Stuck in your house because of
Covid-19? No problem. Let’s get out and clean up Mt. Shasta.
The Mt. Shasta Trail Association and Clean and Safe Mt.
Shasta are having a socially distant Earth Day cleanup on Wednesday, April 22,
2020, at 9 am. We’ll meet at the corner of Alma St. and N. Mt. Shasta Blvd.
Anyone approaching closer than 6 ft. will be slapped with a gloved 2X4.
We’ll split into groups of one (or more if you bring family
members) and spread out heading north on Mt. Shasta Blvd. and Spring Hill Rd.
We plan to clean up all the way to the dump. Dump fees will be covered, so
don’t worry about gathering a big load of garbage.
This will be more fun than when the hogs ate my brother.
In recent years, the MSTA has
spent Earth Day in Castle Crags State Park clearing trails, thinning brush,
rebuilding the theatre in the campground, etc. It is usually a big event, with
30 or 40 volunteers from a variety of communities.
This year we’ve had to cancel
the event due to social distancing requirements. But Mark Telegin, ever the
eager workhorse, suggested we have “Earth Day on your own.” He wants to
encourage everyone to get out on their favorite trails, trim encroaching brush,
rake leaves or pine needles, and pick up trash. Or, just look for problems,
take pictures, and report it to MSTA so we can get crews out there when it’s
safe to be together again.
You should know that the USFS
has closed their public lands to all volunteer work (for the same reason), so
those are the areas to take photos and make reports (unless you just can’t stop
yourself from picking up that discarded beer can!).
Attached is a photo of two
Marks (Telegin and Foster) working in Castle Crags State Park last year, where
a major thinning/cleanup was done.
The Mount Shasta Trail
Association (MSTA), in partnership with the Forest Service and Bike Shasta, is
pleased to announce work has begun on the expansion of the Gateway Trail
network.
This project, located on
national forest system lands administered by the Shasta McCloud Management
Unit, will add 46.5 miles of multi-use non-motorized trail to the existing
Gateway trails. While the final trails will be open to hikers, equestrians,
trail runners and bikers, the primary use is expected to be mountain
biking. Thus, the trails are being
located, designed and built, meeting USFS trail standards, with mountain biking
in mind.
District Ranger Carolyn
Napper approved the project on October 18, 2019, after a thorough review of all
applicable environmental requirements and the Forest Plan for the
Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Funding
the planning effort came from a variety of partners and grantors, including
BikeShasta, the McConnell Foundation, the Mountain Wheelers, and the Mount
Shasta Trail Association – truly a project with the community pulling together!
On-the-ground trail
construction under direction from the Forest Service is being coordinated by the
MSTA and Trail Labs, CO., a small business owned by internationally-known trail
designer Andrew Pellkofer. The initial work is the clearing of vegetation from
the trail construction corridor, making way for future building of the trail
itself. On-the-ground construction of
the trails by Trail Labs, CO. is expected to begin later this year. Trail Labs has hired local labor to conduct
these activities. Completion of the
project is expected to take 4-5 years.
At this time, work is
proceeding with strict COVID-19 safety precautions. While the post-COVID-19 future is unclear,
the Mt. Shasta Trail Association, Bike Shasta and the Forest Service are
pleased to share this good news with the community. Construction of the Gateway Trails will be a
major contribution to outdoor recreation around Mt. Shasta. As we move forward on this project, we expect
that it will contribute significantly to Mt. Shasta City’s reputation as a hub
for muscle-powered and trail-based recreation.
When things get back to normal, these fantastic trails will be there for
everyone’s enjoyment.
Trail Corridor Clearing by A Crew From The Deadwood CDCR Camp
The Mount Shasta Trail Association has postponed the annual meeting until further notice. In order to complete the 2019 Trail Challenge event and maintain social distancing, we decided to draw the special prize winner today. We would like to congratulate Katy Ostrowski! The special prize this year is a $150 gift certificate for the Fifth Season.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association would still like to
celebrate your accomplishment at our annual meeting. We will announce the date
of the meeting in a few weeks.
If you are interested in participating in the 2020 Trail Challenge, the new passport will be available at the Siskiyou Science Festival in downtown Mount Shasta on May 16th. The passports will be distributed at MSTA orienteering booth.
The need to close some of the Gateway Trails for public safety during thinning operations begins on Wednesday February 12th. Below is a map of the closure area.
For more information, the Forest Service news release can be found here.
The USFS has asked us to post a notice about temporary closures of the Lollipop Trail and the first section of the Gateway Trail due to logging in the area. The closure will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 12, and possibly extend to Feb. 17, 2020.
Also, please do not remove the orange flagging in the area. Mt. Shasta Trail Association volunteers have spent many hours flagging trails so that the loggers don’t obliterate them.
For further information and maps, please refer to the Shasta Trinity National Forest Facebook page or the Mt. Shasta Trail Association Facebook page.
Most of the Gateway II Trail Expansion has been reflagged, so that the trail construction crews can locate exactly the routes through the forest. This morning, a crew of three worked in the plantation area just north and east of the Gateway Trailhead, placing orange tape on trees and dense brush. Sometimes we were crashing through manzanita 8 ft. high. We hope to begin trail construction this spring. Get your bikes and shoes ready.
John Schuyler is shown gently placing a tape on one of his favorite trees.
Mike Hupp smiles because he placed two heavy rocks in John Harch’s backpack before starting the hike.
Mt. Shasta Trail Association board members Debbie Derby and John Harch picked up a check for $22,652.73 from the Shasta Regional Community Foundation on December 18, 2019, representing the final tally for the Giving Tuesday fundraiser. Sincere thanks to so many of you who donated.
We will now focus on:
Getting construction started on the Gateway II Trail– early spring?
Recently, signage was completed to guide hikers, runners, and mountain bikers through the section of the Lake Siskiyou Trail that runs through the campground. Previously, it was easy to get confused and lost in that area, especially for out-of-towners. Now, a combination of brown signs with text and arrows, along with small, green signs with hiker icons and arrows create a clear path for travelers. The “Beach Loop” segment is particularly scenic and pretty.
