Recap: Trails for All 2023
Our first-ever Trails for All Month is a wrap! Huge thanks to everyone who came out, as well as to our sponsor Girls Rock for making it all possible.
At SCMTS, a major part of our mission and a goal behind all of our events is to encourage EVERYONE to get out on trails…so to have that theme front and center for all of our volunteer trail work events for the month of June was extra special. We believe that stewarding trails and outdoor spaces helps to build a sense of pride and belonging amongst trail users. The more time we can spend out enjoying and caring for trails, the healthier and happier both the community and the trails will be.
“I try to make all of the events I lead feel welcoming and inclusive, and these Trails for All events were a great opportunity for people who haven’t done trail work before and might be unsure about their abilities. I hope these events communicated to participants: you are welcome, you are loved, and you are seen! I can’t wait to host more LGBTQIA+ events throughout the year and go bigger and better in June 2024.” — Katie Teschler, SCMTS Trail Stewardship Coordinator
Amidst all of the fun these crews had, they still managed to accomplish quite a bit of trail work and now have a handful of local parks looking tidy. All in all, we had 47 volunteers join us for a combined 204 hours of trail work during five events in four different open spaces! Check out some of the work they completed below:
Wilder Ranch State Park: In Wilder Ranch, our crew was mostly focused on brushing overgrown vegetation back from the trail. The crew covered ~3,000 feet of brushing plus six drain repairs and builds during the first event. Our second event at Wilder Ranch kept the brushing rolling along Wilder Ridge Loop and Zane Gray as well as some invasive thistle removal. They collected 21 bags of invasive thistle during the event!
DeLaveaga Park: At DeLaveaga, 12 volunteers came out for some serious brushing and invasive plant removal. We brushed Branciforte Creek Trail, Enchanted Cutoff Trail, Lower Redwood Loop, and finished Upper DeLaveaga Loop. We also clipped/removed a lot of invasive Italian thistle, preventing the flowers from dropping thousands of more seeds! (Honestly, maybe millions of seeds..)
Chanticleer Pump Track: At Chanticleer, the crew focused on weeding and brushing as the pump track had become to be a little overgrown. We had a light crew, with only three volunteers joining us, but were still able to clear a bunch of overgrown vegetation and weeds.
Harvey West Pump Track: At Harvey West, we watered the track, raked away five wheelbarrow loads of leaves, uprooted and removed 10 Italian thistle plants, removed overgrown vegetation that was making its way into the track, and patched/added more soil to six berms/spots on the track.
We encourage everyone to come out to any trail work event we host, whether it’s during Trails for All Month or not! See you out there and get prepped for Trails for All Month 2024—we’re going bigger and better. If you’re part of an organization or know anyone looking to be involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
