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Breakthrough Partnership Opening Pacific Crest Trail From
Lake Britton to Interstate 5 in Northern California
California Conservation Corps, Pacific Crest Trail Association,
Back Country Horsemen of America, and USDA Forest Service
working together to clear notoriously problematic portion
of trail while simultaneously introducing young people to
new opportunities
July 30, 2003, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Sacramento,
Calif.- Despite unusually hot weather, an approximately 12-person
California Conservation Corps (CCC) crew is working ten-hour
days, for eight days at a time, to clear "Section O" of the
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) of deep brush that's
accumulated over 15 years. Crews began work on June 25, 2003
and will continue through August 13, 2003.
"Section O on the PCT has been historically one of the most
difficult sections of the trail to maintain due to inaccessibility,
steep, rocky terrain, heavy brush, and downed timber from
heavy winter snows and high wind. It's been a serious problem
for PCT hikers and equestrians for years and years," says
Alan Hill, Public Liaison Chair of the Back Country Horsemen
of America (BCHA), member of the local Shasta-Trinity unit
of BCHA and Redding resident. Indeed, over the years, the
infamous Section O has stymied many attempting to travel the
entire 2,650-mile National Scenic Trail in one season.
But thanks to a new partnership between the BCHA, the Redding
CCC facility, USDA Forest Service, and Pacific Crest Trail
Association (PCTA), 80 of the section's worst miles will soon
be restored and accessible in the manner in which they were
designed. The partnership is the first of its kind between
these organizations in Northern California, says Joe Sobinovsky,
Program Director for the PCTA.
Funding and planning of the eight-week trail maintenance
project has come from the Forest Service (both the Region
5 office and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest), the BCHA
and the PCTA. Additionally, the PCTA is supplying volunteer
camp cooks to shop, plan menus, and prepare meals for the
young CCC workers. The PCTA's donation of camp cooks, according
to Lynda Burkhalter, Supervisor of Corps Member Development
Programs for the CCC Redding facility, is saving the Corps
approximately $3,000 per eight-day camp. "Thanks to the PCTA,"
says Lynda, "we have a lot more money going into working on
the trail, which is phenomenal."
For Jerry Harmon, Construction and Maintenance Superintendent
for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, having CCC crews working
on the PCT is exceptional for two reasons. First, with only
a three-person Forest Service maintenance crew for 150 trail
miles in the forest, it's nearly impossible for the Forest
Service to maintain the trail on its own.
"Volunteers from the PCTA and BCHA and CCC crews help us
get some of our backlog knocked out," he says. Second, he
says, is the intangible benefit of exposing PCTA and BCHA
volunteers and CCC crews to one another. For the CCCs, it's
a chance to see how different agencies work and to work with
stock animals. For the PCTA and BCHA volunteers, it's the
opportunity to work and bond with local youth.
CCC crewmembers involved in this project range in age from
18 to 23 and are largely residents of Redding, Calif. As part
of their CCC commitment, the crewmembers not only work ten-hour
days but also complete schoolwork, earning credits towards
high school diplomas and scholarships for higher education.
"Because many of the crew members are non-traditional learners,"
says Lynda Burkhalter, "class work is conducted throughout
the day as well as in the evening. They're are learning hands-on
about the environment and natural resource management."
Barbara Hodgin, a member of the PCTA's Board of Directors
and Vice President of Board Development, recently returned
from a week of cooking for the CCCs. "The CCCs were an inspiration
to me," she says. "Their commitment and professionalism is
very high. I made lasting friendships. I learned a lot from
them and they learned a lot about the trail and the people
who love it. The crew especially enjoyed meeting 'thru-hikers'
on their journey from Mexico to Canada."
New experiences for CCC crews as well as PCTA and BCHA volunteers
is the icing on the cake for those involved with opening up
this 80-mile section of the PCT in Northern California. Across
the board, the different organizations say they would jump
at the chance to work together again.
For residents of the Redding and surrounding areas? This
project is not only helping to provide local youth with meaningful
work and new perspectives, but its also clearing local miles
of a national scenic treasure of brush and other debris so
that its more accessible for recreational activities. A win-win
all around.
For more information, contact the Pacific Crest Trail Association
at (916) 349-2109.
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