By John Roberts
Riding trails is a joy. Seeing nature from a minimalist trail environment, is the a joy. Enjoying nature feels best from non-invasive singletrack: it is better than from your car or kitchen window. We get more when we get out there.
This is a call to do trailwork. Working outdoors to improve the explorational wonders of the outdoors is rewarding. To best enhance the outdoor experience, we need well-maintained trails. The more subtle the path, the more nature we can safely be surrounded by. The best way to accomplish this goal is through work that ensures the sustainability of our trails.
I am calling out for a select few that are willing to work with poison oak removal, or, can do other trail work on short notice:
1) Mountain bikers do a service to all trail users when we remove poison oak vines that are encroaching on the trail. For this, the qualifications require one of two things, be in the 15% of the population that does not get a poison oak rash, or be willing to follow protection protocols and then work on poison oak removal. Mountain bikers get exposure to poison oak while riding likely more than any other trail user group. More importantly, if poison oak is not trimmed back, then trails run the risk of potentially being either lost, or getting socially re-routed in a less sustainable fashion. The latter brings erosion and trail user risk, which brings me to the other topic.
2) The best time to do erosion control on our trails, is right after heavy rainfall. This is when you can see the puddles as well as rainwater flows which wash topsoil away. Some of the most effective erosion control is performed right after a rain. Accordingly, volunteers on short notice can be effective. This erosion control work involves handling shovel or hoe on an afternoon or weekend, for a couple of hours after rainstorms are forecast to end. Notices are expected to go out about 24 hours beforehand following weather forecast. Similarly, the best time for tree removal is right after a dead tree falls and starts blocking a trail.
If you are up for poison oak trimming, or, for quick turnaround post-rain-erosion control or deadfall tree removal, please email me your special interest and city where you live directly at: juanroberts@hotmail.com. I can then provide additional details. If instead you are interested in other types of trailwork, please stay tuned for future opportunities list here in the Buzz, or BTCEB’s Facebook Discussion Group or Meetup page.
