VIP EVENTS. News for VIP Volunteers in the Montane Sector April 2015

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1 Trails and Tales News for VIP Volunteers in the Montane Sector April 2015 VIP EVENTS Photo by Michele Hernandez 1 For the TMU schedule see the second to last page Earth Day events all month! May 2 nd VIP training! As a special treat, the CRSPIA Board will be cooking lunch for the volunteers. Please RSVP with your unit coordinator so there is enough food. Please check out the webpage for up- coming events information! All Patrol Units: Please help out the TMU by giving EXACT details of downed tree location, type of tree, and size. If the information is second-hand, please ride out to the site to verify the information accuracy before submitting the report. A photo with something to reference size helps too. We have had a lot of wild goose chases lately Thanks for your cooperation.

2 Earth Day work PARTY calling all Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Hi everyone, Volunteers! From Dave Hernandez We would like to revive an Earth Day event that s been dormant since just after the Cedar fire. We are putting together a work project that will include park volunteers & staff with select members of the public, to do some resource protection work. This year it will be to install stake and rider fencing along the access road to the VC and School Camp. It is to protect the meadows from a recent spate of people driving into them. The fence burned in 2003 in the fire and has never been replaced. Recently the meadow fencing was done along Hwy 79, now it is the access road s time. This will truly be a team event, as the park has committed its staff to help plan/prepare for the effort, and buy the materials. Your CRSPIA board obtained a grant to help pay for the tools and materials needed. Some of our past and present TMU members and supervisors will be there to help run the actual work. We will have select supporters of the park there to help do the work. The work will be along the road, so the walk will be short. For those who are not very mobile, we will need help with signing people in and doing the food and refreshment station. So even if digging in the dirt is not your idea of fun, we can probably find something useful for you to do. Let s make this one of the best events ever. That old trail work and chainsaw guru Dave Hernandez is not sure this can all get done in one day. Let s show that Dave guy! -- And get this Done in One! Please mark your calendars now for April 25th, and see our page of Facebook, just search for CRSPIA on FB and we will have a link to the event. All units welcome! 2

3 REI Work Party on April 18 th! Come Join REI as we team up with the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) to volunteer in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. All volunteers will receive a free REI Stewardship t-shirt and are welcome to stay for the post trail work BBQ back at Paso Day use area. We will be meeting in the Paso Picacho picnic area (upper loop), when you enter the Paso Picacho campground area let the ranger at the kiosk know you are with the REI service project and the parks day use fee will be waived. We will be working on clearing and maintaining trails. Tools will be provided as well as instructions for safe use. Bring water, gloves and sun protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses). There will be age-appropriate projects for the little trail workers as well as the adults! All volunteers MUST register so we can ensure the proper amount of tools and food. We hope that you will be able to join us for a great day of service in our local mountains! Register at: Earth Day in Balboa Park! The yearly Balboa Park Earth Day event will be held on April 19 this year. Our booth will be staffed by Park Rangers and Park Volunteers. We need some volunteers to help out at this event. The event has been split into 3 "shifts" so that no one has to spend all day there. The 3 shifts are 9:00am to 12:00noon, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 2:00pm until 5:00pm. We would like to have one volunteer for each shift from every unit if possible. Come out in uniform to help show your support. Contact your unit coordinator as soon as possible Earth Day in Balboa Park Photo by Tom Cook 3

4 MOUNTED ASSISTANCE UNIT And photo by Bonnie Slager Wow! The wild flowers are beginning to really show up now. I was patrolling out of Merigan this month and the lilac is everywhere as well as some Indian paint brush and even California Peonies. The Dead Horse Trail and the Saddleback trail were particularly nice. I saw flowers I have never seen in the Park before. Time to get the flower brochure out and find out what they are. We were at the intersection of South Boundary and Saddleback trails when a motorcycle went by us and waved. I called and Ranger Woody went looking for him but of course he was long gone. He had been on Merigan Fire Road as well as South Boundary Fire Roads and I guess he is a local as he seemed to know the trail and that we probably could not stop him. If you are riding or hiking in that area keep a lookout for him. Our patrols this past month were very busy. Gina found some people hiking to Green Valley Falls but they were on the wrong side of the highway and going the wrong direction. Sharon found some people in the parking lot of the visitor s center wanting to know when Green Valley Campground was going to open so they could hike to Pine Ridge Trail. Since the campground was not going to open for a week she directed them to park at the bridge and suggested a possible hike for them. Another patrol found hikers that were thirsty and asked for water. We all carry extra water for just that situation so the patrol was able to give the hikers water and save a rescue call. Thanks to all of you for helping Park visitors have a positive experience at Cuyamaca. I lost track of all the trees that were trimmed and other trail impediments that were removed. Every patrol did something to improve the trails. Also, Laurie reported that a neighbor to the Merigan Campground told her they had seen a mountain lion in the field by the Merigan staging area recently. Remember to start collecting raffle prizes for our Benefit Ride. July will be here before you know it. Finally, if you want to go to the campout in June, please let me know as soon as possible so I can make sure you have a corral. Enjoy the Park while it is in full spring bloom. 4

5 TMU News by Michele Hernandez The TMU has had another busy month. Milo took a group out to work on the Azalea trail. A task that is never ending and then Janet treated everyone to a fajita lunch. Nummy. The hike and hack join the MBAU and worked on the Cold Spring re-route. Jimmy D, trail shogun, has been working on a puncheon for part of the trail with an assist from Scott Jordan of maintenance. Jim says the re-route still has a ways to go but it's still closer to being done than it was three years ago. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard on this project. Photo by Steve s camera TMU Gothic (Howard x Los Tres Kens) went out and worked on Kelly's Ditch and completed the section from Hwy. 79 to Engineers Rd. They removed many a tree. Then Trail Ninjas, John and Josh, went out and worked from Engineers Rd. to the park boundary taking care of more downed trees. Kelly's Ditch is passable as of this article. As we all know this condition can change at any time. Hopefully, the trail will stay open for all for a long time. TMU Gothic was joined by Betsy Mac and cleared some trees on the CRHT by the Paso group camps. Then the Goths really went wild. They removed trees from Sugar Pine, Los Vaq and Deadhorse on one busy, busy weekday. Betsy Mac could only be there in spirit on this hard working day. (For the unedited version, see below) Photo by Michele Ken Bonus then had a group meet him at Paso on the last weekend of March and took them out to the Conejos trail to work on the lower part getting it ready for an ultra-marathon. What's great about the work on Conejos is you don't have to be a runner to enjoy the trail and the work done on it. Thanks to everyone for their hard work. Until next month, have fun and stay safe. Photo by Steve Photo by Mike Curtis 5 Photo by Mike Curits Photo by Steve Boland

6 Wait! There s More! Photos and Story by Ken McIntyre Large (!) Oak on Azalea Glen Photo by Susan Russo On Sat, 15 Mar, the Hike n' Hackers encountered this 20" - 22" Big Boy. E. Baker & her Samauri indicate a possible start point.... On Wednesday, Jim Dascoulias assembled a fine TMU crew of Josh Stoneking. K. Marsh, Mike Curtis & K. Mac. Cutting, slashing & stashing our way down Azalea Glen trail to the site of that fine, fallen, tri-legged Oak. That Oak turned out to be a great study & practical laboratory in clearing large, weighty trees. 24" & 32" saws, wedges & our trusty Pole saw (for above shoulder cuts) were all employed. Top binds & side binds were encountered. Pie cuts, Roll cuts, under cuts & Pole cuts - all well performed by our 2 lead Sawyers K. Marsh & Josh Stoneking, with Jim directing. 6

7 Trail runners Mary Lou Lackey, w/ Steve & Betty Frankum stopped by to have a look see and an up-close encounter w/ the 34" workhorse Stihl - again, Jim directing. Near the finish of a delightful morning & via a concerted effort, once again passage was obtained & all was serene on dear ol' Azalea Glen trail. Happy trails, K. Mac 7

8 Still not finished Los Tres Kens got 5 trees removed on the upper portion of Sugar Pine; one tree on the Los Vaqueros connector trail that we restored a few months ago; and 2 trees on Dead Horse. Lots of interesting saw work. Mac has photos. ~K. Bonus Herewith, a 3 part journal w/ pics, of a "Day in the Life of TMU - the Early Crew "(absent Sugar Pine Howard, alas ) Arriving 7AM, gear is gathered & we head 1st for Sugar Pine connector - looking for trees reported by the Roving Volunteers, Charlene & Diedre of IAU. K. Marsh is our Sawyer, w/ K. Bonus & K. Mac collaborating. Leaving SP near 9:30 we swing by the Los Vac connector to inspect reported single (big) downed Pine. A tip o' the Sombrero to Ernie Smith & his Patrol partner of Saturday. At 10:30AM we arrive Merrigan FR Jct/ Dead Horse. Now for the long delayed, sometimes superseded, search for the 2 Oaks reported way back (Nov, 2014) via Mike Hamm & Dave Hernandez (original pics from a horse, who walked for 35 mins North from that same Jct.) We 3 Kens started our traverse - w/ gear - 24" saw, wedges. loppers, Samurai & rope. Our walk to Trees - 45 mins - no bad, eh? Gorgeous views upon return descent! vehicle. 1PM - Viva! Celebration Paso Day Use. Probably the most varied, but again - one of the many splendid days in Our Park P/S Downed tree pics from a Horse's viewpoint (esp. Kenny & Scout) are very helpful for TMU! And too, from Roving IAU'ers as well! Many thanks. K. Mac 8

9 TMU s work is never done "There is a pair of small downed trees, up to 18 inch reportedly, on the CRHT west of the Paso Group Camp access." Thus began the unexpected opening for the Wed. crew - Sugar Pine Howard, Sawyers Ken Marsh & Mac, & guest - Tree Hunter Betsy Mac. Being hand, the talented & eager foursome promptly found Set One of 2 Tree groups quite handy to Group Camp rest room area. * see 1st group o' pics - Set One of the Pair. Our intrepid Tree Hunter chose the west direction (unfortunately) to verify location of next small tree assignment, but enjoyed a delightful out & back mile long mosey. 100 meters west, we then encountered a single "Exploded Oak" - Set 2 of the Pair. ** see 2nd group o' pics - Set 2 of the Pair. ( plus DH objective ) About 10:30 -ish we locked the access gate to Group Camp & headed for original destination - Falls FR, out of Green Valley campground, bound for CRHT & Dead Horse Trail - wherein (somewhere) lay 2 Trees - athwart the goodly Dead Horse. About 11:30 (ominously) but armed w/ the 24" saw & trusty Pole hedger, this fulsome foursome set out upon the 2 + mile trek to the 2 Oaks that have been on Dead Horse for 5 weeks.... Alas, they must abide 'til another outing. The clock ran out & the DH Trees were unreached. ".... The best laid schemes o' mice & men gang aft agley.... " K. Mac 9

10 Please thank your TMU Wednesday Crew! The Wed. Crew put Paid to the widening (!) of Kelly's Ditch today. Howard Wiggins, Denis Trafecanty & los Tres Ken's - K. Bonus, K. Marsh & K. Mac brushed ( &swamped ) the last 100 meters of the last flat trail portion to the Switchback - then cleared the remainder up to Engineer Rd. Ken Bonus & Denis earned full merit hours via Brushcutting & Swamping, with Howard wearing 2 hats today - starting w/ the Sawyers & finishing up w/ Cutters & Swampers. K. Marsh & K. Mac met & vanquished a Bulky, Spidery Oak - doing battle through the whole forenoon. K. Marsh had a brilliant day on the 24" Stihl w/ K.Mac in the huddle. Ol' James Kelly would be right proud o' how tricked out, is the fine Walking path that bears his name. And, Jim Dascoulias walked a good section of the Lake entry path w/ Ken Bonus early this AM, & allowed that ol' KD was indeed, looking fine as well! Another sweet Ditchin' Day in the Park, K. Mac 10

11 MBAU (Too busy to write an article, but never too busy to help out) Photo by Michele Hernandez Photo by Jason DeMendonca 11 Photo by Jason DeMendonca

12 Cuyamaca Rancho State ParkVIPP Report 2014 CRSP Interpretive Assistance Unit (2,370 hours) In 2014, 29 IAU Volunteers contributed 2,370 hours of service to the park. IAU volunteers interpreted the park's resources to visitors by staffing the museum, helping visitors on the trails, leading Nature Walks, staffing Docent Stations, staffing the gift shop, attending trainings and meetings, and representing the park at Earth Day 2014 in Balboa Park. Every Saturday between Memorial Day and Labor Day, IAU volunteers led 1.5 mile Nature Walks on the Azalea Glen trail leading out of the Paso Picacho campground. On Friday evenings, IAU Volunteers would walk through the campground with animal skins, talking to campers and advertising Saturday's Nature Walk. With an average of 35 visitors per Nature Walk, the Friday campground walks really worked! New during the summer of 2014 were the Stonewall Mine Docent Stations, where volunteers shared the rich history of the Stonewall Mine with visitors at the historic Mine Site every Saturday. CRSP Trails Maintenance Unit (1,868 hours) The Trails Maintenance Unit was composed of twenty-two volunteers contributing a total of 1,868 volunteer hours. The Hike and Hack Crew removed between 30 and 40 downed trees, while he Wednesday power tools crew removed even more with chainsaws. The unit was successful in clearing Kelley s Ditch all the way to William Heise Park. Many trails which require constant care and brushing due to their popularity continue to be maintained by the TMU and in good shape. Examples of these trails are Azalea Glen and Stonewall Peak Trail. Boy Scouts, Trail Trekkers, and military servicemen were among the contributors as one day volunteers and their work was generally facilitated by the Trails Maintenance Unit. Another important accomplishment is the arduous work on the Cold Spring Trail re-route. We have finally punched through the ceanothus completely, and have started benching it while digging out root balls by hand and through sheer will power. It is anticipated that this significant re-route will be completed by the end of 2015 or early in This trail has been an on-going project for the last 3 years with the help of the CRSP Mountain Bike Assistance Unit and the San Diego Mountain Bike Association (SDMBA). CRSP Mountain Bike Assistance Unit (856.5 hours) The MBAU was composed of twenty volunteers contributing a total of volunteer hours. The Mountain Bike Assistance Unit was primarily involved with trail patrol, but contributed significantly to the Cold Spring Trail re-route, as well as holding a benefit ride that generated over $8,000 profit for the park. 12

13 CRSP Mounted Assistance Unit (4,744.5 hours) During 2014, the mounted assistance unit had approximately forty volunteers who volunteered over 4,700 hours, more than two full time employees, to the park and made contact with approximately 4,400 visitors as well as holding a fundraiser that generated over $9,000 profit for the park. MAU Volunteer patrol enhances the park visitor s experience in multiple ways. Visitors are fascinated by the horses. Many have never been close to a horse and the opportunity to pet one and get their picture taken with the horse is often a real highlight of their visit. This provides the unit members an opportunity to be goodwill ambassadors to the parks many international visitors and assist California State Parks with their mission statement to provide high quality outdoor recreational opportunities. During the busy summer season the MAU attempts to field four or five back-country patrols every weekend in order to protect the cultural resources of the Park as well as provide for public safety in such situations as lost or overdue hikers. MAU volunteers also carry extra bottles of water in their saddle bags and give them to hikers, bikers or riders in the park whenever beneficial. Many people are not prepared for the warm weather and can become dehydrated rather rapidly. By giving them water MAU volunteers potentially prevent medical situations. MAU volunteer outreach to park visitors helps them to enjoy this unique park to its fullest. CRSP Camp host Program (1,514 hours) During 2014, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park had six camp host volunteers who contributed a total of 1,514 volunteer hours. These six camp hosts combined for year round coverage within the park and not only volunteered their time in the campground, but performed interpretation, and also provided service in the kiosk, as well as the museum, gift shop, and Sector Headquarters. 13

14 Trails Maintenance Unit Work Party Schedule for April 2015 Cuyamaca Rancho State Park We meet at the Paso Picacho Maintenance Yard at 8:00am on most Saturdays & Wednesdays Our volunteer Hosts for each Saturday are as follows: Saturday, April 4 th Enjoy the Park Saturday, April 11 th with Milo and Janet (MMMM, lunch afterwards!) or Cold Spring Reroute with Steve Saturday, April 18 th REI work party Saturday, April 25 th Earth Day fencing project Please contact me at nebulae3sma@hotmail.com to let us know you will be joining us. Don t forget to record your hours and leave them in the tool shed for Janet to track. There is a binder with timesheets. If it is raining or snowing it is probably cancelled Happy Trails 14 Photos by Michele Hernandez

15 Photo by Michele Hernandez Contacts: Palomar TMU-Jim Zevely- MAU- Bonnie Slager- MBAU- Chad Leptich- IAU-Shannon Svensen- TMU- Dave Hernandez- Or Susan Russo- Visitor Center Gift Shop Manager- Barbara Visitor Center Museum Scheduling- Greg Meckstroth CRSP Park Headquarters (weekdays only) Paso Picacho Kiosk (for weekends) Green Valley Kiosk Palomar Headquarters Send articles and photos (Please, include photographer s name) for next month BEFORE noon of the last day of the month to- Susan Russo - nebulae3sma@hotmail.com 15

16 For the Love of Manzanita Photo by Michele Photo by Michele Photo by Susan Russo Photo by Susan Russo 16