Bullards Recon 4/3

BONC could use some volunteers to recon trail conditions at Bullards Bar for our upcoming trail work day later in April. Meet at the Camptonville USFS ranger station on Sunday, 4/3 at 10AM. Volunteers will scope out tree blowdowns and sections that need our help. A bit of trail work may occur, as well as a ride.

Accurate GPS devices could be handy.

Culvert Trailwork

FATRAC and others will host a trail improvement day on the popular Culvert Trail on Saturday 3/25/11 at 9AM. Meet at the Mammoth Bar OHV area entrance at 9AM. Tools will be provided.

Support for Hole-in-the-Ground Parcel Acquisition

BONC has issued the following letter of support for the Trust for Public Land's effort to acquire parcels on which Hole-in-the-Ground trail is located.

The TPL hopes to use a federal program to purchase parcels on which the Hole-in-the-Ground trail is located. Should they be successful, a large portion of the trail which is now fireroad could be converted to singletrack. Access to the trail would also become more permanent. The TPL has asked for letters of support for this program.

"The Honorable Diane Feinstein

United States Senate

Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator Feinstein:

I am writing in support of funding for the U.S. Forest Service program of checkerboard consolidation in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After a national ranking process, the FY 2012 President's Budget request recommended $2 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Sierra Nevada inholdings protection effort.

National forest lands entirely or substantially surround these checkerboard lands, and consolidation of these properties will give the Forest Service an improved ability to manage its lands for recreation. The inholdings feature significant trail resources. One tract is critical to accessing and improving the Hole-in-the-Ground-Trail a trail popular with mountain bikers.

For this reason, we support acquisition of this land (sec 3 and part of 9 of Township 17 North, Range 14 East).

Your strong support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been crucial to great conservation achievements in California and across the country. Your continued leadership on behalf of LWCF as Congress completes the FY 2011 budget and begins the FY 2012 process will help ensure that this project will receive the necessary funds.

Thank you for your support of protecting California's exceptional recreational resources.

Truly,

John Gardiner

Chair, Bicyclists of Nevada County"

Gala Ride with FATRAC - Sat 4/2

Note that this venue has changed to Round Mountain.

FATRAC will join us for a ride in our own backyard on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Meet at the Uren Street and Highway 20 @ 10AM. We'll show off some of our local Round Mountain singletrack stash to our flatlander friends (just kidding FATRAC :-).

This is a No Rider Left Behind ride, so everyone is welcome. We will provide New Belgium beer to adult participants. We will have BONC membership applications available so you can join up (membership is not required for the ride).

Bullards and Downed Trees

Joe Chavez of the USFS and others have put in many hours taking out down trees at the Bullards Bar trail system. Regardless, the place is a bit of a mess. Note that BONC will host a trailwork day on 4/23 to address these challenges. This update from Joe:

"I had a chance to personally see the damage from the last heavy low elevation snow storm on the Bullards trail system yesterday (March 13). Myself, plus three moto volunteers went out to do some clearing. Its bad! I have never seen so many downed trees (many stump pulls on or near the trails), it looked like bombs went off in the area. It is 5 times worse than November's low elevation snow storm. We could not go more than 50 yards without coming across another downed tree. The current status of the trails is as follows:

TRAIL/STATUS

8-Ball/Cleared

Rebel Ridge/Cleared (Be aware of a stump pull hole adjacent to the trail towards the top end)

7-Ball/Cleared

Schoolhouse/Cleared (cleared by FS fire crews)

Bullards/Vista to Dark Day- cleared of logs, large washout near Dark Day (cleared by FS fire crews - FS has submitted for an internal grant to repair this - status on funding currently undetermined).

Dark Day to Camptonville- Many downed logs across the trail, several stump pulls near or on the trail (tread work will need to be done at the stump pulls and some minor reroutes will be needed to get around some damaged spots). Expert faller needed to clear area 1/3 mile west of Dark Day (I will be requesting continued help from the FS fire crews to assist with this). "

Bullards Trail Event Rescheduled to 4/23

Due to current snow conditions at Bullard's, the USFS and BONC need to re-schedule this weekend's trail event at the lake. The new date is Saturday, April 23.

See a full description of this event.