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The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) is at risk. Although the majority of the Trail is located on public lands, there is still a significant amount of Trail located on private land with right of way easements. Many people don’t realize the Trail and the user experience are not completely protected. Fires, floods, illegal use, and development all threaten the Trail each year.
With your support, PCTA works tirelessly with officials at the national, state, and local levels to protect the Trail and maintain the wilderness experience that hikers and equestrians count on.
Here are just a fraction of the projects we’re working on that need your support:
Illegal Use
 Courtesty of ORV Watch Kern County In the Tehachapi area of Southern California, the PCTA is leading the effort to preserve the landscape from illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. Through this area, the PCT crosses private land with narrow 10- to 20-foot easements, making it very difficult for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enforce the law. Working with the USFS, the PCTA has coordinated with the BLM, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and Supervisors Office, local community members, local OHV community members, local equestrian groups and members from ORV Watch Kern County to combat the ever growing illegal OHV use.
As a result of several collaborative meetings, stakeholders developed and are executing
a plan to curb the illegal OHV use.
• The Kern County Sheriff’s Office set up a check point to talk to OHV users and distribute information and maps showing riders where they can and cannot ride.
• The BLM is developing a program in which volunteers will be trained on law enforcement and will interact with visitors on the PCT.
• The Kern County Supervisors Office and community members are working on a sign initiative.
Fire
As most hikers and equestrians know, fire causes extensive damage to the Trail each and every year. In August of 2009 a large and devastating fire burned along the Hat Creek Rim, near the town of Old Station, California and along Hwy 89. The fire left the area riddled with snags and hazard trees. As a safety precaution, the Hat Creek Ranger District is proposing to remove hazard trees on the Hat Creek Rim and surrounding areas, including the PCT.
Indiscriminate clearing would severely impact the secluded natural beauty of the Trail. Right now, PCTA regional representatives are working with the Ranger District to identify appropriate safety measures that will also maintain the wilderness experience.
Floods
Not only is the Trail affected by fire, but floods present their challenges as well.
Severe floods washed out Stehekin Road in 2003 that once allowed vehicle access to the Upper Stehekin Valley in Washington. A proposed bill in Congress would re-draw the National Wilderness boundaries so that a new road could be built on top of an old wagon road.
The problem is this is exactly where the PCT is located! The Trail would have to be moved.
PCTA is working to ensure that if Stehekin Road is reconstructed on the old wagon road, the PCT will be relocated above the road and out of sight of traffic assuring hikers and equestrians a save and scenic Trail. PCTA will also work to coordinate the design and construction efforts.
Development
The Stevens Pass Ski Area applied for a permit from the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest to open a section of the mountain to downhill mountain biking and to construct three new buildings and a new water tank to support the area’s operations.
The Forest Service worked with the PCTA as part of the public involvement process. The PCTA held several meetings with the agency and provided written comments to assure that the impacts to the PCT would be minimal or obsolete. As a result, the area is specifically designed to make the PCT difficult to access by bike, the trailheads will remain open and unobstructed during construction and operation, and the Stevens Pass Ski Area will maintain and upgrade signage at the trailheads.
Your generous support will allow us to continue our work to protect the Trail experience for all users and maintain this majestic wonder for generations to come.
Your prior support already has helped us to:
- Complete a Trail-wide inventory that gives us a better idea of how many privately-owned parcels of land must be acquired to permanently protect the entire PCT.
- Raise $300,000 to purchase a conservation easement on the Keene Creek Property in Southern Oregon and complete the option purchase that will help us protect one mile of Trail.
- Continue to play an important role in the Tejon Ranch negotiations to relocate a 37-mile stretch of the PCT
- Develop a Land Protection Plan that documents the steps needed to implement a permanent PCT land protection program.
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