Adopt-A-Campsite Update
Posted: December 15, 2015 Filed under: Maintenance | Tags: access, camping, maintenance, TNF Leave a commentAdopt-A-Campsite Update
This past OHV season marked the beginning of a new Adopt-A-Campsite program on the Truckee District of the Tahoe National Forest.
For the first year of the program, it went well. We had six different campsites adopted by five individuals or groups.
Here is the list of current volunteers:
- Jon & Jan Briggs
- Tahoe Donner 4 Wheelers Club http://gerb58.wix.com/td-4-wheelers-#!
- Doug Barr www.TheOtherRubicon.comThe Other Rubicon
- Sierra Stompers http://www.sierrastompers.org/
- Dominic Bruno
While working with the Forest Service (FS) to get the paperwork straight for each particular site, we discovered that the FS had miss marked the three ‘new’ sites near Miller Lake. So, one of the adopted sites is not yet an official site, as is another that has yet to be adopted.
Hopefully, the FS will get these sites added to the MVUM very soon. My understanding is that the FS is not asking for these sites to be blocked off to motor vehicle access at this time.
For those of you interested in adopting a site, click the link on the right side of my website and look around for a site you’d like to maintain. There is a well shaded site along Miller Lake available as is Observation Point itself. Please email me (TheOtherRubicon@charter.net) if you’d like to adopt on of these two or any of the sites listed.
Duties are much less than adopting a trail. You need to complete the appropriate paperwork to adopt the site and then ensure that paperwork is done for each individual helping you maintain your site. An email letting me know, and I will let the FS know, what you have planned in the way of maintenance and a report at the end of the year is the rest of the paperwork required.
Basic on the ground duties include visiting/maintaining the site at least twice a year to pick up trash, clean out the fire pit (if there is one) and ensure that the site is not growing using logs and boulders to define the borders.
LTBMU seeks input
Posted: December 7, 2015 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel Leave a commentThe Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is asking for our input. Although this is a scoping process and involves facilities as well as roads and trails, we need to read through this and comment.
I’ve only read it briefly and my first thought is to separate the facilities from the roads/trails within the document.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ltbmu/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD485271
LTBMU seeks input on proposal for roads, trails and facilities
Release Date: Dec 3, 2015
Contact(s): Public Affairs, Lisa Herron (530) 543-2815
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California – The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is seeking comments on a proposal for the management and uses of existing roads, trails and facilities located on National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
The proposed action consists of four components: maintenance and management of roads, trails and facilities; authorization of outfitter guide activities; authorization of events; and authorization of special use permits for recreational uses on NFS lands. The proposed action complies with existing management direction found in the LTBMU Land and Resources Management Plan, existing rules, regulations, and administrative decisions regarding the use of NFS lands.
The proposed action identifies specific criteria and design features to establish thresholds on activities, which may proceed under the proposed analysis. An Environmental Assessment will likely be prepared, which will analyze activities considered appropriate to proceed under this project, under what conditions those activities may proceed, and any relevant design features that will reduce the risk to environmental, historic, social and recreational resources.
Comments are most helpful if received by January 15, 2016.
The proposed action is available at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/IntegratedMgmt.
For more information on the proposal and how to comment, contact Daniel Cressy at 530-543-2694 or email dcressy@fs.fed.us.
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The Richardson Lake Trail is open!
Posted: August 21, 2015 Filed under: Access, Maintenance | Tags: 14N39, camping, ENF, maintenance Leave a commentFinally,
The Richardson Lake Trail, 14N39, is open!
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Major 14N39 trail work by ENF
Posted: August 6, 2015 Filed under: Maintenance, Uncategorized | Tags: 14N39, ENF, maintenance, Richardson Lake Leave a commentSo, I headed out to the Rubicon to place more carsonite trail markers, and came across a large “Road work ahead” sign at the staging area. I was meeting John Briggs, the Friends of the Rubicon Tahoe side lead. We moved markers at a few of the campsites and later placed markers at the intersection of Forest Road 03 (Barker Pass Road) and 03-04.
After getting our volunteer commitments done, we headed up the Richardson Lake Trail (14N39) to see what was actually going on. We knew that the last ‘meadow’ was scheduled for work but wanted to see for ourselves.
On our way up the Rubicon earlier, we came across a HUGE dump truck. It was a Volvo 725. I believe that means a 25 yard bed. I had earlier asked the size of the hauler (before seeing it) and he said it could do 20 tons. This is a similar machine to the ones Placer used to haul so much material last summer. I think it was the same contractor.
We drove up 14N39 to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), where the trail temporarily ends and walked the short distance from there. There we met Tim Merten. He is a Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) civil engineer on loan to the Eldorado National Forest (ENF) to deal with the “42 Meadow Route Closures”.
At the ‘meadow’, there was a very large excavator working the section of trail that goes through the ‘meadow’. The plan calls for digging down almost two feet, laying cloth that will prevent the rock from sinking but allow water to pass, placing rip-rap about the size of a football, smaller rock on top of that and finally 3/4 crushed rock as ‘drain rock’. The final product should be able three inches above the grade of the ‘meadow’.
I was told they planned on three weeks to complete the work and I wondered if they were going to place each rock by hand.
What I later learned was the plan also calls for rebuilding twenty five (25) rolling dips along the trail as they work their way out.
With any luck, we’ll be driving to the top of Sourdough by the 20th!
Signs, trash and trail markers
Posted: July 24, 2015 Filed under: Access, Maintenance | Tags: Barker Pass Road, education, Forest Road 03, maintenance Leave a commentYesterday, I spent a good day on the trail. I started at the TNF office picking up five carsonite markers and the tools needed to install them. Then off to the trail.
There was quite a crowd at the staging area. Jeepers Jamboree started that day and these were the workers headed in the back door. I worked fast to get on the trail before them.
The first stop was the newly repaired sign board at Miller Lake. The Tahoe Donner 4 Wheelers worked to get a fresh piece of plywood up a few weeks back and I had some better signage to post up.
The next task was going to be to replace the shot-up carsonite at the campsites there but there is some confusion about the numbering so I’ll address that later.
Next, I headed to the Richardson Lake Trailhead. The carsonite there looked to be held up with rock so I was going to move it to a better location and hammer it in to the ground. But the sign was somewhat in the ground so I hammer it where it was and placed some rocks to make it stand straight up.
The next trail marker was for the Ellis Peak Trail. This is a new number as there were duplicate numbers on the current MVUM. This will be changed on the next MVUM. The old number was 0003-004-12. The new number is 0003-004-12-05. It’s a forest service thing.
The next marker was for the intersection of the Rubicon and Barker Pass Road. I’m still working on getting the Rubicon signed as it’s a county road not really a forest road. The FS sees the importance of properly marking trails and will get me the needed marker. Hopefully, next week.
More markers were placed and are on the way in order to make sure the users know where they are on the trail system.
The last task was the removal of some trash. It looked to be an old hunters shelter and some milk crates for chairs:
The TNF allowed me to dump the trash in their dumpster.
It really was a good day on the trail. And with the jamboree going on, I was entertained over the ham radio.
The 'Other' Rubicon 