North Area Work Project: May 25, 2011 - Rinconada Trail Head entrance road maintenance.  Melody Fountain-Stone, our unit’s USFS Liaison, suggested our Lp-unit undertake this project.  After many days and hours of preplanning, on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 09:00 a.m., 46.87 (47) tons of #2 DG road base was delivered.  Set up arrangements were made between Rich Waller, Paxton Pembroke and Melody.  Other assisting ground labors were Bob Stone, Dave Rigoli, Bill & Sandy Obermeyer and Bill Chaides.  The entire road from the entrance cattle guard to the parking lot staging area was resurfaced filling in many eroded portions of the damaged road.  Paxton, with the aid of his Model 70-40 (Orange Blossom) Kubota tractor with scraper & bucket, smoothed out the delivered road base as assisting labors smoothed out the edges with hand tools and much conversation in between delivered loads.  Bill Obermeyer used his duly pick-up as an improvised compacting roller to pack down the road base.

Great Job-Well-Done to all.  Look in your BCHA newsletter - there is an article regarding this project in there. 

What a group    Shoveling dirt   one load of DG  Finished at last

Updated:  5/28/2011

Did you know that the Backcountry Horsemen organization was originally started in 1981 by packers in the Westside Sierras, Little Kern California?  They wanted to form a horse related association that could meet with the forest and park government agencies.

This group evolved to the present form of Backcountry Horsemen.

The Los Padres Forest ranges from the Carmel Valley in Monterey County and stretches South near Lake Piru in Ventura County.  It covers nearly 220 miles in length and consists of about 2-million acres.  In the Southeast, near the Kern/Ventura county lines and within the Chumash Wilderness, Mt. Pinos reaches 8831 feet.  In the Ventana Wilderness, South of Carmel Valley at Junipero Serra Peak the elevation reaches about 5700 feet.  The entire forest provides many opportunities for vehicle access to campgrounds and trails. In the backcountry/wilderness areas, any form of mechanical intrusion, i.e.: chain saws, bicycles or any type of power equipment is prohibited.  Introduce yourself to the “misery whip” a manual handheld cross cut saw. 

The Los Padres Forest stretches through the counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey.

Always check with your local Forest Ranger District prior to venturing into the forest and to check for current regulations and restrictions. Get a map and check out the 10 local wilderness areas. Ventana, Silver Peak, Santa Lucia, Garcia, Machesna, San Rafael, Dick Smith, Chumash, Matilija and the Sespe.

Remember:  GU / LNT principles and only leave foot or hoof prints.
Bill Chaides

posted 5/28/2011

Attention “WORK PARTIES” 2012

I will add work parties in the next couple of weeks.