Multiuse Trails Coalition Updates & Opportunities

Dear Trail Users,

This past Thursday, April 16th the City, County, and USFS sponsored a "stakeholder group" meeting to review ongoings of our front country trails before the May 6th Task Force public hearing. Groups represented were ourselves, SBMTV, Sierra Club, and Santa Barbara Trails Council.

The agenda of the meeting consisted of review of current trail maintenance projects, trail leader training and IMBA Trail Care Crew visit, upcoming State and National Trail Days, and current recommendations by the staff.

As for current front country projects: a USFS crew just finished working on a large part of Rattlesnake Cyn. They are now focusing on fire burned areas in the back country. Our own Front Country Trail Crew will be hosting Happy Hour on the trail next Tuesday to do a little debrushing on Jesusita towards Inspiration Point. Contact us if interested in attending.

A review of trail crew leaders training and the IMBA Care Crew was discussed in some detail. Both events had excellent attendance and show that many people are willing to become involved in local trail maintenance.

State Trail Day is this Saturday! Join the USFS and LPFA to help clean up North Tunnel/Matias Trail in Devils Canyon. Click HERE for more info.... Mark your calendars now! Although National Trail Day is 6/6, locally we will be celebrating it on 6/13 by cleaning up Romero Canyon Trail. This event is going to be old school Chris King style huge! Plan on an after party at Manning Park just like in the old days, check our volunteer calendar for the details of this event.

As for the recommendations, they are slowly coming into shape. Budgets by the agencies are being made to hire a part time Trails Coordinator. Other topics included the ongoing debate of the UTAP Trail Condition Survey Method and how to go about surveying our trails. More to come on this topic.. Next Public Hearing is on 5/6 and if you would like to comment about any of the above topics please attend this meeting to do so.

And Other Upcoming Events...

Bicicentro needs volunteers for Earth Day, Sunday 4/19. Bicicentro is expecting to help valet up to 500 bikes throughout the day. Needless to say they need help to make this happen. Contact Ed France if you can help out edfrance@gmail.com.

Santa Ynez Mountain Bike Classic Needs You! Kim Lyons and Hecker are looking for volunteers to help out with the SYMBC happening on the 24th-26th of April. They are in need of all types of positions and are offering a prize raffle for all that help out. Contact Kim for more info kimlyons@myway.com.


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Thank you,

The Multiuse Trails Coalition,

http://www.multiuse.org/

May 13th City Council Meeting, BE THERE!

Dear Trail Users.

Some of questions we have been hearing are; what is the status of our trails and what effect will the recommendations have. The rec's, in a nutshell will help establish a trail management program that includes: at least one trail management position, establish better trail conditions, more education and signage, and very importantly no restriction of trail use for cyclists or others unless future surveys and studies prove necessary.

How to make the rec's a reality- Staff tells us that the City Council and Board of Supervisors will only fund this if they feel there is support from the community. That is why you need to attend and let them know that you are willing to make the rec's a reality. With a small budget they know that it is going to be the trail users themselves that bring this to life.

The Santa Barbara City Council will hold a special hearing to hear a presentation from the Task Force next Tuesday, May 13th at 6pm. There will be public comment at the beginning of this meeting and following the presentation- probably 1/2 hour long. What we are afraid of is if this fails, aside from loss of a good management plan is these same hearings about eliminating cyclists taking place in another 5 years or so.

*Although there has been a date set for the Board of Supervisors to act on these recommendations, because of the format, comment from the public may have little or no effect on the outcome. We have sent a letter of support for the Rec's to the Supervisors, more about the BOS as that time approaches.


Pass the word- Pass the attached flyer,

The Multiuse Trails Coalition Board,

Dave Everett, Dorothy Littlejohn, Cort Flinchbaugh

www.multiusetc.org

Multiuse Trails Update

Below is an email sent out by the Multiuse Trails Coalition. They have been working very hard and if you haven't read this already, I suggest you do. Ride On!

Greetings Trail Users,

We wanted to keep you up to date on the progress of the recommendations on the road to implementation. City Parks Commission approved the rec's at the Feb '08 meeting. County Park Commission discussed but did not yet approve the rec's at the March '08 meeting. They will be discussed again and hopefully approved at the April '08 meeting. We will keep you posted.

If the rec's are passed by park commissions and USFS then they will go first before the City Council for approval then to the Board of Supervisors for approval. It is at these two meetings we will need to make our presence felt. If all goes as planned then both CC and BOS will approve the rec's and direct the TF to begin work on a MOU. Another meeting at some point will be needed to approve the MOU. We don't expect the City Council and BOS meetings to happen anytime before May '08.

Zaca Fire updates:

This Friday all areas closed by the Zaca Fire will be reopened. This means that the local favorites Little Pine/Santa Cruz and Camuesa Connector(previously opened) will be restriction free at last. Our person in the field recently rode up Buckhorn Road and down Santa Cruz Trail back to Upper Oso and they tell us this: Between Happy Hollow and the saddle it has been bulldozed along the ridge. First mile below saddle was burnt by Zaca Fire and rains have created multiple slides- carefully in this area. Below this first mile, trail should be more or less intact with possible heavy growth from extensive rains. Careful at the creek crossings and watch for drops!

Camuesa Trail was unaffected by Zaca or Ranch fires but the first 1/4 mile east of Buckhorn rode is now a dozer road. There was heavy growth along this trail with significant poison oak. Trail was in good shape with damage occurring at water crossings.

If you know any different at either of these trails or any other Zaca effected trails please email the info and we will have a place on our homepage with the most recent back country trail info.

Can we all just get along?

As you may have seen, our homepage has our official statement regarding the Task Force Recommendations. We support them and we would ask that you read them and show your support for them as well. We believe them to be fair and have all the trail users best interest in mind. We feel it is a small victory that the TF is looking for data before any future decision is made on trail access. Interestingly enough, a group that we have never seen eye to eye on trail issues is also showing their support for the rec's. In the upcoming April/May Sierra Club Newsletter, the Santa Barbara Group announces their support of the rec's. We hope this is not an April fools prank.--

Thank you,
The Multiuse Trails Coalition Board,
Dave Everett, Dorothy Littlejohn, Cort Flinchbaugh
www.multiusetc.org

Romero & Good Samaritans, Task Force Update

The Multi Use Trails Coalition sent out this email this morning regarding the progress on the Task Forces recommendations and attached some photos showing how a small group of Mountain Bikers helped clear a tree from Romero Trail or as us B Teamers call it Kenny's Trail. Special thanks to the unknown Mountain Bikers, that cleared the trail.

Finally after a year of meeting the Task Force is ready to move forward with recommendations to the City Council and Board of Supervisors. The meeting this Weds, Feb 6th at 5:30 PM, 735 Anacapa St. will outline the TF plan of action. According to the agenda this meeting will address the MOU and what is needed to get all agencies working together and the management recommendations. The recommendations they are considering and will discuss this Weds are:
I Administrative
1. Develop Interagency MOU for management, funding, maintenance...
2. Develop a multi agency FCT strategy
3. Develop a funding plan for the FCT
4. Establish a FCT coordinator position
5. Develop a relationship with a community non-profit group to help with
management

II Community Outreach
1. Education efforts including signage, hosts....
2. Interim voluntary use guidelines: dogs on leash, bike bells, don't cut
switchbacks...
3. Community support by working with trail groups for trail work days

III Maintenance and Management
1. Assess and classify the trails
2. Develop classifications that are appropriate for our FCT system
3. Explore developing consistent standards for planning, permits, policy, and
regulations
4. Explore pilot program with trail use designation (possibly June 2009?)

Only after the TF has the latest trail info from surveys, assessments, and MORE PUBLIC INPUT the TF will consider options such as:
Odd/even trail use for hikers, bikers, and equestrians; designate single use trails; widen trails to make room for all users; new trails
to meet wider, multiuse standards of other areas. They did not single out any particular group here but instead left this
category open for discussion.

(The complete agenda can be found on the SB City government page found from a link on our homepage)

As you would expect this will take some time to implement these recommendations. We appreciate the time and effort that the TF has put into the trails and will be putting into them. If you haven't spoken at one of these meetings yet this may be an opportune time to thank the TF for what they are trying to do and the BS that they have had to sort through at these meetings. Public comment as always begins at 5:30 sharp!

Following this meeting the TF will meet "as needed" or when management issues arise. They tentatively have 3 more meetings set for this year.


Good samaritan of the week.....This past weekend on Romero single track we came across a downed tree completely blocking the trail with bad poison oak on both sides of the trail and intertwined in the tree itself. Three mtn bikers got neck deep in the poison stuff to clear a path for everyone. Thanks to the unknown riders! (see photos)--

Before

After




Thank you,The Multiuse Trails Coalition Board,Dave Everett, Dorothy Littlejohn, Cort Flinchbaughshttp://www.multiusetc.org/