Fourmile Volunteers continue to track restoration and revegetation at two former play areas, Spanish Mill and Sevenmile. The photos illustrate Sevenmile, and the first is from June 2005 as closure was being completed, the second July 2008, three full years later. The short reoirt is that this has been successful: native grasses planted in 2005 did not do very well in the first two years because they were overwhelmed by a heavy growth of sticker bushes. But in the third season grasses are now much more evident, and as expected by FS and BLM specialists, sticker bush is less dominant. Eventually grasses will replace sticker bush in coverage more like that on nearby undisturbed land. Although Sevenmile (and Spanish Mill) had some motorized vehicle trespass in the first year after closure, in the 2nd and 3rd years this has not been a problem.

The third and final play area closed by the Forest Service and Volunteers (in May 2007) had an uneventful first season but suffered vandalism on the heavy-use Fourth of July 2008 weekend. The photo shows sections of buck and rail fence splintered and shoved aside by ATVs, which spent time climbing steep sides of the wash just beginning to recover. Rangers quickly did temporary repairs and it is hoped-like at other closed areas-this is a one-off event by just a few individuals. In general, ATV and motorcycle users have shown good respect of the Fourmile’s regulations to stay only on trails and roads marked for particular users.

As of December, 2007, the 3 year Midland Bicycle Trail grant funded by a Small Trail Grant from Colorado State Parks came to a successful end. A final pieces was installation of a handsome concrete slab surrounding the project’s big signboards at the Whipple/Midland Trailhead in Buena Vista, funded jointly by the grant and the Town of Buena Vista. The Salida District Forest Service and BLM were other partners. Volunteers and supporters gathered at the signboards (photo) to celebrate a job well done and receive tee shirts. Project funds were stretched to include both a Midland Bike Trail and a Whipple Trail brochure, soon to be reprinted.

In late June 2008 Volunteers joined the Forest Service in installing a 4x4 excluder (photo), to discourage wider bodied jeeps and pickups from entering routes designated for narrow (less than 50in) ATVs (and motorcycles or mountain bikes). This is on ATV route 1434 along the southern edge of Fourmile where in past seasons drivers of larger vehicles, especially during hunting season, have ignored the signs. Nearby, on ATV-only 1423, the crew installed wooden posts 50 inches apart and a buck and rail fence to make it more obvious that only narrow vehicles are allowed. Compliance has been encouraging on most ATV routes which have been “pinched down” earlier in the project.

In mid July 2008 the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition COHVCO held its annual working conference in Salida. This group is Colorado’s most influential representative of the interests of this user group, and among other initiatives sponsors the “Stay The Trail” program encouraging motorized users on public lands to respect regulations. Conference organizers chose Salida for the opportunity to highlight the Fourmile area and its successful management of multiple use by the BLM and Forest Service, with whom the Friends of Fourmile are partners. Nearly 100 participants including public agency representatives from around the state had a day of classroom activities which included a BLM/FS presentation on Fourmile and other programs, and next day about 50 headed out for evaluation of Fourmile. Led by Forest Service and BLM staff Friends Volunteers, participants split into groups, motorcycles to check out the newly-extended Triad Ridge singletrack (see later report) and ATVs to follow the Friends patrol ATV along route 1434 which marks the border between Fourmile and the proposed BLM and Forest Service Browns Canyon Wilderness Area.

COHVCO staff demonstrated measuring sound produced by an ATV or motorcycle. This is in preparation for enforcement (by agency staff, not COHVCO) of a 96 decibel sound limit set by recent state legislation. Loud motors are a feature often cited by other users as a downside of motorized use on public lands. The photo shows Rob White, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area manager, learning the technique to obtain readings admissible in prosecuting possible violations.

In the spring of 2008 northern Chaffee County cyclists of all stripes-road, mountain, commuter and youth riders-gained critical mass and formed the Ark Valley Velo cycling advocacy group http://arkvalleyvelo.org. The Friends of Fourmile has been encouraging development of a cycling organization and looking forward to working with them where their interests bring them to Fourmile. The Friends have already been working with groups like the Buffalo Peaks Backcountry Horsemen, Hi Rocky Riders (an OHV organization), Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (a hiking trail builder) and local chapters of Trout Unlimited and the Quiet Use Coalition because the Friends mission is to help provide balance in all the different uses allowed in Fourmile.

Among other goals, Ark Valley Velo wants to cooperate with the BLM and Forest Service in helping maintain trails open to bicycles and, where justified, encourage additional trails. In July 2008 a great collaboration with BLM resulted in bringing an informal trail into the BLM’s official system in Fourmile just above the Whipple Trail east of Buena Vista. Known mysteriously as the Broken Boyfriend (6032A) this 1.5mi addition to the Whipple system is now open to hikers and bikers. A short reroute of another Fourmile hiking/biking/horse trail (6034) is underway to address erosion and sustainability issues. The Friends welcomes Ark Valley Velo into the mix and salutes your early successes!

As called for in the Fourmile Travel Management Plan, the Triad Ridge singletrack (motorcycle) trail 1425 has been completed into a full loop. With a lot of help and encouragement from Hi Rocky Riders, the Forest Service staked out the completion in 2007 and physical work, all by hand, was completed this past June. Hi Rocky Riders Volunteers, Forest Service staff and their seasonal Off Hiway Vehicle Trail Crew (funded by a grant from the statewide OHV program and its dollars from OHV registrations) put in lots of hot hours for a resulting loop that, after small modifications based on use, is going to provide great intermediate to advanced motorcycle riding.

Friends volunteers participated in 2 days of excellent Forest Service trails training in early May 2008. A wide array of local area volunteers from other institutions also attended, suggesting there is rising interest in helping to maintain, and in some cases establish more, local trails. One goal of the training was to bring volunteers closer to being qualified “crew leaders,” meaning that with guidance from the responsible agency people, they can manage volunteer crews on their own, relieving that burden from hard-pressed agency trail specialists.

The Friends are concerned over increased visitor use during peak periods, and related campsite expansion. This is particularly true for people from outside who come in RVs, Fifth Wheels and mobile garage trailers housing ATVs or motorcycles. As reported above, there is also increasing use by local mountain bikers, and hiking trails such as the Davis Meadow are more popular. The Friends are pleased to be collaborating with the Forest Service this summer in doing GPS-based inventories and locations of campsites to establish accurate baseline information. However, Volunteers report from informal tracking since 2002 that there have been expansions of many camping sites by 5- or even 10-fold, and that on peak weekends virtually all sites are being filled, tempting late arrivals to establish new sites although regulations in Fourmile make it clear this is not acceptable. Stay tuned for this summer’s results, which may help the case for additional restrictions.

The Davis Meadow Trail, open to hikers, bicyclists and horses, is getting good use following several trail rerouting projects organized by the Forest Service, Friends of Fourmile and statewide Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado between 2004 and 2007.