Illegal Round Mountain Activity

Word is that some trouble has brewed on Round Mountain. One resident reports:

"There are now 2 fire areas at Coyote Lookout- one very recent, both ugly. Fires, firearms trash and paint ball trash have recently appeared on Moonlight (across from Coyote Parking).

The road sign at Hudson & Rock Creek is missing- making emergency response more difficult in the neighborhood. There have been several BLM "Day Use / No Fires" signs vandalized this summer.

The Round Mountain Planning area is a Day Use Only and a No Fire area. Motor bikes and other motor vehicles are required to remain on roads."

I've asked BONC members to keep an eye out and report any such activities. One member suggested carrying a camera to document the damage and take pictures of violators if possible. I believe that the BLM has a new enforcement officer for this area:

SCHERTELL, Jody
Ranger (Grass Valley)
(916) 985-4474

Where Can I Ride?

As president of BONC, I get this question a lot. The good news is that there are many answers on the award-winning BONC trail guide page. It has lots of links to external resources and Google Earth (KML) files that describe excellent area rides.

Got a suggestion for a map for this page? Have a KML file you would like to share? Just let me know and it is as good as posted.

Forest Update

Zachi provides this very interesting update from Forest City:

"This weekend is the last weekend of the month. For the rest of the summer, we will be having our gatherings and rides on the last weekend of the month.

Although people may continue to meet for projects and rides on other weekends, our goal is to plan a weekend a month that everyone can hangout together and share goodtimes and progress on their various interests.

July has been a busy month. Here are is a review of some of the projects."

"This month we also finished rough flagging in the new Ridge Runner Trail and the Jersey Trail. This will be a dynamic new downhill or uphill climb from FC to the top of the ridge. It features new curving trail layout that is less linear in nature and some fun features you can find on your own.

We also did quite a bit of scouting this month. We found a connector to the lower Truckee Ditch which creates a route from Miller Ranch all the way to the Goodyears Bar Overlook. This is a critical connector to the bullards bar trail system. The final 3 miles of the Plum Valley Ditch were scouted. This is also a critical connector to Bullards Bar. When opened this will make the trail 10 miles long! And the old Downieville Trail was tracked entering FC from NC and departing toward Downieville.

Lastly we have the Sandusky Bridge. A huge project that is almost done. This stone bridge boasts a 20 foot arched span and a trail deck that warps through the area like a gliding hawk.
This weekend we hope to top out the bridge with the curbing and finish the approach.

SO, Lots to celebrate. Please consider bringing up some friends for some fun riding and camping. We will be up from Thursday – Sunday. Generally there is a BBQ Saturday night and a ride Sunday."

Bullard's Bonanza - 8/2

BONC is going to mix it up a bit for our next trail day at Bullard's. We'll have a shorter volunteer session (9AM - noon), with some killer riding afterwards. BONC will provide free beer and snacks. Join us on Saturday, August 2nd at Bullard's Bar. Meet at 9AM @ the USFS Yuba River Ranger Station at the corner of Highway 49 and Marysville Road. Map.

We will work to improve BONC-adopted trails in the area. Please bring gloves, long pants and shirts, water and insect repellent. See you there!

Bridge Building in Forest City

Zachi and company continue to put in many hours of skilled work into the new bridge at Forest City. From Zachi:

"We had a fantastic last weekend.  Lots got done.   The new Jersey Ravine Trail has gotten flagged in.  And excellent work on the bridge.   Here are a few photos!  Please come up and play.  Water is almost stopped at the creek.  This is the last few weekends to bang this out!"

"Dates upcoming…  Last weekend of every month, ride and projects.  Aug 16th, 30 mile ride event and BBQ with artshow in town and music."

"Thanks to all that came up, 14 in all.  Look forward to finishing this up."

Pioneer Trail Closure

According to the USFS, the Pioneer Trail will be closed due to brush mastication work on Wednesday (7/9) between Skillman campground and the Equestrian Staging Area.

Consider using the Hallelujah Trail as an alternate route. The contractor is aware of the trail and the Hallelujah Trail will be buffered (protected).

New Trailwork Reporting Tool

BONC has a new tool for tracking trailwork hours. Using Google Docs, I've created an online form whereby BONCers can report donated hours on an honor system.

Please use this to report ANY trailwork you donated, even if it happened mid-ride. This tool will allow BONC to:

• Award our volunteers (think swag)
• Plan future trailwork
• Apply for grants
• Use aggregate trailwork statistics for advocacy

Note that information entered in this form is only accessible by members of the BONC steering committee.