Wednesday Evening Trail Work a Success!
October 16, 2017
Since May, Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) has met every Wednesday evening to lead trail work in Pogonip Open Space Preserve and DeLaveaga Park. At each trail work session there were one to three trained MBOSC Trail Crew Leaders leading anywhere from two to eight volunteers. Over all the Wednesday Evening Trail Work events, 53 volunteers worked 21 sessions for a total of 278 hours of trail work.
Tom Wilson and Andrea Lee, longtime MBOSC volunteers, were volunteer project managers, attending nearly all 21 sessions! Having volunteers capable of loading the work truck with all the tools necessary for the day and leading volunteers independently is how MBOSC is able to accomplish our projects timely, efficiently, and effectively.
For the first two months we brushed and maintained the Emma McCrary Trail and the University Connector Trail. Once we were satisfied with our work, we moved on to Delaveaga, slowly working our way through the entire park, spending hours digging out drains, wheel barrowing rock, and brushing the entire trail.
In July, MBOSC partnered with the City of Santa Cruz to start rerouting the Ohlone Trail, a pedestrian-only trail in Pogonip. Executive Director Matt De Young designed the reroute to replace the old trail, a steep, fall-line alignment that was prone to erosion, and not very pleasant to walk on.
After the trail was cut out by the city’s high school trail crew in August, MBOSC’s Wednesday Evening Trail Work began work at this location. We worked on fine-tuning the Ohlone Trail reroute for several months, up until our last session this week, which included lots of pole saw work and renaturalization.
The new trail bypasses the steep fall line and provides an interesting and enjoyable hiking experience. The trail travels through pristine oak and redwood forest. There are several handbuilt rock steps that took many Wednesday Evening Trail Work sessions to perfect.
So why would MBOSC build a pedestrian-only trail? Aren’t we all about mountain bike access? MBOSC recognizes that trails are links in the broader trail network, and that individual trail users and user groups are all connected by that network. MBOSC believes that working to improve one trail ultimately benefits all trail users and the community as a whole. Building pedestrian-only trails gives on-foot users the experience they are seeking, and ultimately improves mountain bikers’ chances of gaining access to the kinds of trails that mountain bikers like to ride.
We are really proud of all the work our volunteers have accomplished over the last few months! Next time you’re riding U-Conn and thinking, “Hey, the poison oak is not so bad here,” just remember: someone brushed the entire trail for you to have that enjoyable experience. We look forward to more projects in the future.
Thanks for your support!
Tom Wilson and Andrea Lee, longtime MBOSC volunteers, were volunteer project managers, attending nearly all 21 sessions! Having volunteers capable of loading the work truck with all the tools necessary for the day and leading volunteers independently is how MBOSC is able to accomplish our projects timely, efficiently, and effectively.
For the first two months we brushed and maintained the Emma McCrary Trail and the University Connector Trail. Once we were satisfied with our work, we moved on to Delaveaga, slowly working our way through the entire park, spending hours digging out drains, wheel barrowing rock, and brushing the entire trail.
In July, MBOSC partnered with the City of Santa Cruz to start rerouting the Ohlone Trail, a pedestrian-only trail in Pogonip. Executive Director Matt De Young designed the reroute to replace the old trail, a steep, fall-line alignment that was prone to erosion, and not very pleasant to walk on.
After the trail was cut out by the city’s high school trail crew in August, MBOSC’s Wednesday Evening Trail Work began work at this location. We worked on fine-tuning the Ohlone Trail reroute for several months, up until our last session this week, which included lots of pole saw work and renaturalization.
The new trail bypasses the steep fall line and provides an interesting and enjoyable hiking experience. The trail travels through pristine oak and redwood forest. There are several handbuilt rock steps that took many Wednesday Evening Trail Work sessions to perfect.
So why would MBOSC build a pedestrian-only trail? Aren’t we all about mountain bike access? MBOSC recognizes that trails are links in the broader trail network, and that individual trail users and user groups are all connected by that network. MBOSC believes that working to improve one trail ultimately benefits all trail users and the community as a whole. Building pedestrian-only trails gives on-foot users the experience they are seeking, and ultimately improves mountain bikers’ chances of gaining access to the kinds of trails that mountain bikers like to ride.
We are really proud of all the work our volunteers have accomplished over the last few months! Next time you’re riding U-Conn and thinking, “Hey, the poison oak is not so bad here,” just remember: someone brushed the entire trail for you to have that enjoyable experience. We look forward to more projects in the future.
Thanks for your support!
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