Reroutes

Yesterday, Hyland and I met with management of the Camp Del Oro, which owns some of the land on which the Rock Creek Flume Trail crosses. We agreed to re-route two sections near the trailhead on Rector Road. One is just above the road and the other is a deeply rutted section a hundred yards or so above the first section. This work will make these sections more fun to ride and much more sustainable. We'll also clear a section of the trail of debris from a recent thinning operation.

Meet at the Forest Service office at 631 Coyote Street, Nevada City, at 10:00 am. If you have loppers or folding saws, please bring them.

Big Trees Taken Out at Bullard's

Thanks to the efforts of the Tahoe National Forest staff and volunteer groups like BONC and SBTS, the Bullard's Bar trail system is kept in excellent condition. Even if it mean taking out big fallen trees. And I mean *big*.

Look at these pictures taken at Bullard's after recent storms. This was part of an effort that removed 30 fallen trees from these trails! We should all thank Joe Chavez of the USFS and every volunteer who works with him.

Round Mountain Trailwork Day, 3/2

Join BONC for trail work on Round Mountain on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008.

1. We will be installing culverts in two locations where a creek crosses the trail and perhaps implementing some additional erosion control features.

2. We will be cleaning up the Flume trail near Rector Road. The property that this trail is on was recently cleared for fire abatement and the trail has been lost under the leftover plant material. We have been given permission from the property owner to do this work.

Meet at the Forest Service office at 631 Coyote Street, Nevada City, at 10:00 am

We will have food, drinks, beer and maybe even some free schwag! Rain or bad weather cancels the culvert work; call 274-DIRT if things looks iffy.

Try the Divide Ride

New to mountain biking? The Try the Divide Ride event is for you. From the FATRAC website:

Every third Saturday FATRAC will be doing a combination ride from the picnic table at the top of the Forest Hill Divide Loop Trail which will include food and drinks at the finish. Three rides will begin at the same location.

A beginner/novice ride will be an out-and-back ride along the most accessible part of the FDLT as far as the riders are comfortable (probably 5 miles total). An intermediate ride will do one loop around the entire FDLT (12 miles). The advanced option will include FDLT, the Connector, go to the Confluence and possibly Stagecoach/Manzanita/Flood, depending on rider preference (between 18 and 32 miles). You decide which ride you want to participate in.

Register here.

Osborne Hill News

Today's Union brings us news that developers have pulled the Osborne Hill timber harvest plan (THP) that would have devastated trails on Osborne Hill. Great news!

Thank you to the CDF for listening to neighbor's concerns about this ridiculous logging proposal. We'll have to remain vigilant about this issue, as this trail inventory is important. I am hoping that we can create a win for everyone involved: trail users, State Parks and yes the developers.

Coming Soon: 14 Miles of New Singletrack

This week, the Auburn Journal reported that dirt will soon be turned for the creation of the North Fork Trail in Auburn. This was confirmed to me by a source close to State Parks.

The article does not mention, however, threatened legal action by those opposed to the trail. A few malcontents have made noise that this non-motorized trail might spoil the splendor of the area. I wonder how these people know that this area is so splendid. Perhaps by hiking off trail illegally and trampling the unspoiled area?

In any case, the trail will be fantastic. It will provide a whole new riding option from the Confluence area. You can ride up Clementine until you reach the split off for this new trail, where you can ride out 14 miles to Ponderosa Bridge and back. I know there is one trail/fireroad that climbs up from the new trail that will get you near Fuel Break, but I cannot recall its name. Perhaps it is the Lake Clementine Access Trail (PDF)?

BONC Potluck Postponed

Because of this unusual weather, tonight's BONC meeting is postponed. We'll have a new date for this event ASAP.

Go drink some hot chocolate.

Osborne Hill - Some Progress

The CDF has responded with to the Timber Harvest Plan (THP) submitted for Osborne Hill and their comments are very favorable for the cause of trail users. Essentially, the CDF found that the plan was riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation regarding everything from toxic substances to logging techniques. Most importantly for us, the CDF specifically called out the importance of trails on the property and how the THP does not address how trail usage would be affected by the logging.

The CDF suggested that the logging proponent withdraw the plan. While this sounds like a victory, who knows if the logging proponents will abide by these suggestions and withdraw the THP or just submit another half-baked proposal in the future. They seem just about as hard headed and clueless as they have all along.