Rake, Shovel, Brush, Repeat

Rock accumulations on Fruit getting raked and shoveled off.

Rock accumulations on Fruit getting raked and shoveled off.

Work continues on area trails through the adopt-a-trail program. Volunteers with the Wood River Bicycle Coalition (WRBC) were out last week working on their adopted trail, Forbidden Fruit Trail #159. This mountain bike trail is used for downhill travel only, and it includes several larger bermed-turns and lots of good sized jumps and landing zones. Technical trail features like these require periodic maintenance to keep them functioning well, and the WRBC has been steady at it all season long.

FBO vols cleaning drains in early June on Oregon Gulch Trail.

FBO vols cleaning drains in early June on Oregon Gulch Trail.

Next up are the Far Back Outdoors (FBO) trail group. This group of friends loves the outdoors and they wanted to give something back to the trails. Give back they have, with a couple of work sessions carried out already on their adopted trail, Oregon Gulch Trail #183. The lower three miles of the trail has a lot of plants growing into the travelway, and walking or riding along it has gotten pretty scratchy in the last few years. Other areas of the trail have big clumps of willow growing trailside. Some have gotten so large as to obstruct the view of oncoming traffic. In situations where these pose a safety concern the group will be cutting back the growth to help open up lines of sight.

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Plants growing into trail.

Brushed back trail.

Brushed back trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Far Back is encouraging others to come out and help them with the work. They will be working on the trail this Sunday, July 31, from 7 a.m. to noon. The work is demanding, but its also a lot of fun, and its neat to see how your efforts pay off for the trail and its users. As an added incentive FBO is holding a drawing for a $100 gift certificate from a local shop. Come out and help; you may end up winning a nice prize! For more information and directions to the event click on this link: BCRD Summer TraiLink “Volunteer Info” page.

Tools for the adopt-a-trail program have been provided by the BLM Shoshone Field Office and the Sawtooth Nat. Forest, Ketchum Ranger District. Last fall the BLM purchased 30 Rogue Hoe brand tools for the program. Everyone who uses these tools loves them, and they have been very useful to the volunteers. The KRD also put some tools to work thought the program, including a number of loopers, Pulaskis, and McLeods.

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The adopt-a-trail program partners supply the tools, the volunteers put them to use.

The KRD was recently awarded a $2000 grant for the purchase of additional trail tools for the program. Arriving just in time for the continued brushing back work of the adopters are new loppers, folding hand saws, and a collapsible pole saw. The rest of the grant monies have been put toward the order of a variety of Rogue Hoe brand trail tools.