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The Friends of Fourmile chapter continued its assistance to the Forest Service and BLM through the spring and early summer of 2007. Highlights:
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In late May a mixed group of USFS, Friends and other Volunteers (High Rocky Riders, Quiet Use Coalition) placed about 200 yards of buck and rail fence at a wash in the northern part of Fourmile. This was the third and final unauthorized motorized “play area” identified in the 2003 Travel Management Plan and scheduled for closing due to excessive erosion which was dumping into nearby Fourmile Creek.
As of late June this closure was being well respected, and the corridor was being properly used by ATV and motorcycle users (and bicyclists) along the “ATV Only” designated route 1415.
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The second Annual Friends of Fourmile/GARNA guided hike was judged a resounding success by 8 intrepid walkers and 3 Friendly guides. Last year’s expedition was to the Davis Meadow and this one hit another of the Fourmile’s designated hiking/biking (no motorized) routes, labeled 1435 on the map and informally referred to as the Cottonwood Overlook Trail. This 3 mile + loop south of Castle Rock near the upper end of Bassam Park leads to some awesome overlooks of the Cottonwood Creek drainages within the proposed Browns Canyon Wilderness. In fact the trail itself would be entirely within wilderness if that designation takes place
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The whole Fourmile planning and volunteer program got welcome publicity in May when Alan Robinson (second from right) was the recipient of the Bureau of Land Management’s “Making a Difference” National Volunteer of the Year Award. At the Department of the Interior in Washington DC, the award was presented by top BLM officials and happily witnessed by John Nahomenuk, BLM’s local River Manager form the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (second from left), a representative from Senator Ken Salazar’s office, and Alan’s wife Karen (third from right), another founding member of the Friends Chapter. Alan accepted the honor on behalf of the many others who have consistently stuck with the process for the last 7 years and who have contributed thousands of hours to assisting both the BLM and the US Forest Service in managing the 100,000 acre Fourmile area to which the Chapter is dedicated.
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Nearing the end of a 3 year small grant from the Colorado State Parks trails program, the Friends informal subgroup on the Midland Bicycle and Whipple Trails recently completed a three-panel entrance sign at the Boathouse at the end of East Main in Buena Vista. The featured center panel is a brand new map of the Whipple Trail, the much appreciated and heavily used trail system developed and managed by the Town of Buena Vista and the BLM. This trailhead also provides access to the 18 mile long Midland Bicycle Trail which passes along the old Midland Railroad grade and eventually ends at the top of Trout Creek Pass. It also is one of several gateways to the whole Fourmile Travel Management Area, so this new trailhead sign grouping makes a great place to introduce all three opportunities. Thanks yet again to Friends Volunteer and graphic designer Kathy McCoy for the art work, and to the Salida District Forest Service’s sign builders for fabrication and installation.
For a closer view of the new Whipple Trail map download the map.
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Alan Robinson, the publicity guy (left) for the Friends, and formerly Board Chair of GARNA, has recently replaced Sheryl Archuleta (right) as the Friends Chapter representative on GARNA’s Board. Sheryl-also a founding member of the Chapter-will continue as its president. A big THANK YOU from the Board to Sheryl for her more than four years of dedicated and active participation! (The ATV, purchased with grant funds more than three years ago, has been an excellent investment for patrolling the 165 plus miles of roads and ATV routes in Fourmile.)
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Friends Volunteers joined BLM and Forest Service for the fourth year of special patrol efforts of 2007’s Memorial Day weekend. There is good news that for the most part the visiting public is respecting designated trails that the volunteers and managers have been working so hard to sign, restore and maintain. However, this year’s traditional beginning of the season brought even larger numbers of recreational visitors from the Front Range and elsewhere, together with their 5th wheels, RVs and an increasing number of ATVs and motorcycles. Recall that the Fourmile has no formal “hardened” campgrounds and allows “dispersed” camping virtually anywhere along its 165 miles of roads (within 100 ft of the road and only if no damage to resources occurs). As more and more visitors arrive, especially in these larger vehicles, favorite dispersed camping areas are now three and four times the size they were five years ago. An especially frustrating issue for managers is that growing use of downsized ATVs and motorcycles by young riders around these camping areas is leading to rapidly increasing areas of bare ground and potential erosion. Although no easy solutions are in sight, this problem really needs to be addressed soon or the camping areas will become virtual dusty deserts encircled by vehicle tracks and mini raceways.
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In late June the Forest Service organized a final push to improve the Davis Meadow Trail in northern Fourmile, this time to reorganize and reroute the eastern-most sections. The western end of this little-known but beautiful trail (for hikers and bicyclists, no motorized) was extensively reworked in two successive projects with the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and the Friends in recent years; now with the eastern trailhead parking area improved and the first ½ mile or so rerouted, the trail is even more accessible and inviting. A group of 11 did a major day’s work, here represented (left to right) by Friends Volunteer Sig Jaastad and Salida District Forest Service staff Brett Beasley, Tambi Gustafson and Trevor Thonhoff. This eastern trail head is accessed by FR 311D. (If you don’t have the Fourmile map and brochure you can download a map.)
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