Trail News / TRAIL DAYS 2017: SUSTAINABLE RECREATION EVENTS ON THE MAMMOTH LAKES TRAIL SYSTEM

TRAIL DAYS 2017: SUSTAINABLE RECREATION EVENTS ON THE MAMMOTH LAKES TRAIL SYSTEM

Friends -

As the glaciers recede from the Drought Bustin' Winter of 2017 - and yes, they are receding - the Mammoth Lakes Trail System, a partnership of the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Inyo National Forest, is gearing up for the ninth season of Trail Days - it's time to save the dates!

We'll be kicking things off on July 1 and closing on September 16 (The Great Sierra River Cleanup & California Coastal Cleanup Day) with three different Trail Days events that will give volunteers opportunities to help maintain the places we all love to play. Two of this summer's events will take place on NEW MAMMOTH LAKES TRAIL SYSTEM TRAILS: the Mammoth Rock Trail Connector and the Meadow Trail Connector. Both are being built this summer as part of the implementation of SHARP, the Sherwins Area Recreation Plan. The final Trail Days event will be the annual Lakes Basin Cleanup. All Trail Days events will include a free bagel breakfast, lunch, and lots of great prize giveaways. Please visit mltpa.org for all the details. DEVELOPING S.M.A.R.T.E.R. TRAILS TWO-DAY WORKSHOP: In addition to Trail Days, on July 8th and 9th the Mammoth Lakes Trail System will host a very special free two-day trail workshop led by renowned trail builder Woody Keen. The workshop is designed to educate those interested in better understanding SMARTER trails: Sustainable, Manageable, Artistic Recreational Trails that are Ecologically sound and have good Risk Management Strategy. Space is limited and reservations are required so be sure to reserve your spot by sending an email requesting a spot to [email protected].

Workshop Day 1 begins at 8:30 a.m. and will be held upstairs at the Mammoth Lakes Fire Station at 3150 Main Street. This indoor training session will begin with presentations on trail planning, design and development with topics including: What is a trail?; Understanding the four areas of trail sustainability: Physical, Ecological, Managerial, and Social Sustainability; Understanding different user needs; Developing trail specifications, specific trail design tips and tricks, predicting user impacts, and tools for producing steeper and more technically challenging trails. The afternoon sessions will be focused on general and advanced trail maintenance. Workshop Day 2 will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Sherwins Trailhead off of Sherwin Creek Road. This session will consist of field-based, hands-on training ranging from field trail design, to new trail construction and trail maintenance. For this workshop, please dress for trail work (close-toed shoes, long pants and gloves) and bring a sack lunch with plenty of hydration.

Special workshop guests will include:

Greg Williams, Executive Director of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship;
Laurel Harkness, California-Hawaii Region Director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association;
Stan Bales, BLM Eagle Lake Field Office Outdoor Recreation Planner;
Garrett Villanueva, USFS Pacific Southwest Region Regional Trails Program Manager.
Kevin Joell, of the Reno Fire Department, Biggest Little Trail Stewardship & TAMBA.

SAVE THESE DATES:

July 1: Mammoth Rock Trail Connector “ NEW TRAIL!
July 8 & 9: "Developing S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Trails" Two-Day Workshop - [email protected]
August 5: Meadow Trail Connector “ NEW TRAIL!
September 16: Lakes Basin Cleanup

All trail users are encouraged to join in for this summer's unique opportunities to advance sustainable recreation and to improve our community's knowledge of the essential concepts of SMARTER trail development for the future enhancement of the Mammoth Lakes Trail System. Viva La Sunshine - and Thanks!

Joel Rathje

Trails Coordinator Mammoth Lakes Trail System

[email protected]