While improving access for users, the proposed work on BSTS will also improve conditions for local wetlands and habitats. Tread work, drainage, and crossings, will all work to reduce the erosion and water contamination that comes from overburdened trails. Similarly, rerouting trails will make them more sustainable while reducing the impact on wetlands and streams. Reducing access by unauthorized motorized vehicles will also reduce erosion, contamination of waterways, and the impact on sensitive habitats. Lastly, USFS Aquatics staff have identified the water crossing hardening as a way to improve habitat for the Columbia Spotted Frog.
First, the HOC conservation crew will focus on converting 6.47 miles of non-motorized winter trails to allow for summer use. This will be the primary focus of the 2023 season. While the winter trail corridors are cleared, no tread work has been performed. Creating a tread,18-36” wide, will allow access for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. The conversion of these winter trails would greatly expand the summer options, adding to the existing 5.6 miles of non-motorized all-season trails. Upon completion, Bandit Springs will offer 12.07 miles of multiple use all-season trails.
This process will also include establishing or rerouting the trails to avoid impacts on seasonal wetlands and riparian areas, as well as the creation of crossings and drainage to foster natural water flows. These sensitive areas have been flagged by the Forest Service, and recommendations made on how best to manage key issues.
Next, the existing 5.6 miles of all-season trails need retread work completed to mitigate erosion, flooding, and impacts to streams and wetlands. While crews will use BMPs as directed by Forest Service staff, some issue areas have been identified, which will require the construction of new crossings, eliminating social trials, and restricting access by unauthorized motor vehicles. This work will be implemented in the 2023 season, if feasible, but may likely extend into 2024. Heart of Oregon Corps operates year-round, which allows for crews to start early in the season and extend into the late season until winter conditions will not allow for any more progress.
2024: Highline Trail
2024: Teton Trails Deferred Maintenance
2024: Phase 2 of the Arroyo Hondo Project
2024: Greenhorn Gulch Trail Reroute and Bridge Rebuild
2024: Trail Rehabilitation in Beaverhead Deer Lodge National Forest
2024: Trail Maintenance and Repairs in Pisgah National Forest
2024: Wasatch National Forest Deferred Maintenance and Weather Resilience
2024: Rio Fernando de Taos Watershed Revival
2024: Mineral Creek Trail Reroute
2024: Second Fork Trail Project
2024: Trinity River Watershed Trail Improvement Project
2024: Salmon-Challis National Forest Trail Restoration
2024: Manistee, White, Muskegon, and Pere Marquette River Watershed
2024: Mount Shavano Trail and Riparian Habitat Restoration Project
2024: South Park Ranger District Singletrack Connector Trail
2024: Oak Creek Canyon Watershed Restoration Project
2024: Bartram National Recreation Trail Maintenance
2024: Idaho Panhandle National Forest Sandpoint Ranger District Trail Reroute
2024: Pony Express National Historic Trail Improvement
2024: South Lake and Moss Lake Trail Restoration
2024: West Ridge Trail #176 Improvements
2024: Blue Bend Loop Trail Restoration
2024: Catamount Trail Improvement
2024: Munson Meadow Trail Restoration
2024: Vesuvius Recreation Area Trail System Restoration
2024: Hurricane Creek Trail Restoration
2024: Cove Creek Trail Rehabilitation
2023: The Storm Creek Connector Trail
2023: Backpacker and Lakeshore Trails
2023: Beaver Meadows Trail
2023: Munson Meadow Trail
2023: Imnaha River Trail
2023: Maxon Meadows Trail to Chamberlain Meadows Camp
2023: Lost Lake Trail
2023: Virginia Highlands Horse Trail
2023: Pasayten Wilderness Project
2023: Catawba River Headwaters
2023: Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
2023: Southfork Trail, White Mountain Wilderness
2023: Black Canyon and Trail Creek Drainages
2023: Twenty Lakes Basin Toads and Trails
2023: Dickey Bell Trail Reroute and Bypass
2023: Horseshoe Canyon Trails
2023: Lower San Francisco River Wilderness Study Area
2023: Trails in Ontonagon and Sturgeon watersheds
2023: Caton Lake Trail
2023: Yellowbelly Trail
2023: Santa Cruz Trail
2023: Bridge Replacement for Trail Access
2023: Pioneer Mountains Trail Maintenance
2023: North Country National Scenic Trail Connections
2023: Pincushion Mountain Ski Trails
2023: Rocky Gap Horse Trail System
2023: Shrode Lake Trail
2023: Johnson Creek Trail Re-Establishment
2023: Soda Ditch Loop Trail
2023: Restoration of Buckhorn and Indian Trails
2023: Hauf Lake and One Horse Lakes Trails
2023: Building Resilience on the TRT/PCT
2023: Camp Creek Watershed Improvement
2023: Pomas Creek Trail and Entiat River Trail
2023: Western States Trail & Tevis Cup Trail, within Granite Chief Wilderness
2023: Western States Trail Improvements
2023: Sipsey Wilderness Trails Restoration
250 views • posted 05/24/2023
