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Dear MSTA Volunteers:

Officials at the Forest Service have asked that we stop removing garbage from USFS land.  The reason given is liability concerns.  Therefore, the cleanup on Everitt Memorial Hwy for next Monday, April 23, 2018 is cancelled.  The USFS is suggesting that we call their office (530-926-4511) and report transient encampments and dump sites, and they will put them on the list to review and remove per their regulations.  We may occasionally be asked to assist with these cleanups, using liability release forms.

We can still clean up on city and county property, as well as private property, with permission.

As you might imagine, I am really disappointed, because I get such a kick out of picking up garbage!

 

This Wednesday, April 18, at 9 am, we are still meeting at the Siskiyou Land Trust property, 522 Alma (across from Sisson School) to spruce up the Garden Greenway.  Bring rakes, loppers, chainsaws, hedge clippers, etc.

 

This Saturday, April 21, 2018, the MSTA is having an Earth Day cleanup at Castle Crags State Park, starting at 8:30 am.  A light breakfast will be served, as well as lunch.  This should be a fun event and won’t involve any grueling work, but rather dragging of slash, burning, etc.

 

Clean and Safe Mt. Shasta will be having an Earth Day cleanup event beginning at 9 am at the Lower Lodge in the MS City Park, also on Saturday, April 21, 2018.

Thanks.

JH

IF YOU DON’T SHOW UP, WE’RE GONNA DO IT ANYWAY, BUT WE’D LOVE TO HAVE YOU FOR THE AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE LISTED BELOW:

 

1. Saturday, April 14, at 8:30 am—Mt. Shasta City Park—Invasive Weed Pull
2. Sunday, April 15, at 10 am—Clean up hillside below the repaired trail in Dunsmuir. Take I-5 south, off at Dunsmuir Ave (central Dunsmuir offramp), R on Dunsmuir Ave, immediate L onto Stagecoach Rd., go 150 yards, veer L onto Upper Soda Rd.  Go 50 ft. and park there; take trail to the R and you can’t miss us.  I’ll have all tools and supplies.  We just need a couple volunteers.
3. Wednesday, April 18^th, at 9 am– Garden Greenway spring cleanup, behind the Siskiyou Land Trust Office, 522 Alma St. (across from Sisson School). Need chainsaws, loppers, hedge trimmers, gloves.
4. Saturday, April 21, 8:30 am—Earth Day at Castle Crags State Park. Trail maintenance, slash collection and burning.  Light breakfast and a lunch will be provided by the MS Trail Association.  Come one, come all.  Even the Boy Scouts will be there to help!
5. Monday, April 23, time to be determined (dependent on Bubba Seuss and his dump trailer availability)—Finish the cleanup of the massive, abandoned transient encampment on Everitt Memorial Hwy. With a half dozen eager volunteers, we can do this in one hour.  Photos of this mess attached.

AS ALWAYS, YOU CAN COME FOR 30 MINUTES OR 3 HOURS FOR ANY OF THESE JOBS, BUT WITH ENOUGH HELP, WE’LL BE DONE IN AN HOUR OR SO.

JH

Invasive Weed Pull 2018

Please click on the link above to see the flyer for the invasive weed pull here in Mt. Shasta on April 14 at 8:30 am.  Everyone will meet at the Upper Lodge at the MS City Park.

The effort is to prevent these invasive weeds from taking over and pushing out all our native plants.

Hope to see you there.

JH

Thanks to funding secured by the Forest Service, an accessible trail has been added to the Gateway Trail network on national forest lands.

Labeled the Lollipop Trail due to its out and back alignment, this new trail has a nice compacted surface at a gentle grade that can accommodate wheelchairs, baby carriages, and others looking for an obstacle free trail surface.

The Lollipop Trail begins at the Gateway Trailhead off of Everitt Memorial Highway. Its shown in red on the map below.  The trail’s total length is approximately 0.6 mile.  Check it out!

Last week’s Mt. Shasta Herald newspaper featured two articles on trails on the front page of the February 14, 2018 edition.  Exciting stuff for us lovers of trails!

Both articles talk about Mount Shasta being designated a “trail town” by the Pacific Crest Trail Association.  The first article, by Tim Holt, talks further about actions being taking by the Ski Park for mountain bikers.  The second article, an opinion piece by Priscila Franco, discusses the growing demand for trail-based recreation and the economic benefits to our communities.  Here are links to the articles:

Mount Shasta_ a ‘Trail Town’

Trail Town program promotes hiking, could benefit economy

 

 

The Trail Association website contains a lot of great information, including descriptions of local trails.  MSTA has recently added a new page that covers the trails within or immediately adjacent to the City of Mt. Shasta and Weed.  Click here for that page.

This new page will lead you to descriptions of the following trails:

• Bear
• Elsa Rupp
• Spring Hill
• Box Canyon
• City Park to Downtown Greenway

If you wish to support, comment on, or condemn what is being proposed for the Gateway II expansion, here is the website:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=53089

On the right side of the site, under Get Connected, choose Comment/Object on Project.

Of course, we’re hoping you will support it!

JH

I am happy to report that there were 13 truly bored and nutty people who had nothing better to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon than clean up trash in the forest.  We got a tarped encampment out of Cascade Gulch (bit of a fun trek down the gully and back), the last of the wood and metal from the Shastice site, and about 1/3 of the massive junk pile just off Everitt Mem. Hwy just north of the Gateway trailhead.  By the way, the trailhead parking lot was full all afternoon!

Many thanks to Glenn Harvey, Tom Heilmann, Patrick Stalder, Mike McArron, Mike Daly, John Moreno, Perry Sims, Mark Foster, Tina Ure, Steve Scharpf, Todd Cory, and Bill Broeckel (who drove down from Yreka to help us).  The large group made short work of the mess.

When the transients are completely gone from the Everitt site (and they are removing some of their stuff), we’ll go back and finish the job.

JH

 

 

Glenn Harvey and I will be going back to the Shastice encampment to remove the last of the metal and lumber on Saturday at 2 pm.

This is not a big job, and the two of us could probably do it in about 2 hours.

So, if you have time and want to help, we’ll do it in a lot less than 2 hours.

We could use 1 or 2 additional wheelbarrows and some bungies/tie-downs, but just having an extra body or two will be great.

MEET AT 2 PM ON EVERITT MEMORIAL HWY WHERE THE RR TRACKS CROSS, JUST NORTH OF THE HIGH SCHOOL.

 

Additionally, Glenn has found a huge encampment further up the Everitt Mem. (five or six tents, with tarps).  He had sheriff and USFS up there yesterday, so maybe the campers will move on…

But you know we’ll have to go clean it up, and we’ll need volunteers.  We’ll let you know.

Thanks.

JH