive timbers that made up the frame of the bridge were still in good shape. Emeritus BTCEB trail builder Henry Mitchell stepped up to reconstruct the railings using high-grade redwood and hardware. BTCEB funded the materials and a few Park Patrol volunteers assisted Henry on this great project. Result: a nice bridge that should last another 20 years.
Fixing Cinderella!
A favorite of those seeking a fast and challenging downhill route is the Cinderella Trail, which has seen better days. The steep sections have been very badly eroded and even the flatter sections have ruts and “breaking bumps”. Clearly the trail needs some TLC. One question for this and the other two “downhill trails” (Chapparal and Castle Park), is whether to repair the steep parts (which means hardening) or reroute a portion of the trail all together to create a mellower and more sustainable section. Or both? To that end, BTCEB has engaged Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship for some additional eyes on the problem. SCMTS will be helping guide a strategy forward with an assessment and recommendations by early 2024.
Meanwhile on Cindy . . . BTCEB members quickly got after a small problem that developed after apparently somebody decided to alter the flow of a perennial stream and have it run down the trail instead of across it. What were they thinking? The result was a muddy bog that was going to destabilize the trail even further once the heavy rains come. Gary and Tom spent a few hours putting the water back where it belongs and hope that those who want to get their hands dirty join us for an upcoming dig day.
The last thing we did in 2023 was to get Cincderella in shape for the coming rains. We had a good turn out of voluteers for a mid December work day. Many hands make light work . . .
See you in 2024!
