Campground OHV Access Trail to Adventure on the
Stanislaus National Forest
Cooler weather and spectacular scenery welcomed about 35
attendees to the 2016 Ranger Ride and OHV Workshop held on October 4-6, 2016 at
the Hull Creek Campground. This annual interagency trail management event was coordinated
by Don Amador of Quiet Warrior Racing (QWR) and the BlueRibbon Coalition/Sharetrails.org
(BRC). The event was hosted by the Mi-Wok Ranger District on the Stanislaus National
Forest.
The group included OHV managers, trail specialists,
line-officers, instructors, recreation staff, law enforcement officers, public
affairs, field crew members, and private sector partners from the Eldorado
National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Stanislaus National Forest, Tahoe
National Forest, BLM Eagle Lake Field
Office, BLM Redding Field Office, BLM Ukiah Field Office, BLM CA State Office, CA
State Parks OHMVR Division (OHMVRD), BlueRibbon Coalition/Sharetrails.org,
Quiet Warrior Racing, Stewards of the Stanislaus National Forest, and Trails
Unlimited LLC.
Topics and modules included trail rides, demonstrations, dirt-bike
certification and recertification courses, and exchanging OHV management
strategies/challenges/successes.
Mi-Wok District Ranger, Fred Wong, Welcomes Group
After the welcome by Mi-Wok District Ranger, Fred Wong,
and other Forest staff, an overview of OHV recreation on BLM land in CA was
given by the BLM State Office Trail lead, Jane Arteaga.
Brian Robertson, OHMVR Division Chief, also gave the
group an update on the CA State Park Transformation Process and how it recognizes
the important relationship that exists between the CA OHV Program and its
federal partners.
OHMVRD Chief, Brian Robertson, Talks about State OHV Grant Program
that Funds Restoration and Trail Projects on Federal Lands
Attendees then broke up into several groups to either
take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s DirtBike
School or participate in a walking tour to review the 15 year evolution of various
restoration, signing, and armoring projects implemented to protect natural
resources and preserve continued OHV access to the Hull Creek Campground.
Paul Hart, a certified DirtBike School coach and Trails Manager for the Yuba River Ranger
District on the Tahoe National Forest, taught this one-day hands-on training
session, over the course of two days, to agency students from the Forest
Service, BLM, and OHMVRD. Students
learned basic riding skills, trail ethics, and environmental responsibility.
FS Trail Staff Enjoys Dirt Bike Tour of Designated
Road and Trail System
After graduation from the course, students took part in
easy and moderate trail rides lead by agency staff and local volunteer partners.
This allowed the students to improve and practice the skills taught during the DirtBike School. QWR strongly
believes that post-class mentored trail rides where new riders get extra
seat time to further hone their skills is a vital aspect of the training
program.
Hull Creek Campground Restoration Project
The upgrades to Hull Creek Campground are a good
illustration of how a pro-active “all-hands” holistic approach to managing OHV
facilities can be successful in protecting important natural/cultural resources
while providing continued public access
to a high quality camping and riding experience.
Campground Tour Includes Stop at Recent Tread Block
Armor Project
The many Hull Creek Campground improvement project partners
include; OHMVR OHV Ground Operations Grant funding, American Conservation
Experience Crews (ACE), CA Conservation Corps (CCC), Merced Dirt Riders, and
Summer of Success High School Crew funded by Tuolumne County RAC and
administered by Mother Lode Job Training.
OHMVRD LE, Kim Baker, Takes Turn on Kubota Trail Tractor
The workshop wants to thank Scott Kuhlwein from Garton
Tractor for providing the event with a demo Kubota subcompact tractor/backhoe
so event participants could practice on this popular piece of trail
equipment. These sub-compact tractors
are used on the Stanislaus National Forest and other units to perform various
trail maintenance and construction projects.
FS Trail Staff Illustrate Trail Tread Block Installation
Later in the day, folks worked on a tread block project
to armor a trail grade against erosion from dirt-bikes and ATVs.
BLM's, Jane Arteaga, and Don Amador at
Tread Block Demo
Another group went on a trail ride to review the ongoing
efforts by the local trail specialists to provide a high quality and
sustainable trail program for riders that visit this destination OHV area in
the Central Sierra.
Trail Rides/Tours of Designated Routes
Day two started off with a presentation of the Forest’s
travel management signing strategy. The
unit’s trail staff believes that an effective signing program is one of the
most important methods of conveying (to the public) its commitment to managing sustainable
OHV recreation.
Travel Management Signs at Hull Creek OHV Area
QWR believes that signs are an important form of
communication in showing the public where they can ride on designated roads,
trails, and areas. Effective signing
programs may also consist of a complex system of alternative “signs” that can include
border fencing, maps, public education, the appropriate level/type of law
enforcement, trail delineators, and vehicle parking restrictors.
Low Profile "Signs" to Stay on Designated Trails
QWR believes the quality of an agency’s signing program
is directly proportional to the rate of user enjoyment, public compliance with
regulations, and success of the unit’s mission, vision, and values.
OHV Info in Hull Creek Campground
QWR commends the Stanislaus National Forest for its
implementation of a holistic signing program that uses the minimum level of “signs”
needed to meet its management goals and objectives. The
unit uses adaptive management to adjust its signing prescriptions as
appropriate.
Example of Well Signed OHV Trail in Hull Creek Area
The greater Hull Creek OHV Area is home to a number of
waterways including Hull Creek, Trout Creek, and the Clavey River.
Restoration Project in Trout Creek Watershed
The Forest took a number of participants on a tour of its
rather impressive and substantive restoration efforts in the Trout Creek
watershed. Those numerous water quality
and resource/cultural protection projects included installation of rock
barriers, restoration signs, and route delineators.
Restoration Project in Clavey River Watershed
Joe Chavez, Tahoe National Forest Trail Lead, gave an
update and field demonstration of the R5 Wet Weather Soil Studies. Chavez demonstrated the procedure and stated
they might do a pilot project soon at one of their riding areas on the Tahoe
National Forest.
Tahoe National Forest Trail Lead, Joe Chavez, Takes
Soil Moisture Reading
According to a previous QWR article by Roger Poff (lead
scientist on the project), the Forest Service has been conducting field studies
to develop an evidence-based method for opening trails based on direct
measurements of trail condition.
The field studies involved measuring soil strength and
soil moisture, and correlating those measurements with observed levels of trail
damage. The information is used to predict the risk of trail damage at
different levels of soil strength and soil moisture. This prediction of risk
can then be used to develop threshold values to determine when to open or close
trails.
Chavez demonstrated the procedure and stated they might
do a pilot project soon at one of their riding areas on the Tahoe National
Forest.
QWR believes it will be an important tool in the trail
manager’s toolbox for managing trails under wet conditions.
A good “campfire” discussion broke out on the topic of managing
trail/route opportunities for SxS recreationists. With the demand for backcountry SxS touring
opportunities growing each year, the group felt it is important for units -
that have the capacity to provide for SxS recreation - to look for ways to
adjust their travel management strategies to accommodate said use.
Campground Access Route for Dirt-Bikes, ATVs, and SxSs
Often that can include making sure that SxSs have legal
access from campgrounds and staging areas to backcounty touring or destination
type experiences. Units should also
consider reviewing their existing trail/road networks to identify “encouraged”
route opportunities for ½ or full day excursions.
Historic Bourland Train Trestle - A Potential OHV/SxS Destination Site
Another discussion related to travel management on Forest
Service lands included the concept of the agency reviewing how its level 3 (usually
not open for non-street legal OHVs) road system is integrated into it overall
OHV travel program.
Level 3 roads can often provide important connectivity between
motorized trails/level 2 roads for non-street legal OHVs. Where connectivity is critical for a high
quality OHV recreation experience, agency units should consider mixed-use
designations for level 3 roads or administratively reclassify the level 3 road
to a level 2 which then can be used by non-street legal OHVs.
Example of Mixed Use Sign on the Mendocino National Forest
At the conclusion of the event, it seemed the
participants appreciated the education modules, dirt-bike
training/certification, opportunities for networking and relationship building,
and the effort made to include a lot of “seat time” for trail riding.
Mi-Wok District Recreation Officer, Chuck James, Gets Ready to Lead Trail Ride
Finally, QWR appreciated that RZ Mask sent some demo dust
filtration masks to the event. Fitting
under the rider’s helmet, those masks really helped filter dusk on several of
the longer trail rides and added a much appreciated level of comfort for the participants.
Don Amador with RZ Mask
A big note of gratitude goes out to our agency and
volunteer partners who helped make this event a fun and informative learning
experience. Once again, this annual workshop
proves there is no substitute for “getting out in the field or on the trail.”
Trail Delineator with Wire Strand Deterrent to Discourage
Cutting with Chainsaw
The main takeaway from the event for QWR was the participant’s
passion for trails and public service.
It was evidenced by the smiles on their faces and the management prescriptions
they have implemented over the last decade to preserve and protect
natural/cultural resources while providing continued access to high quality OHV
trail-based recreation.
# # #
