Freedom Riders MTB

Did loop from Spooner Lake; Marlette Flume - Red House Flume - Sunflower Trail & back to Spooner. Little snow and some trees down on Sunflower, but passable

I’m still over the moon proud of these peeps!

I am so proud to be a a part of this mtb community! Kids and adults got creative making signs to show their support for each other and our beloved bulldozed jumps. With a community with so much passion we can make anything happen! #builddontbulldoze #stateparks #fatrac #bikesmakelifebetter #morekidsonbikes #freedomridersmtb

We hope to see you all out there tomorrow!

I think this is the heart of most trail users! Great story to hear!

Everyone wants more trails, right? How about 30 miles of new trails? Have you ever spoken up in favor of more trails? If not, this evening is your opportunity (in person or via Zoom). Veteran trail advocates welcome too!

I have to admit that I become quite attached to my students .. I’m invested in their journey and I want to help them overcome their challenges . I had the pleasure of helping Gianna gain confidence and helped her with strategies to gain speed while saving her legs along specific areas on the trail. After 7 weeks of working together and celebrating her weekly Jack pot of PRs she is now able to train with her Granite Bay team again and I could’t be more proud of her accomplishments and sadly for myself , I will be missing my new friend! Good luck Gianna! Can’t wait to see you race in the ( hopefully ) NICA series this year! #mtbcoach #mtbgirl #highschoolmtb #freedomridersmtb #ridebikesbehappy

Any destination goals for 2021? Where in Northern California have you been dying to check out for riding? For me, I've been wanting to check out the Humboldt County area. Blue Lake seems to be the new big thing up there

Because of the popularity of last week's Trails 101 Trail Academy class, we’ve decided to add another session before we move on to Part 2! Join MBOSC Trails Pro...gram Manager, Emma Ussat, on Thursday, January 21 for an interactive, hour-long discussion about the basics of sustainable trail building and maintenance. Whether you’re attending this class to become a certified Trail Crew Leader or simply joining us to boost your trail knowledge, we’d love to see you there. You can sign up for the second serving of Trails 101 by following the link below. https://secure.everyaction.com/v9XQSQSvwkyjbpEEqMza1w2

Picture: My quickly drawn map attempting to show in green the sections of the Steamboat ditch with legal and protected public access to the maintenance road, kn...own to many as the Steamboat Ditch Trail. There is a lot of misinformation currently circulating on the Steamboat Ditch Trail. The proposal to encapsulate the canal into a culvert seems to have suddenly appeared and multiple opinions on this are being shared through social media. A week ago, I knew nothing of this proposal or the private company tasked with the scoping. But, being very knowledgeable of the public/private issues regarding that trail, having discussed trail issues in the past with the Steamboat Canal & Irrigation Company (SCIC), and leading the effort to solidify permanent public access on one of the sections, I was able to track down one of the project engineers and get a reasonably clear picture of what is happening and will share that with you. I will start by saying that I believe the planning company involved has not done a great job of presenting the project. I’ve dealt with the NEPA process on multiple federal projects and when it’s done by an agency, it is usually presented much clearer as to the scope of what is being considered and information is shared much more widely through the agency channels. This NEPA has been contracted to a private firm to complete and it is not starting off as smooth as it could have. What is NEPA you ask? In short, it is a decision making process for just about any action involving federal lands or federal funding. It is heavy on public involvement and science based solutions. It ensures concerns are addressed as best they can be and impacts to habitat, cultural resources, viewsheds, watersheds, traffic, etc. are mitigated as much as reasonably possible. The first step of the process is the project scoping and developing the purpose and needs. That is the level where the Steamboat Ditch proposal is. They are trying to figure out what exactly the project will entail by reaching out to the public for ideas. It may involve miles of culvert, or it may involve only a few hundred feet in the most flood prone areas. Where those areas are and how they can best be addressed is one of the goals of the scoping. You may have noticed that the number one solution listed is replacement of the Diversion Dam on the Truckee River. I cannot express clearly enough how much I support that happening. The current low head dam is a literal death trap for river users and impedes fish migration. Both of those can be addressed and improved with this project. I would hate to see that opportunity lost because of broad objections to the entire project. Another main component of the project is flood management/flood protection along the canal. The ditch in many sections currently poses a significant threat to homes below during significant precipitation events. These are known problems and have manifested into significant property damage and flood rescues in the past. In my opinion, this is a great opportunity for those areas to be addressed. An enclosed culvert may be the best option is some of these sections. An open surfaced culvert may be the best option in others. While other mitigations above or below the canal may be the best option elsewhere. This is part of what they are trying to ascertain. One homeowner below with constant water in their basement when the ditch is flowing may want the canal improved/encased above him, while another homeowner that lives above may want the canal to stay open and natural for the aesthetics of it. The NEPA process attempts to document and balance these needs. Regarding the potential loss of trail access. Much of what is known as the Steamboat Ditch Trail is what we in the trail world would call a social trail. It is used by people, but there is no legal access. Many sections of the maintenance road are gated and closed by the property owners. The SCIC does not own the land, they convey water and maintain the ditch through an easement over hundreds of private parcels. Very few of these easements allow for public access (two that I know of). While that would be ideal so we could have an awesome continuous neighborhood trail, the proverbial ship has sailed. Many properties have been subdivided or otherwise went in front of the planning commission where a permanent easement for public access could have been secured as a condition of approval, but wasn’t. So that leaves us where we are now. A route that is used and enjoyed by many, but does not offer the connectivity that is physically possible and always has the potential of an owner closing off their section. The one saving grace has been that the SCIC does not like gates because it slows their ditch riders and maintenance vehicles and has opposed some gates on their easement. That hasn’t completely stopped gates from going up along many sections of the ditch and cutting off connectivity for major segments. This project is unlikely to address trail issues or public access issues with one exception. My comment will include the suggestion to pursue potentially funding the acquisition of conservation easements along the ditch from willing sellers. It may be a win-win for many, and although it is a stretch for the funds proposed, I don’t think it would be impossible. The Nevada Land Trust currently holds an easement on one section owned by the local HOA, so it is doable. Commenting on the importance of the ditch trail experience that you enjoy cannot hurt, I just would not recommend conveying a sense of entitlement about it. There are many sections that have what I would describe as delicate access and I’d hate to see any more public access lost along the ditch just to avoid dealing with public complaints in the future. Reminds me of when people were up in arms over the developer finally building next to the East Keystone Trailhead without regard to the fact that the trailhead sits on their property and was built by the developer years before the rest of the project moved forward. I for one appreciated that use they provided to us. A comment from trail users that would likely be useful is mentioning the importance to you of securing long term public access to the maintenance road to maximize connectivity and potentially even open additional sections. I am not addressing the wildlife or plant habitat concerns that some have expressed because I am not a biologist and these items are examined carefully by biologists/botanists in any NEPA analysis and their reports are submitted for public review and comment prior to the project being finalized. January 13 Edited to add: I appreciate the sharing of this post. I am disheartened by some of the misinformation or strong opinions circulating on social media about stopping the project to ‘Save the Ditch’ or ‘Save the Trail’. I urge people to make positive comments to what they would like to see with this potential project rather than a general opposition to the idea of a project all together. Stopping the project would be counter productive to either saving the ditch or the trail. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that aging infrastructure needs improvements and upkeep. The earthen ditch has some areas with major flooding issues that need to be addressed. These areas can be addressed without miles of covered culvert just as many short sections of the ditch are already in open or closed culvert without much opposition or concern. In my opinion, based on the fragility of public access to many of the sections of the ditch trail, there is a higher chance of public access being lost if the project is stopped. The sections in green of the map I drew show the sections with permanent public access. Those cannot easily be changed. You’ll see how little of the ditch trail has that public access regardless of how many people currently enjoy it. I’d like to share this hypothetical- if you were the ditch owner and had a blowout or other failure that was cost prohibitive to repair, would you continue? If the ditch company stops operation, there goes access to many more trail sections as without maintenance operations, nothing prohibits a property owner from putting up a gate. That’s why I’d like to see the ditch supported and this opportunity used to address some of the current shortcomings. The funding from NRCS can be used towards recreation issues with a match. If local funding was secured for the match, then potentially increasing permanent public access to existing sections is a possibility as part of this project if it is what the public is asking for during this scoping. Another reason not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Lastly, for those that use the ditch trail, please be respectful to the ditch company employees and the property owners. Their maintenance crews have told me of people walking right up to and behind operating equipment, letting their dogs run around equipment and cussing them out for causing them a small delay on their hike. A property owner along the ditch told me that she and her neighbors are soured by how some of the trail users treat the area with litter and dog waste. Both of these issues are easily solved by trail users. We have the power to be courteous and pack out our trash. That is the best way to preserve access on any trail. Edit #2, January 18- I made a better map posted in comments below. Comments on the initial scoping are most useful if received by February 16th, 2020. Email to [email protected] www.truckeeriver.nvwatershed.com

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team will resume prescribed fire operations this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin, conditions and weather permitting. Smoke may be visible.... A map with project locations and detailed information is available for viewing at www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/get-informed/. Sign-up to receive email prescribed fire notifications at [email protected]. See more

This is going to be a blast! So proud of BearAdventure for putting this together!

Do any FATRACers have a hookup with a local dump truck? We need to move a load or two of aggregate from the Cool Quarry to Salmon Falls Ranch to facilitate som...e new trail building. Timing is flexible and Teichert will donate the material. A smaller 4WD dump might allow us to stage material a little higher up the trail. Thanks!

Mountain Biking is a political act.., check out this really awesome article .. every mountain biker has a voice that we need to hear, we can do more together!