PRESS RELEASE: MBOSC Completes Reroutes of Two Hiking Trails in Pogonip Open Space Preserve
January 4, 2018
We are pleased to share our press release for two trail reroutes we completed over last summer and fall with help from the City of Santa Cruz and their high school trail crew. The Ohlone Trail and the Lookout Trail are both hiking-only trails in Pogonip Open Space Preserve. Over the course of a few months our volunteers donated over 500 hours of their time to these projects.
MOUNTAIN BIKERS OF SANTA CRUZ HELPED COMPLETE REROUTES OF TWO HIKING TRAILS IN POGONIP OPEN SPACE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Ohlone Trail and Lookout Trail have been rerouted to improve the hiking experience and reduce environmental impacts through sustainable design and construction practices.
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. – Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) is pleased to announce the completion of two hiking trail reroutes in the City of Santa Cruz’s Pogonip Open Space. Sections of both the Ohlone Trail and Lookout Trail that used to be badly eroded have been rerouted and redesigned to include sustainable design treatments that are better for the environment and provide a more enjoyable hiking experience. These projects were made possible by an ongoing collaboration between MBOSC and the City of Santa Cruz’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“The City of Santa Cruz values our partnership with MBOSC because they are committed to maintaining the City’s trail network,” said City of Santa Cruz Field Supervisor, Meta Rhodeos. “We couldn’t have achieved the reroutes of Ohlone Trail and Lookout Trail without their help, and we are proud to have these improved trails available to hikers within Pogonip Open Space. The Summer Youth Trails Program helps teach youth important job skills. This was an exciting opportunity for the youth crew to learn about sustainable trail design and natural restoration. MBOSC also managed the design and construction of Emma McCrary Trail and the Harvey West Pumptrack, both of which provide fantastic recreational opportunities for our City’s residents and visitors.”
The Ohlone Trail previously had a very steep, highly eroded section that was depositing sediment in a nearby creek. MBOSC partnered with the City’s Summer Youth Trails Program to decommission this portion of trail and replace it with 2,200-feet of sustainably constructed trail. MBOSC volunteers worked a total of 69 hours on Wednesday evenings throughout the fall to finish this reroute. An important component of the project focused on restoring a section of the sensitive Coastal Prairie habitat.
The Lookout Trail has also been improved with 600-feet of new sustainable trail to replace a badly eroded and entrenched section. This work was completed through MBOSC’s volunteer Crew Leader Training program, which is an annual six-part class covering trail design, construction, maintenance, and leadership. The trainees completed the entire Lookout Trail reroute project as part of their curriculum in a combined total of 454 volunteer work hours.
“Our amazing team of volunteers was eager to get their hands dirty to complete reroutes of these great hiking trails” said MBOSC Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator, Emma Ussat. “Some people are surprised that Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz works on hiking trails where we can’t even ride our bikes, but we are stewards for all types of trail users. We are proud to improve trail access and the trail experience for everybody—mountain bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. That’s why MBOSC and our dedicated volunteers put in over 523 volunteer hours to improve both the Ohlone and Lookout Trails. We are also grateful that the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Sierra Club, and Friends of the Pogonip helped promote our trail work volunteer opportunities as we worked on these hiking trails.”
Anybody can get involved by volunteering at MBOSC’s ongoing trail work and pumptrack maintenance events. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities at www.mbosc.org/volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to give back to your trails while enjoying a fun, rewarding day and building community. You can also support MBOSC’s work by donating to the organization at www.mbosc.org/donate.
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