Ukiah Trails Upgraded
The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew joins forces with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the battle against erosion at Lake Mendocino
 Members of the North Coast Striders running club help unload the building materials from the barge for the workday. |
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 Giny Chandler secures a crib wall with some rebar. The crib walls are an effort to move a 50-year-old section of trail away from the shoreline. |
 The crib walls are filled with mineral soil and buried 8-10 inches below what will soon be the trail tread. |
 The finished trail is outsloped at 5 percent to encourage the sheet flow of water across the tread. |
 Dave, of Dave's Bike Shop in Ukiah, enjoys the fruits of his labor. This new crib wall has stabilized a section of trail that was once a dangerous corner. |
 Trailbuilding School participants take part in a trail layout clinic. They learned how to flag a sustainable trail using clinometers and pin flags. |
 The group ride on Sunday ventured to find a hidden waterfall. Here, those who braved the steep hills pose next to the falls. |
In October, 2003 Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner pitched-in to help trail users and the US Army Corps of Engineers repair trails in Ukiah, California. This visit was part of IMBA's memorandum of understanding with the Corps to partner on trail projects across the country.
Lake Mendocino is the most highly visited U.S. Army Corps project in California, hosting more than 1.5 million visits per year. Due to the fluctuating water levels in the lake, sections of the three mile long Shakota Trail are being lost to erosion along the shore. As a result, trail work for the weekend was focused on assisting the Corp's efforts in re-routing sections of trail away from the lake.
The weekend's events began with a well-attended slide show at Dave's Bike Shop, showcasing great trails from around the world. Then, it was off to Lake Mendocino for a Trailbuilding School where Corps staff and local trail users had the opportunity to learn about designing and building sustainable trails.
Thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to all who volunteered their time to improve Lake Mendocino's trails.
Did you know?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosts nearly 400 million annual recreation visits -- more than any other land management agency. The Corps is the steward of 12 million acres of land and water resources, manages 4,340 recreation sites, 450 lakes, 56,000 miles of shoreline and 5,000 miles of trails.
