Bad Coco
GOLD Star
2015 FOTR ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
Meeting started at 1300
General Introductions were made.
Special Guests:
Supervisor Michael Ranalli:
Supervisor Ranalli expressed his admiration for the volunteerism amongst the El Dorado County OHV community. Met with his Placer County counterpart, Jennifer Montgomery, who is very open to work with El Dorado County. He expressed his willingness and availability to assist and meet with anyone, stating that his office is open, “Please get in touch”.
Debbie Gaynor:
Debbie Gaynor was unable to attend, but sent her report. Bathrooms at Airport Flat & North Shore campgrounds are now open during the winter with the issuance of Volunteer User Agreements. Special thanks to Merlin Scott, Tim Green, Tim Webster and Lori Wilson for making this a reality.
Thanks to efforts led by Doug Barr, and many volunteers stepping up to work, Richardson Lake Trail has been re-opened, with approximately 16 yards of road base, all the way up past the lake. It is anticipated to be fully open by the end of summer.
If there is anyone that is interested in adopting Richardson Lake Trail, please send Eric Agee an email and he will forward to the appropriate Forest Service contact.
Summation of the "42 Trails Lawsuit" was given by John Arenz, discussing status with emphasis on those trails most important to OHV (Richardson, Barrett, Deer Valley, and Strawberry): 18 are expected to re-open right away; the remaining 24 are in varying stages. All are expected to open by 2017.
Kansas McGahan:
Kansas McGahan was unable to attend. Her report was given by John Briggs, Tahoe Lead. Kansas is impressed and appreciative of the 1783 hours of work that was done on the Placer side, and how much was accomplished.
There is an interest in the future for further grant applications, but it was identified, we need to complete the GIS survey and hydrology survey before moving forward with large scale work in the future.
Still outstanding work to be completed: finish the discharge from the energy dissipater at Potato Patch. This should be done ASAP, and an effort is in place to due during the Rubithon event in June.
The 2015 grant for a GIS survey and hydrology survey is still awaiting award. The Placer GIS Survey will be done to the same standards as done on the El Dorado county portion of the trail. There are plans in place to coordinate with El Dorado to make sure the data points and level of description are the same throughout the entire trail!
It was suggested that, should a trail user see something in need of being addressed that he/she has the ability to do, it is within the scope of a user of the trail to do so. Not just energy dissipaters in need of cleaning out, but limbs/trees blocking the trail, branches needing to be cut back, etc.
Last year’s work discussed (see attachment)
This year’s projected work discussed (see attachment) DOCUMENT YOUR HOURS!
Vickie Sanders:
Vickie Sanders was unable to attend. Reports covered by RTF representatives.
A grant has been submitted for rock to be flown in; award still pending.
Park Watch; The concept of Vickie Sanders and Donna Mullins, was explained and discussed. The program is for reporting crimes, violations, and anything on the trail that needs to be addressed; energy basins in need of cleaning, fallen trees or other hazards that the county can address. Notifications will be documented to begin the process, with status updates given to involved parties. Business cards are available with all the information on them.
Adopt-A-Trail (AAT); Vickie expressed her thanks for the excellent participation levels in the Adopt-A-Trail program. The trail wouldn't be open without the volunteers and all their hard work. The 2014 AAT Report was made available, as well as new 2015 segment binders for clubs that are involved. A tutorial on filling out forms for Vickie was given, with emphasis placed on asking FOTR for assistance (work force, etc) and asking Vickie for materials/supplies.
Adopt-A-Trail clubs were encouraged to contact the County before spring assessments if they would like someone there to make judgments on items they're unsure of, and so locations of issues are clear.
NOTE: Since the meeting, it was discovered that ALL AAT clubs need to complete this year’s agreements. This is an annual requirement. Also, ensure that all volunteers have a liability form completed without an end date. Vickie has emailed this paperwork out to all current AAT clubs.
Information was offered from the gallery about an excellent app for smartphones (it is believed to be an Android app, but there may be an iPhone comp) called "Geo Cam", which captures geographical location data stamp on photos as they're taken, and which can be duplicated. Advised this will work even without a cell signal.
El Dorado County Fair; Volunteers for the El Dorado County Rubicon booth at the fair were requested; a list of days/time slots will be made available in a thread soon. Contact Eric Agee and he will ensure you are Vickie’s list. This will allow you free entrance into the fair.
The new Bandana campaign was unveiled: "Stewardship" theme, honoring Tim Green. Talk to Sean Russell and the RTF mid-trail staff to get your bandana.
It was stressed again that 14N05, road by Ellis Creek, can only be used for moving materials and equipment for approved work parties. It is not acceptable to let a group of friends come in with you. The gate must remain locked once the equipment or materials have gone though. It is acceptable to post a person here if you are doing a work party with multiple trips for materials. This is being watched closely and if found to be abused, we WILL lose access to this. Please do the right thing. We go up to wheel anyway right?
Amy Granat:
Amy Granat was unable to attend, but sent her report (see attachment)
El Dorado Sheriff's Deputies:
EDSO Deputies Tony Broadfoot and Jeremiah Hammon introduced. They will be on the trail every Fri, Sat and Sun, and will be monitoring the 805 (both are licensed Hams)
FOTR Work Parties:
As a group, FOTR would like to attempt at least one work party per month. At this time, the only known date is for June at the Fairgrounds, and the exact location and scope of the projects will need to be determined at a later date, due to the fact that award of the grants submitted are still being awaited. However, dates of interest (when people are available to work) can be signed up for now.
Complete work on the drain at Potato Patch as listed in Kansas’s report, will require angling the bank and lining with rock. Approximately 60’ and all material is on location already.
Kade Hendrick is looking into how to best deal with the spring water run off at the S-turns on Cadillac. We will have to wait until we can get more rock there to make the final improvements.
Kade Hendrick and the Tahoe Hi-Lo’s are in possession of a 6x6 and are in the process of making it available to pump out toilets east of Observation. This will take time to complete, but plans are being worked on to install toilets along the Placer County portion of the trail in the future.
Set a date with Placer County Government personal to see the trail. Also, we may need to help provide transportation to GIS survey and hydrology survey personnel. John Briggs to coordinate.
New deck on the Kiosk is still waiting for the engineer’s approval. Two Guys Trail Gear is coordinating.
John Arenz states we have 4 bathroom enclosures to be built, and one of those needs to be brought in still. It would be great to get the 3 that are there built ASAP, but are waiting to see if the 4th can be flown in due to the challenge of getting it to Buck. Looking at a crew of 4-6 per bathroom.
Stain the Vault Toilet at Ellis Creek
Kiosk to bottom of bowl, Robert Lightfoot & Tim Green. Across creek at bowl, sediment needs to be removed. Similar to Walker, logs with kingpin rocks, will be technically challenging. 10-20 people needed. Looking at late summer.
Also late summer: Devil's Post Pile, Robert Lightfoot & Tim Green stated a new energy dissipater needs to be constructed.
Walker: TDO - hoping to have rock dropped at Ellis so it won't need to be trailered through the bowl. 20 people needed for 6 hours of work. (Rock is there and ok to use.)
Soup Bowl: Dave Gross (MTA), to keep "Easy Route" from causing erosion, a hardened base is being created. This will likely be a two part work party, one to get materials close, and a mid-week work party to lock the BMP in place with minimal trail impact.
Also, place logs above to prevent encroachment into the vegetation beyond Soup Bowl.
NOTE: NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO ALTER THE HARD LINE!
Little Sluice/Winter Camp: Won't know until the grants are awarded exactly scope that will be tackled here. Need is approximately 17 transfers of rock, so it will need to be flown in. Hope is for French drains with geo-textile fabric under the rock to keep it in place. Work force needed and dates TBA. Corey Moore is coordinating for POR.
June 5th-6th - Jeeper's Jamboree moving rock, fully staffed work party.
A reminder was given that the RTF trailers are intended and available for use during work parties on the trail. Please reserve them two weeks in advance.
It was put to a general vote and agreed that IC's will be awarded shovels, with "attaboy" shovel stickers going to participants of work parties. IC's are advised to plan a smaller back-up project for the same date/time. In the event that a surplus of workers shows up, they can be directed to the smaller project in order to maximize output and not waste the volunteer resources. In the event that not enough workers show to complete the big project, the smaller back-up project can become the focus, and those volunteers' time won't have been wasted.
Another idea was suggested, that by stationing someone near the trail head, you can not only enlist them to bring in some of the materials for your project, bucket brigade if you will, it will open up an opportunity to talk to people who are unaware of FOTR and thereby bring them into the stewardship fold. If they're out there using it, it's their trail too, and they can't help if they don't know. Get their information to document hours. Use a "just for fun" trip to do something small for documentation purposes.
Radio Information Update:
John Arenz offered Ham radio information updates, and will re- email changes that need to be made if needed. He is happy to assist with programming, just get in touch.
Good of the Order:
A heartfelt THANK YOU to Jerry Reffner for his five years of service in the role of Trail Boss, and the countless hours of hard work and dedication to the trail. Jerry was unable to attend, and an award will be presented at a later date.
Merlin Scott and JC Jenkins brought up Trail Patrol and Kiosk Volunteer sign ups.
Trail Patrol – it was discussed and decided with the education that has been provided over the years, the LEO presence on the trail, RTF mid-trail staff, all the volunteers and now the addition of the Park Watch program, that we don’t have a pressing need for an official Trail Patrol staff. Continue on with what we are doing and we will discuss this next year to see if we need to bring it back as an official entity.
Kiosk Volunteers – this is an area that we need to stay on top of. It is an opportunity to educate before people that may not know better go out and are inappropriate. It also provides us the chance to get them involved with FOTR and lend a hand with bucket brigade work. Also, it’s the perfect time to educate about Wag Bags, Oil Spill Kits and Ham use on the trail. It was identified that it would be great to also be able to staff the smaller sights at Wentworth Springs and in the future, in Tahoma on at least the big weekends.
I’m looking for someone to step up to be the volunteer coordinator for the Kiosk Volunteer.
It was asked that if you have any complaints or concerns about how something is being addressed, to take a moment to compose a potential solution to what it is that doesn’t set well with you. Try to keep it constructive and not just a vent session. Also to keep these issues within the FOTR email lists. Venting publicly on forums only gives those that would like to close our trail ammunition.
Trail Boss Nominations / Elections:
Shannon Chard was nominated, but declined. Interim Trail Boss Eric Agee was nominated and accepted. No other nominations were made. Eric Agee will continue as Trail Boss.
RTF Awards Presentations:
Lori Wilson Kevin Carey JC Jenkins Scott Johnston
Edwin Abd Del Albright Mike Pulskamp Shannon Chard
Randy Burleson Deb Pulskamp John Arenz Mike Overmeyer
Robert Lightfoot Tim Green Jerry Reffner Matthew Farley
Meeting concluded at 1630
RTF appreciation dinner enjoyed by all! Thanks for everyone’s continued volunteer spirit and the time and efforts you all so freely give.
Meeting started at 1300
General Introductions were made.
Special Guests:
Supervisor Michael Ranalli:
Supervisor Ranalli expressed his admiration for the volunteerism amongst the El Dorado County OHV community. Met with his Placer County counterpart, Jennifer Montgomery, who is very open to work with El Dorado County. He expressed his willingness and availability to assist and meet with anyone, stating that his office is open, “Please get in touch”.
Debbie Gaynor:
Debbie Gaynor was unable to attend, but sent her report. Bathrooms at Airport Flat & North Shore campgrounds are now open during the winter with the issuance of Volunteer User Agreements. Special thanks to Merlin Scott, Tim Green, Tim Webster and Lori Wilson for making this a reality.
Thanks to efforts led by Doug Barr, and many volunteers stepping up to work, Richardson Lake Trail has been re-opened, with approximately 16 yards of road base, all the way up past the lake. It is anticipated to be fully open by the end of summer.
If there is anyone that is interested in adopting Richardson Lake Trail, please send Eric Agee an email and he will forward to the appropriate Forest Service contact.
Summation of the "42 Trails Lawsuit" was given by John Arenz, discussing status with emphasis on those trails most important to OHV (Richardson, Barrett, Deer Valley, and Strawberry): 18 are expected to re-open right away; the remaining 24 are in varying stages. All are expected to open by 2017.
Kansas McGahan:
Kansas McGahan was unable to attend. Her report was given by John Briggs, Tahoe Lead. Kansas is impressed and appreciative of the 1783 hours of work that was done on the Placer side, and how much was accomplished.
There is an interest in the future for further grant applications, but it was identified, we need to complete the GIS survey and hydrology survey before moving forward with large scale work in the future.
Still outstanding work to be completed: finish the discharge from the energy dissipater at Potato Patch. This should be done ASAP, and an effort is in place to due during the Rubithon event in June.
The 2015 grant for a GIS survey and hydrology survey is still awaiting award. The Placer GIS Survey will be done to the same standards as done on the El Dorado county portion of the trail. There are plans in place to coordinate with El Dorado to make sure the data points and level of description are the same throughout the entire trail!
It was suggested that, should a trail user see something in need of being addressed that he/she has the ability to do, it is within the scope of a user of the trail to do so. Not just energy dissipaters in need of cleaning out, but limbs/trees blocking the trail, branches needing to be cut back, etc.
Last year’s work discussed (see attachment)
This year’s projected work discussed (see attachment) DOCUMENT YOUR HOURS!
Vickie Sanders:
Vickie Sanders was unable to attend. Reports covered by RTF representatives.
A grant has been submitted for rock to be flown in; award still pending.
Park Watch; The concept of Vickie Sanders and Donna Mullins, was explained and discussed. The program is for reporting crimes, violations, and anything on the trail that needs to be addressed; energy basins in need of cleaning, fallen trees or other hazards that the county can address. Notifications will be documented to begin the process, with status updates given to involved parties. Business cards are available with all the information on them.
Adopt-A-Trail (AAT); Vickie expressed her thanks for the excellent participation levels in the Adopt-A-Trail program. The trail wouldn't be open without the volunteers and all their hard work. The 2014 AAT Report was made available, as well as new 2015 segment binders for clubs that are involved. A tutorial on filling out forms for Vickie was given, with emphasis placed on asking FOTR for assistance (work force, etc) and asking Vickie for materials/supplies.
Adopt-A-Trail clubs were encouraged to contact the County before spring assessments if they would like someone there to make judgments on items they're unsure of, and so locations of issues are clear.
NOTE: Since the meeting, it was discovered that ALL AAT clubs need to complete this year’s agreements. This is an annual requirement. Also, ensure that all volunteers have a liability form completed without an end date. Vickie has emailed this paperwork out to all current AAT clubs.
Information was offered from the gallery about an excellent app for smartphones (it is believed to be an Android app, but there may be an iPhone comp) called "Geo Cam", which captures geographical location data stamp on photos as they're taken, and which can be duplicated. Advised this will work even without a cell signal.
El Dorado County Fair; Volunteers for the El Dorado County Rubicon booth at the fair were requested; a list of days/time slots will be made available in a thread soon. Contact Eric Agee and he will ensure you are Vickie’s list. This will allow you free entrance into the fair.
The new Bandana campaign was unveiled: "Stewardship" theme, honoring Tim Green. Talk to Sean Russell and the RTF mid-trail staff to get your bandana.
It was stressed again that 14N05, road by Ellis Creek, can only be used for moving materials and equipment for approved work parties. It is not acceptable to let a group of friends come in with you. The gate must remain locked once the equipment or materials have gone though. It is acceptable to post a person here if you are doing a work party with multiple trips for materials. This is being watched closely and if found to be abused, we WILL lose access to this. Please do the right thing. We go up to wheel anyway right?
Amy Granat:
Amy Granat was unable to attend, but sent her report (see attachment)
El Dorado Sheriff's Deputies:
EDSO Deputies Tony Broadfoot and Jeremiah Hammon introduced. They will be on the trail every Fri, Sat and Sun, and will be monitoring the 805 (both are licensed Hams)
FOTR Work Parties:
As a group, FOTR would like to attempt at least one work party per month. At this time, the only known date is for June at the Fairgrounds, and the exact location and scope of the projects will need to be determined at a later date, due to the fact that award of the grants submitted are still being awaited. However, dates of interest (when people are available to work) can be signed up for now.
Complete work on the drain at Potato Patch as listed in Kansas’s report, will require angling the bank and lining with rock. Approximately 60’ and all material is on location already.
Kade Hendrick is looking into how to best deal with the spring water run off at the S-turns on Cadillac. We will have to wait until we can get more rock there to make the final improvements.
Kade Hendrick and the Tahoe Hi-Lo’s are in possession of a 6x6 and are in the process of making it available to pump out toilets east of Observation. This will take time to complete, but plans are being worked on to install toilets along the Placer County portion of the trail in the future.
Set a date with Placer County Government personal to see the trail. Also, we may need to help provide transportation to GIS survey and hydrology survey personnel. John Briggs to coordinate.
New deck on the Kiosk is still waiting for the engineer’s approval. Two Guys Trail Gear is coordinating.
John Arenz states we have 4 bathroom enclosures to be built, and one of those needs to be brought in still. It would be great to get the 3 that are there built ASAP, but are waiting to see if the 4th can be flown in due to the challenge of getting it to Buck. Looking at a crew of 4-6 per bathroom.
Stain the Vault Toilet at Ellis Creek
Kiosk to bottom of bowl, Robert Lightfoot & Tim Green. Across creek at bowl, sediment needs to be removed. Similar to Walker, logs with kingpin rocks, will be technically challenging. 10-20 people needed. Looking at late summer.
Also late summer: Devil's Post Pile, Robert Lightfoot & Tim Green stated a new energy dissipater needs to be constructed.
Walker: TDO - hoping to have rock dropped at Ellis so it won't need to be trailered through the bowl. 20 people needed for 6 hours of work. (Rock is there and ok to use.)
Soup Bowl: Dave Gross (MTA), to keep "Easy Route" from causing erosion, a hardened base is being created. This will likely be a two part work party, one to get materials close, and a mid-week work party to lock the BMP in place with minimal trail impact.
Also, place logs above to prevent encroachment into the vegetation beyond Soup Bowl.
NOTE: NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO ALTER THE HARD LINE!
Little Sluice/Winter Camp: Won't know until the grants are awarded exactly scope that will be tackled here. Need is approximately 17 transfers of rock, so it will need to be flown in. Hope is for French drains with geo-textile fabric under the rock to keep it in place. Work force needed and dates TBA. Corey Moore is coordinating for POR.
June 5th-6th - Jeeper's Jamboree moving rock, fully staffed work party.
A reminder was given that the RTF trailers are intended and available for use during work parties on the trail. Please reserve them two weeks in advance.
It was put to a general vote and agreed that IC's will be awarded shovels, with "attaboy" shovel stickers going to participants of work parties. IC's are advised to plan a smaller back-up project for the same date/time. In the event that a surplus of workers shows up, they can be directed to the smaller project in order to maximize output and not waste the volunteer resources. In the event that not enough workers show to complete the big project, the smaller back-up project can become the focus, and those volunteers' time won't have been wasted.
Another idea was suggested, that by stationing someone near the trail head, you can not only enlist them to bring in some of the materials for your project, bucket brigade if you will, it will open up an opportunity to talk to people who are unaware of FOTR and thereby bring them into the stewardship fold. If they're out there using it, it's their trail too, and they can't help if they don't know. Get their information to document hours. Use a "just for fun" trip to do something small for documentation purposes.
Radio Information Update:
John Arenz offered Ham radio information updates, and will re- email changes that need to be made if needed. He is happy to assist with programming, just get in touch.
Good of the Order:
A heartfelt THANK YOU to Jerry Reffner for his five years of service in the role of Trail Boss, and the countless hours of hard work and dedication to the trail. Jerry was unable to attend, and an award will be presented at a later date.
Merlin Scott and JC Jenkins brought up Trail Patrol and Kiosk Volunteer sign ups.
Trail Patrol – it was discussed and decided with the education that has been provided over the years, the LEO presence on the trail, RTF mid-trail staff, all the volunteers and now the addition of the Park Watch program, that we don’t have a pressing need for an official Trail Patrol staff. Continue on with what we are doing and we will discuss this next year to see if we need to bring it back as an official entity.
Kiosk Volunteers – this is an area that we need to stay on top of. It is an opportunity to educate before people that may not know better go out and are inappropriate. It also provides us the chance to get them involved with FOTR and lend a hand with bucket brigade work. Also, it’s the perfect time to educate about Wag Bags, Oil Spill Kits and Ham use on the trail. It was identified that it would be great to also be able to staff the smaller sights at Wentworth Springs and in the future, in Tahoma on at least the big weekends.
I’m looking for someone to step up to be the volunteer coordinator for the Kiosk Volunteer.
It was asked that if you have any complaints or concerns about how something is being addressed, to take a moment to compose a potential solution to what it is that doesn’t set well with you. Try to keep it constructive and not just a vent session. Also to keep these issues within the FOTR email lists. Venting publicly on forums only gives those that would like to close our trail ammunition.
Trail Boss Nominations / Elections:
Shannon Chard was nominated, but declined. Interim Trail Boss Eric Agee was nominated and accepted. No other nominations were made. Eric Agee will continue as Trail Boss.
RTF Awards Presentations:
Lori Wilson Kevin Carey JC Jenkins Scott Johnston
Edwin Abd Del Albright Mike Pulskamp Shannon Chard
Randy Burleson Deb Pulskamp John Arenz Mike Overmeyer
Robert Lightfoot Tim Green Jerry Reffner Matthew Farley
Meeting concluded at 1630
RTF appreciation dinner enjoyed by all! Thanks for everyone’s continued volunteer spirit and the time and efforts you all so freely give.
