DEC 2016 - Rain on 2 Crews

 It wasn't the typical day in the Park since it rained the entire day.  Bad news we were all soaked by the time we finished the good is it was raining, which is much needed in the West.  13 crazy crew members showed up and

with numerous reports from Kurt Leal of trail problems,

Dale S. and I took Jan and Norm to clear Shadowbrook trail.  Mike and Peter lead the other crew to scope out Hollow Tree.

We met at the refurbished shed to collect the tools and to check out the work that the crew did over the last couple of months.

 Norm and Dale S. discussing the day ahead

Mike and Peter's crew was made up of David B, Michele, Ann, Jordan, Janette, Curt, and Chris and headed out North Escape Road to check on Hollow Tree Trail. The rain was still light as we left the cars at the Barnes Kiosk, but after about 30 minutes it became heavier and left everyone a little soggy.

The first problem was the largest, a 12-inch Tan Oak across the trail, and required Chris Young to break out the chain saw. It took 4-5 cuts, but the blockage was removed and the rounds were rolled down the hill.

As Chris did the cutting, the remainder of the crew headed further up the hill to remove a couple of handsaw issues. By the time everything was cleared the rain had become steadier and the idea of pizza and beer and an early end to the workday seemed even more welcomed. We briefly considered checking on a problem on the Meteor Trail just up from the Skyline-to-Sea, but weren't able to easily locate it from the road and the rain was becoming heavier.

On Shadowbrook we did some brushing and cleared 2-12" Tan Oak, a small 3" and 2-6" trees.  The rain was light in the morning but around 11am the rain picked up.

 Some brushing in the rain

 Clearing up and old cut.

We finished up around 1pm and after we changed into dry cloths we met at the Boulder Creek Pizza House for our annual report on the BBVTC status meeting :-).  Joining us was Shelly, Francis, Jeannine, and Bill.  Pizza and beer all around.

A bit of a surprise was the honor bestowed on me of a plaque commemorating my 20 years working on the crew and a signed XXXL BBVTC tee shirt.  I finally finished my first day book where I kept notes of our work starting back on 10-2004.  Thanks for filling the book with your comments.  Now on to Book 2.  Thanks you all.

We put in 93 hours for the day and finished the year with 1035 hours.  This makes 4 out of the last 5 year where we put in over 1000 hours.  Thanks to all for putting in the time to keep the trails open.  Another thanks to Chris, Norm, Mike, Jordan, Ann, Janette, Michele, Peter, Dale S., David B., Curt, and Jan for coming out in the December rain. 

Happy New Year and see you on the trails

Jeff and Mike

Photos by Mike, Jeff, Peter, and Jan

Birds of the Day

Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Brown Creeper

NOV 2016 - Creeping Forest Trail

The November 12th workday was a typical fall in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Cold enough to gather in the office in the morning, but warming up later in the day. We had nine people out and because of a report from Kurt Leal of a big mess on the Creeping Forest Trail just off Gazos Creek Fire Rd we decided to stay together until we could take a look at the area. Good call!
Kurt's report said there were two 36-inch Doug Firs that had fallen parallel to the trail and were blocking approximately a 30 yard stretch of the footpath. I was a little skeptical going out, but after after driving the fire road and making the short hike to the site I was quickly convinced as the destroyed section looked more like 35-40 yards in length!
 Any evidence of the trail was totally gone and the debris seemed to go on and on. We have come across areas like this in the past, but this definitely goes down as one of the biggest we have dealt with. It took effort just to make our way from one end of the blockage to the other as we climbed through and over the debris to make sure we knew where the trail was actually located.

Once we had our bearings, Dale Stadelman started on the chainsaw on one end and Chris Young cut from the other end while the remainder of the Crew was busy removing the large amount of debris in between. The only break came when Janie called a well timed lunch break at high noon.
 
Dale at work
 
Chris at the other end
Despite the mess, we got lucky because of the way the two trees had fallen. One tree was on the edge of the trail where it could be left in place while the other lay kind of diagonally across the trail so we could cut a passageway to allow hikers to pass without removing the entire length of tree.
 
 
It was 1:30 by the time the area looked presentable again and we began discussing what other areas we should look at.
Since we were already halfway up Gazos Creek Fire Rd we decided to continue up to Middle Ridge to check on a couple of reports of small trees down in the Sunset/STS Connector area. One was quickly taken care of by a chainsaw while the other was a small tan oak and related debris that was handled with handsaws.
The crew put in 65 hours with a 2016 total of 942 hours with only 58 hours needed to break 1000.  Thanks to Norm Beeson, Jan Hill, Janie Liefhelm, Jordan McDaniel, Mike Peasland, David Philleo, Dale Stadelman, Chris Young, and newcomer Ann McCormick for their efforts on a busy day.
 
See you on the trails.
 
By Mike Peasland
Photos by Mike
Editor Jeff Bleam


OCT 2016 - Howard King, Buzzard's Roost, and the Shed

Thirteen members came out on our first workday in the Fall of 2016.  Only 2 more work days remaining in the year.  Where has the year gone.  The crew split up into 3 groups with Peter and Michelle leading a crew working on the Tool Shed, The Dales working on the chainsaws along Howard King, and Mike leading a group to Buzzards Roost.

SHED

Peter & Michelle, David Bryant, Herman, Curt, and Norm worked on the shed.  Thanks too to Mike for spending his day off priming both sides of the 4 plywood sheets then applying a grit paint to the top surface.  Many hours were then spent watching the paint dry and then hauling them inside safe and sound.  Thanks too to everyone who brought tools, extension cords, screws, and cookies!

The short and sweet story is that we installed the flooring and installed the new vice on the workbench.  Here’s the not so short version:

Once the other two groups left we hauled everything in the clubhouse but the work bench and began working on installing the plywood floor.  Removing the front door took a little while as a couple of the pins in the hinges were a little reluctant to come out.   The closet door was much easier as there were just screws on the hinges.

We started with the 1st 4x8 sheet in the far left corner going across the back wall, adding the 2nd full sheet, easy peasy.  The 3rd sheet which came up to the door required some fancy measuring and several attempts to lay it down.  After a few minor adjustments we were out to the door.


The 4th sheet needed to be ripped to fill the workbench side.  We started with it from the back right corner but realized later that we should have brought if forward to the closet door – many thanks to Peter & Curt who removed all the screws they had just put in and re-did once we moved the last sheet forward.  We were concerned about where the floor was rotted out under the front door so we cleaned out the old wood on the front side, added a 4’ 2x4 for support then used 3 layers of the plywood to create a level floor surface out to the edge of the landing.  Will need to do more work (flashing, caulking) to make the opening as weather proof as possible.  Trimming about 5/8” off the front door bottom worked perfect with the new floor height, ditto with the closet door.  Using some scrap pieces of our new plywood and some that was shelving in the closet, Peter completed the back corner and closet. 

Once done, we hauled everything back inside and David, Peter, and Michelle started to hang the single lamp under the work bench shelf but there were issues with the screws, the pressed board wood, so will bring a few tools that we didn’t have and take care of next time.  The new vice was also installed on the end of the workbench.  Speaking of tools, we could use a couple of screwdrivers, flat & Phillips, pliers, and perhaps vice grips that we can keep in the toolbox.  I’m sure we’ll think of more but that would be a good start.

Sorry we didn’t get to see the other two groups.  Looking forward to reading about the hard work out on Howard King and Buzzards Roost. 

HOWARD KING TRAIL

Today's  chain saw group consisted of Dale P. and Dale S. Our goal was a 'hatted' tree across Howard King Trail, 20 minutes from Skyline to the Sea Trail. With Dale P. driving, we headed out Hihn Hammond Rd to the first trail crossing and decided to see if we might find it close by. After a short hike we met some hikers who said that the trail was clear back to Skyline to the Sea. So back on the road, pass Mt. McAbee Overlook to the last trail crossing. Then the long downhill hike to the prize. Along the way we came to 2 small trees across the trail. A quick cutting with a hand saw cleared the 4 inch trees.

Arriving at the 24 inch prize, 
 

the fun tools were put to use. Dale P made 4 cuts and Dale S made 1.  Hats off for a great result.

Then came the long torturous uphill hike.  After we got back we checked out the new floor, vise, etc then we called it a day.

BUZZARDS ROOST

While the two Dales headed out to the Howard King Trail and the second crew set to work putting the floor overlay in the tool shed, the third crew lead by Mike headed up to Buzzards Roost. We typically get up there during the slower summer season, but it had been delayed this year because we've had a series of down trees to deal with each month.

It had been over a year since we hiked the entire length of the trail, so we parked at the back of Blooms Creek Campground and started the uphill trek. The lower section was clear and we did some minor brushing as we moved along. Just below where the trail crosses Pine Mountain Fire Rd we stopped at the false trail which every year we close and every year hikers reopen.  Nice to see a sign.

 
As we climbed higher and entered the chaparral environment it became clear that last winter's normal rainfall created an environment for a lot of growth and we were looking at a lot of brushing work. Since it was almost noon, we decided to push on and take lunch at Buzzards Roost before doing the brush work on the way down. 


A little, some times a lot, makes a big difference.  Look like a super highway

When we arrived at the top we were surprised to find that the trail closure that Janie and Peter put in place to keep people from hiking into the old Pine Mtn Overlook was still in place! This was first time in decades that our previous year's work had not been undone by hikers.

After lunch, but before heading back down, Janie showed us the short trail that connects Buzzard's Roost to a fire road below that heads over to the Little Basin area. This was the trail Janie and Peter opened last year at the request of park staff and though it's not yet signed it is on the current trail map.

The trip down the mountain was much slower than coming up as we took time to widen the trail as much as we could. Unless a tree drops on the trail, it'll be next summer before we return for regular maintenance.

The crew  put in 115 hours and thanks to Herman Aster, Norm Beeson, David Bryan, Paul Fleischman, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Janie Liefhelm, Janette Mello, Curt Patrick, Mike Peasland, Dale Petersen, David Philleo and Dale Stadelman.

See you on the trails.

By: Mike, Peter, and Dale S.
Photos by: Peter, Mike, and Dale
Editor: Jeff

SEP 2016 - No. Escape and Eastridge

Our September workday had hints of an early fall as it was a little chilly early, but then warmed quickly for what turned out to be a beautiful day. 

We had a good turnout of nine and were fortunate to have numerous things lined up in advance, so after the usual greetings and figuring out who was going where we split into two groups with D2 leading one group and Norm and Mike leading the other.

While Dale's group headed out along North Escape Rd, the second group started up to the stretch of East Ridge Road that juts off Rogers Rd in the NE section of the park off China Grade Rd. Our goal was assist the Sempervirens Fund in one of their grove preparation projects and we were fortunate to be lead by Nan Bowman, a park interpretive docent who had recently been there. It was not an easy location to find and a fair hike from the road, so it would have been difficult to locate by ourselves.
Once we were guided the end destination, it was fairly easy to clear the route in. As in similar projects it was a lot of pickup sticks as we made the area safe for older visitors, but there were a couple of larger down trees blocking the way and we had to break out the chainsaw. 
 
 
By the time everything was completed it was time for lunch, so we headed back to the Sequoia Trail area to enjoy lunch on Slippery Rock. After lunch we made our way back over Hwy 236 and down the west side of Sequoia Trail where there were reports of a down tree that you could either a.) step over, or b.) climb over. 
 
 
This was a leftover report from August and on arrival we realized that anyone less than 7'2 in height would have a difficult time 'walking over' the blockage. There were two tan oaks blocking the trail and they measured 15-16 inches in diameter. We began by clearing the usual brush from the area and then started cutting the trunk sections blocking the trail. By the time everything was done it was almost 3:30, so we packed up and headed back to HQ and the end of another good day.
 
The second crew consisted of Janie, Peter, Michele and Dale S. We were safely piloted by Janie and somehow correctly navigated by Dale. 

Our 1st stop was on Hollow Tree Trail. While Peter and Michele went on up the trail to look for a smaller tree, Janie and Dale attacked this 20" Tanoak.


After 5 chainsaw cuts Dale and Janie rolled the pieces off the trail and down to ???. The crushing, rolling noises came to a halt somewhere out of site. Shortly thereafter Peter and Michele returned having only found sawdust in their quest.
 
 
Our next stop was a missing 8" Tanoak on Middle Ridge Road just north of its junction with Dool Trail.
 
Followed by a missing 10" oak across Gazos Creek Road, just pass its junction with Middle Ridge Road.

Next came our all important lunch break at Middle Ridge Road.
 
Seeing a red dot on our map not too far away on Sunset Trail, we decided to check it out. On the way, before the the Connector Trail, we cleared a Tanoak that was hanging low across the trail. While working on this, a coupled hikers reported that they hadn't seen anything on Sunset, saving us a few steps.

Next we headed up to China Grade Road. Parking at the Skyline to the Sea Trail crossing, we headed off to a 12" Madrone on the Basin Trail.

After 3 or 4 cuts the trail was clear.

On our way back, we cut back a Madrone that had been previously cut to about 8' clearance above the trail and a 6" Madrone whose trunk was broken 5' up and leaning across the trail.

The crew put in 74 hours with 762 hours for the year with a change to go over 1000 hours this year.  Thanks to Norm Beeson, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Janie Liefhelm, Janette Mello, Curt Patrick, Mike Peasland, Dale Stadelman, and newcomer Jordan McDaniel, for coming out.
 
Post by Mike, Dale S., and editing by Jeff
Photos by Mike, Kurt, and Michelle

AUG 2016 - No. Escape Rd.

Norm spoke with Sr. Park Aide Daniel about the BIG Doug fir across N. Escape Rd and said that he and Ranger Alex had cleared a bit of the debris but that there was more to do so that's where we started. Because the Opal Creek was just below the site we had talked about hauling the remaining debris somewhere else but when we got to the scene there was way too much to haul.  So we moved all the stuff to the edge of the road where the park trail crew can decide what to to do with it.

Thanks to Dale S for his chain saw work,  David B. for his acrobatics, and all who helped clear the road to where we could drive further up to our next location, the junction of Sequoia Trail & N Escape Rd.
Our notes said that 1/2 way down the Sequoia trail there was a Doug Fir that had slid across the trail causing major "destruction".  Heading up the trail we quickly met a couple coming down who said there were a couple of trees more towards the top that they had to step over so we thought we would attack from Highway 236. 


Stopping for the all important trail crew lunch at a picnic table back down the road, we then headed up Hwy 236 to finish the 44" Doug fir that we weren't able to get last month on East Ridge Trail.  We thought we would knock this out then head up to take care of the trees on Sequoia Trail but the fir kept us busy until a little after 4.  Not 36" but just a few inches under  a 4' diameter. 

Thanks to all for a fun, tough, productive day!  The crew put in 64 hours and thanks to Dale S., Janie, Janette, Bill & Jan, David B., Norm, and first timer Paul.  Paul heard about us from the trail crew brochure in the Sempervirens Room.

JUL 2016 - Shadowbrook and East Ridge area


It was a beautiful Saturday morning to kick things off!  After our usual socializing we headed over to the shed and due to the great turnout we were able to split into two groups.  Group 1 consisted of Peter & Michelle, David B, Janie, & Janette.  Let it be noted that this valiant group worked until 4pm.
From Peter:  We headed over to Blooms Creek campground, where we found, cut, and cleared an 8” tan oak from the trail while we were looking for the debris on the East Ridge trail.  We did find the brush on East Ridge that was just east of the Pine Mountain Trail.

 
Crew 1
From there we drove to the edge of Blooms Creek campground and hiked along the East Ridge Trail locating and retrieving the reported rotting trail sign which we picked up and took back to HQ.  We crossed 236 and turned right on to East Ridge and found a 36-48” Douglas fir completely blocking the trail.  No chain saw, so we cleared all the surrounding brush that the tree had taken down.  We didn’t know if this was in the chain saw area but it would be good if someone could take care of it soon, because a path has already started up and around it.  About 0.1 mile past the fir there was a 12” tan oak and a bunch of brush.  We cleared the brush and started cutting the tree with our handsaws but it was just too hard and was taking too long, so we stopped, figuring that whoever comes to cut up the big fir can do the tan oak in a few minutes  (7/13-Norm spoke with a senior park aid who said he would try to take care of both the fir & 12” tan oak). Clearing the brush created a huge amount of dust and we were all coughing like crazy – the smart people (the women) took protective measures.
We had lunch in a nice spot off the trail then walked back to the car.  We picked up an additional rotted trail sign and returned it to HQ.  We stopped at HQ, gave Susan the signs, picked up the whipsaw in case we needed it on the next and last bit of work, what was supposed to be a 10” tree of some kind on east ridge, east of the connector with Shadow Brook.  We decided to go in at the tent cabins, which was definitely the closest point, but that hill on the connector trail is STEEP!  Someone had gotten to the downed tree before us – sawdust still on the trail.  We came across a large bunch of rotted redwood across the trail so Janette & Michelle cleaned it spotlessly while the rest of us went looking for the downed tree.  Great day of work.
Group 2 included Dales P., Dale S., Herman, Norm, and Chris Young.   Looking for several downed Tan Oaks on the East Ridge Trail reported by Susan Blake, we headed out of the park to Lodge Road (Lodge Road in the park has large washout making in inaccessible just above lower Sky Meadow residences) then back to the park where we went through the gate and Dale P. bravely drove his nice new pickup down the trail/road where we came to the mess. 
 
Crew 2 on East Ridge
We motored on down to where the East Ridge Trail crosses Lower China Grade then went down the trail a bit and cleared a 10” tan oak that was lying across the trail.
A little lopping on the way back to the truck then we headed back to see if we could find Group #1.  We checked near Blooms Creek campground, 236, then by the tent cabins in Huckleberry campground but we missed them.
We headed back to the shed for lunch – afterwards Dale S. continued his efforts of sharpening loppers, pulaskis & McLeods - more work needed but off to a great start!  A little spray of silicone and they’re ready for next month.  David B stopped by to pick up the whipsaw saying the group was having fun?!
The crew put in a total of 82 hours and many thanks to Chris Young, Dale P, Dale S, David B, Herman, Janette, Janie, Michelle, Peter, and Norm.

JUN 2016 - No. Escape and Middleridge

Saturday morning was gorgeous, a little on the cool side but gloriously sunny.  After our usual hobnobbing we headed over to the shed where Janie showed us the great trail crew sign she & her brother-in-law created.


 Impressive sign at the revised tool shed

 After taking a look at the new BBVTC sign we divided up tools between two groups, one with Dale 2, Dave B, Janette, Peter, and Michelle, the other with Curt, Dale P, Janie, and Norm.  The 2 crews caravaned headed up N. Escape Rd where we left Dale S group at the locked gate adjacent to the Maddock Cabin site, to work out on the Skyline to the Sea (STS) trail toward Hollow Tree trail.
Norm's Crew
Norm's group drove further out N. Escape and parked by the kiosk and headed out STS towards our downed trees.  They set off searching for "that tree across the trail."  Crossing Opal Creek from N. Escape Road they passed by the Maddock Cabin site then onward up the  STS trail.  Hiking with tools, continual use of loppers and hand saws to trim up the trail was interrupted when runners passed by coming down from Castle Rock on their way to the finish line near headquarters. But "that tree across the trail" eluded them .  A couple of the trees on the watch list were up so high over the trail and not at risk of falling that they were not cut.  Finally their long and winding "hike-with-tools" brought them to Dale's group, where they were just in time to get themselves into the "after" photos of what David said looked like it had been a particularly gnarly mess (it was!).
Dale S Crew 
The first thing Dale's crew came across was a 14" Tan Oak on Sequoia Trail above No. Escape.  A couple of cuts an it was cleared. 
 
 

Crews Come Together



 Finally their long and winding "hike-with-tools" brought them to Dale's group, where they were just in time to get themselves into the "after" photos of what David said looked like it had been a particularly gnarly mess (it was!).

With the 2 crews together the first stop was to clear two very small oak stretching parallel across the trail (Jans photo w/Bill) and continued up just past the Hollow Tree trail junction, crossing a gorgeous creek then came upon our next project – one or two large tan oaks that were pretty much blocking the entire trail.
We headed back to the kiosk for, what else, lunch.   Rested, we all piled into Dale's pickup and headed back down N. Escape Rd, where we picked up Dave P. who had been on a walk,  to the Sequoia Trail junction where a group finished up the tree that was started on last month.  We bid goodbye to Dave B. as he had domestic chores to take care of (dancing? or is it too early?).  We then headed out Gazos Creek Rd and turned off onto Middle Ridge Rd where just past the junction of Dool Trail we took card of a Doug Fir blocking the road.  We weren’t sure if we were out of the restricted Murrelet zone so hand saws were used.  Once done we headed down Dool trail to clear a small step-over spot Kurt had noted.
 Finally on Middleridge Road there was a small Tan oak that was easily cleared.
  
We walked the short section down to where the trail met Gazos Creek Rd, with Dale, so conveniently, waiting with his pickup.  We piled back in and drove back down to the shed where we unloaded tools and wound down for the day.  Dale 2 sharpened the loppers and I sprayed them with silicone. 
The crew put in 72 hours and thanks to Curt, Dale P, Dale S, Dave B, Dave P, Janette, Janie, Michelle, Peter, and Norm.
Happy Trails!
Norm and Dale S.
Jeff editor
Photos by Jaine, Norm, and Dale S.
 

MAY 2016 - Tool Shed, Basin and Sequoia Trails

There was our usual good turnout in May and were able to split into two groups with one group working on prepping the tool shed so we could start moving tools back in while Dale Petersen lead the actual trail work and headed off to the Basin and Sequoia Trails to check on reported problem areas.



After being abandoned for years and subjected to winter rains finding their way inside, the tool shed team decided the first order of business was dragging the shed's contents outside and doing a thorough spring cleaning! 

    Empty, But Still Lots of Work To Do

After removing everything and vacuuming the interior we started painting the walls and ceiling in order to cover years of dirt and water stains. It was amazing how much better the shed looked with all the old stuff removed and a fresh coat of paint!

    Painting Instantly Made the Shed Look Better

 As the paint dried we began the task of sorting through the old stuff and deciding on what we wanted to keep, what the park might want to keep and what no one wanted and should be headed to the dumpster.

   Refurbishing Some Old Wedges

One of the new additions to the shed is a work bench that Janie was able to pick up from a friend. This will allow us to easily clean tools at the end of the workday along with sharpen things when needed.



  The New Work Bench Held The Most Important Tool

 For the Workday - A Box of Donuts (Pink Box)



By the end of the workday most things were in place and the shed looked much better! There was discussion on what we could do with the floor with suggestions on everything from tearing it up or putting down an overlay of new linoleum to painting it. The final post workday suggestion was getting some one-half inch plywood and putting that down over the linoleum. It'll look a lot better, can be paint it if we want, and will hopefully provide additional support for a spongy sub-floor.

 

Looking Better, But The Floor Still Needs Work


Dale's crew started off by clearing the two listed on the map plus one more we found on the Basin Trail.  (numbers 3 & 4 on the map you gave us).  We cleared the upper one (number 2) on Skyline to the Sea and decided to drive down to the lower one.  Less walking back up hill.

Checking out the map

 Not ready yet

 We ran into a major blockage about half way down North Escape Road. and had to back track. It was about 3 to 3 1/2 feet in diameter and at an angle from the top of the bank down to the edge of the road.  This one will be very difficult to clear.  We came in through the park on North Escape to Sequoia trail to get that one. As we cut almost through it was binding on the saw and we could not get through it. We did not have a saw to make an undercut.  The whipsaw would not fit under the log. By this time it was getting late in the day and we did not get to the one on Skyline to the Sea near Hollow Tree.
The box Jeff used to hold the tools was put to rest
 


The crew put in 82 hours and thanks to Herman Aster, Norm Beeson, David Bryan, Shyamal Kapadia,  Janie Liefhelm, Mike Peasland, Dale Petersen, Dale Stadelman, and two new comers - Chris Young who is also a new interpretive docent with the park and Mark Tiedens who spent a long day on the trails with D1's group, for their work.

 See you on the trails

 Mike, Dale P., and Jeff
Photos by Shyamal


APR 2016 - STS and Sequoia

As I'm writing this thundershowers with lighting and thunder and spooked pups surround.  It's been a while since I have experienced them as well as the shoveling of snow.  I moved to the Bay area in 1988 and have just moved to the Mt Rose Area near Reno NV.  I will miss the monthly outings but I will continue with the blog so I'm still with everyone.

 Last month 8 members came out on a drizzlly overcast day.  We started off by clearing an oak off of the STS trail on the North side of Opal Creek that is behind the Old Lodge.  It was a mess and hard to navigate through but after about and hour it was cleared.  Most of the time was moving the cuttings down both ends of the trail to stash off the trail and out of sight.
 
 
 
 This section had fallen into the creek.  Looks like a job for the State Crew.



Next week headed over to Sequoia Trail for reports of many downed trees but all be found was a branch north of the Kirsch Trail heading toward HQ.  We then headed to another report near Sky Meadow.  We found a Tan Oak and a Redwood.
 
In this area the trees are twisted



We had lunch at the Sky Meadow Lodge where there is a Redwood dedicated to Bob Kirsch the founder of the BBVTC.
 
 
The long walk back

It was a good work day although we didn't get to much we did make it easier to walk along two of the trails.

 The team put in 66 hours and I would like to thanks Norm, Dale S., Curt, Mike, Shyamal, David B., and Janette.

 See you on the trails

 Jeff

 Photos by: Jeff and Shyamal

 Birds of the Day
Pileated Woodpecker
Dark-eye Junco
Hairy Woodpecker
Allen's Hummingbird
Chestnut-back Chickadee
Common Raven
Pacific Wren
Northern Flicker
American Robin
Steller's Jay
Warbling Vireo
Townsend's Warbler
Acorn Woodpecker
American Crow


MAR 2016 - 2 Crews Part II

Rain usually brings out the crew and in the light rain on the March workday 10 members showed up.  Again we had enough members to split up with Norm taking on and I took another.

Norm: Our merry band, consisting of Curt, Kurt, Dale S. Dale P., David P., & I, headed up the Sequoia Trail looking for our 24" tree.  About a quarter of the way up we found a 20"ish Madrone that was totally blocking the trail.  Dale P. used his chain saw for the big stuff & we lopped & hand sawed the rest.  There was quite a lot of water running down the cleared trail so used 4-5' long Madrone branch to create a water bar to shunt the water down into a drainage.  Kurt walked up the trail to 236 & found no further stuff.

We drove out to the kiosk on N. Escape and headed up Hollow Tree Trail, looking for the 3 trees in Curts' pictures.  We came across a small Doug fir not on our list and took care of it.  Hiking further up we came upon Curts' 3 trees - already cut and cleared!!  We headed back down HTT to the cars, and did a little clearing of small stuff on the way back to HQ.  Dale S. & I went in the office where we noticed on our map a post it about an 18" tan oak behind the campfire center and walked over to check it out.  It's leaning across the access road, several feet off the ground and we agreed it was a bit too much for the two of us.  Thankfully we didn't really get rained on until we we were done!  Not a great day but a good one!

Dale S: We started off driving out North Escape Rd. to Sequoia Trail, after a short hike we found a Madrone tree patiently waiting for us

With a few precise cuts with his saw, Dale P. and the rest of us had the tree cleared in no time.

Next we were off to Hollow Tree Trail were we found
A few more saw cuts and we ended with this
Our final stop on Hollow Tree Trail was some saw dust. Apparently a Parks crew got to our destination first.  So just on account of because, we did a little clearing of North Escape Rd. on our way back, including a spot marking X.
We left just a slash

Jeff: I took Mike, Jan, Janie, Janette, and David B. to do the Sequoia Eastridge loop.  I guess the rain was on our side of the park but it was light and after we ended the day it started to rain in for real totaling 4.3" through Sunday.
 
 
The first thing we can across was this 6" Fir

 
Small 6" oak  was quickly cleared

 
At the bridge leading to the Huckleberry Campground a 12" Fir took out some oaks completely closing the access

I would like to thank the wet crew of Norm, Curt, Kurt, Dale S. Dale P., David P., Mike, Jan, Janie, Janette, and David B. for putting in 98 volunteer hours.

See you on the trails

Blog by Jeff, Dale S. and Norm
Photos by Jeff and Dale S.

Birds of the Day
Allen's Hummingbird
Common Raven
Hairy Woodpecker
Pacific Wren
American Robin
Northern Flicker
Acorn Woodpecker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Dark-eyed Junco
Varied Thrush

FEB 2016 - 2 Crews

There were 9 members out this month and it was another warm morning for early February.  We split up into 2 crews with Dale S. heading up Crew1 with Norm, Peter, Michelle, and Janette.  they started off heading out Gazos Ck. Rd to the tree that has the road blocked. After a few minutes of discussion they decided that they didn't want to spend all day on this one. Janette measured it to be about 38".

We removed a smaller 6" tree that came down with this one. Not knowing how far the other 3 smaller ones were, we turned around and did some rock and limb clearing of Gazos Creek Rd on our way back to the tree on Creeping Forest Trail. This one was about 38".

Corncob pipes have nothing on our Douglas Fir pipe...

 
Cleared and finished...

When Peter found out the my crew would be looking for an American Dipper he bailed.  My crew included Mike, David B., and David P.  We started at Blooms Creek Tail and cleared an 8" and 12" oak.


Next up was Last Chance trail and the search for the American Dipper.  I have seen a nesting pair along the creek for the last 2 years.  We first came across an 18" Tan Oak.

Not too far down the trail we came across another 18" oak.
 
We then headed down the trail in search of the Dippers and about 1/4 mile after crossing the creek we did find the pair and with nesting material so now 3 years in a row.  Another bonus was White-throated Swift flying along the cliffs above us.
 American Dipper on the falls

 Banana Slug
Newt

After watching the Dippers over lunch  headed over to Eastridge Trail where it crosses Lodge Road.  This was a 22" oak and after a few cuts we had the trail open.
 
Between the 2 crews we put in 70 hours and I would like to thank Dale S., Norm, Michelle, Peter, David P., David B., Janette, and Mike.

See you on the trails

Dale S. and Jeff

Birds of the Day
Varied Thrush
Pacific Wren
Acorn Woodpecker
Hutton Vireo
Northern Flicker
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Dipper
White-throated Swift
 Turkey Vulture
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco



JAN 2016 - Sequoia and Creeping Forest

We had a surprise group joining us this work day: the California Conservation Corp (CCC), Monterey Bay.  There were 8 of them and with 12 regular crew out that made for a great turn out for the start of the New Year.
Dale S. and Dale P. with the CCC group started off on Creeping Forest Trail clearing a 10", 12" and 28" redwood. Fortunately it was only about a hundred yards from the 1st jump off to Gazos Creek Rd. After clearing these trees part of the CCC crew volunteered to walk Creeping Forest back to Sky Line to the Sea and meet us at headquarters for lunch. Note: they had a hand saw with them.
After lunch, we drove up to Middle Ridge Rd to the turn around, we found 24" oak across Middle Ridge, the portion that goes off to the right up the hill. There was also a 10" oak across Gazos Creek Rd. between the two sections of Middle Ridge Rd. After clearing these trees we headed back for lunch. After lunch we headed back out Gazos to Creeping Forest again, the volunteer walkers had found a tree across the trail. It was a couple hundred yards back toward Sky Line to the Sea from Dec's tree. As Dale S. was getting his chain saw ready to go, I politely pointed out that wecould have taken out this 8" madrone with a hand saw.
 

I took a second crew to look for a reported blockage on Shadowbrook near Sempervirens Falls.  We didn't find anything but the falls.
  2nd Crew

Sempervirens Falls            Road up Slippery Rock

We hiked up Slippery Rock and over Hwy 236 along the Sequoia Trail.  About 1/2 mile down the other side we found a partially clear Fir.  We did a couple of cuts but my saw saw a too small for the 3-4' tree.  We clear the rest to reduce trip hazards and fixed up trail.

 The first crew was lead by Dale S. and Dale P. with CCC volunteers Andrew A., Daniel M., Ryan H., Trevor H., Nicholas G., Richard T., Charles C., Robert F. and the second crew was made up of Janie, Jan, Bill, Norm, David B., David P., Michelle, Peter, and me.  Total hour that were put in were 190.  That's a great start for the new year.

See you on the trails.

Jeff and Dale S.
Photos by: Jeff and Dale S.

Birds of the Day
American Robin
Common Raven
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hairy Woodpecker
Townsend's Warbler
Steller's Jay
Hutton's Vireo

DEC 2015 - Holiday Party

I was in the kitchen with J finishing off the chowder and other stuff.  Here's more from Mike.

 Hope everyone had an enjoyable Holidays! It seems like it was just New Year's Eve, but the second Saturday of the month is this weekend and the Trail Crew will be out at Big Basin regardless of the weather. We already have reports of more trees down on the Creeping Forest Trail (deja vu for those out last month) and this week's rains will no doubt create more work. 


After four years of drought and quiet winters for the Trail Crew, it looks like we will have lots to do. Hope you can make it out Saturday.

December has become a month of traditions for the Trail Crew whether it's the Holiday Party in afternoon or hauling firewood in the morning. Last month we started the workday portion by splitting and hauling firewood for use in the Sempervirens Room fireplace on those cold wet days. While most of the Crew headed up to load firewood into a park truck, Peter and Mike stayed in the VC area and cut and split several logs that had been laying around. By time everything was finished we had moved and split enough wood to last the winter.

With still time to kill before the party we decided to follow up on a report of a tree blocking the Creeping Forest Trail near the top of the initial uphill climb. As most of the group drudged up the hill, David Bryan shot ahead and found what we were looking for - a Tan Oak and so much debris sprawled across the trail that we initially couldn't tell where the trail continued beyond the blockage. After cutting and removing all the small stuff it was fairly easy to chainsaw the trunk portion from the trail (even with my dull chain!).


Welcome Party: Kodi and Kaja


The afternoon was dedicated to what has become the traditional Trail Crew Holiday Party and Jeff and Jeannine were gracious enough to host the gathering and cook most of the meal. Jeff had promised a 'gourmet feast' and he was dead on as always. There was a whole lot of outstanding food (it was a food coma evening), but probably the highlight was Jeff's seafood chowder. He had started it two days before and even Jeff said it was one of his better efforts.

Good Friends and Good Food


Thanks to Norm Beeson, David Bryan, Bill Drulias, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Jan Hill, Janette Mello, Mike Peasland, David Philleo and Dale Stadelman, for their help in the park and Gene Nelson, Jack and Barbara Schultz, and Shelly Graham, for joining us for the party afterwards. And of course Jeff and Jeannie for making everything come together in the afternoon.

Even though it looks to be a wet winter ahead, the redwood forests have endured four years of drought and there have been several studies to track the impact of dry winters on redwoods. One study has been looking at ferns,another moisture loving plant, as an indicator of problems redwoods themselves may face as the result of climate change and the Save the Redwoods League is sponsoring a presentation on just this at Henry Cowell on Wed. Jan. 20th at 7pm, Details are below if you're interested.
  
Where: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Visitor Center
When: Wednesday, January 20, 7:00-9:00 pm
What Ferns Tell Us About Drought in the Redwoods
The height of the most common plant in the coast redwood forest is affected by how much rain and fog fall among the coast redwoods. Western sword fern, grows tall fronds in wet redwood forests of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and much shorter fronds in the dry forests of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. In dry years, sword ferns lose many of their fronds and show signs of stress before other species — like the redwoods themselves — do. For this reason, sword fern is an important indicator of climate change. Since 2012, Fern Watch volunteers have tracked the health of Western sword fern every year in more than 100 plots scattered across 11 coast redwood forests in Northern California.

Big Basin is all about history being the oldest California State Park and the Trail Crew has some history itself having been around for over 40 years. There is also the warning you often hear about not putting things out on the Internet as they never truly go away. I'll end this month's note with a little piece of Trail Crew history in the photo below which I found on the Internet recently. I forget who the responsible party is for the sign in the photo, but it proves that not all Trail Crew work is serious!
Happy New Year to everyone, hope you can make it out this Saturday and many times during the year.

Mike

NOV 2015 - Redwood Loop

It started out cool and we start a little early.  I arrived around 8:30 to scope out the work needed to repair the fence around the Redwood Loop Trail.  The Redwood Loop was one of the first things I worked on when I joined the BBVTC back in 1996.  Someone had the idea that instead of using the old style of using wire to secure the rails to the post that bolts would be better.  Well, between then and now the fence was back to using wire and the bolts were gone.
Unloading the Posts and Rails


 Wiring the Rails to the Posts

 
Work preping for the repairs


Lunch in the Amphitheater

Prepping to replace the posts 

 

 We finished around 4pm but there was still at least another good days work left.  We put in 93 hours with the help of Norm, Dale S., Jan, David P., Herman, Janette, Peter, Michelle, Mike, David B., and new member Barry and with help from park interpreter Susan.

 Our Dusky-footed Woodrat would like to reminder you of the Dec 12th Holiday Get Together

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day
Robins
Pacific Wren
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Steller's Jay
Acorn Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Chestnut-back Chickadee
Spotted Towhee
Varied Thrush
Raven




SEP 2015 - Middleridge and Hollow Tree

So the day started as a typical for Santa Cruz County with a bright sunny morning greeting us.  We had 7 crew members show up and with a report of trees down on Middleridge we planned on driving the road up to Lane camp and work on the upper end of Hollow Tree Trail.  We had worked on Basin Trail up to Lane Camp in April and May but we ran out of time to complete the Hollow Tree section.

 We didn't find any trees down on Middleridge except for a fir over the road near Ocean View Overlook.  It was passable but we decided to take it out anyway.  It didn't take long and then we were off to the next objective.
 
 Middleridge near Ocean View Overlook

We dropped 3 people off at Hollow Tree where you can reach it from Middleridge.  The rest of the crew drove up to Lane Camp to work on Hollow Tree towards the other crew.  There was some brushing but the trail was very open with the prep work for a prescribe burn completed earlier in the year.  We did run into 3 trees down at the midpoint between the crews.  Dale and the lower crew took care of the trees and they were done by the time the upper crew arrived.
 
 3 Trees down about 3/4 mile from Lane Camp

On the way back we came across a very bright green and yellow Garter Snake who wasn't very happy with the attention we were giving her.
 Garter Snake (does anyone know the species)?

There were still wildflowers in bloom and there was one last Rose still hanging in with Fall approaching.
Wild Rose

The crew put in 44 hours and I would like to thank Dale P., Janie, Jan, David P., David B., and Norm.  The year end is rapidly approaching.  Start thinking about the holiday pot luck in DEC.

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day
American Robin
Acorn Woodpecker
Brown Creeper
Steller's Jay
Wrentit
Northern Flicker
Western Scrub Jay
Hutton's Vireo
Chestnut-backed Chickadee

AUG 2015 - Buzzard's Roost

I was out it the middle of the Sierra's so Peter was leading the crew of 2 with Janie joining him.  Here's Peter's report of what they worked on.



Janie and I were the only ones who showed up - is that an all-time low?  We had fun. We started by meeting with Susan and looking at the board - nothing else would have worked, because it was all either large trees that needed the chain saw that I didn't bring or repairs to signs and bridges. We went over the map with Susan about Buzzard's Roost, and she suggested we drive up, instead of hiking, and gave us the key to the one locked gate.

We drove up Pine Mountain Road and, after a couple wrong turns, saw a sign for Buzzard's Roost and headed there.  When the road was about to get REALLY steep, I mean REALLY REALLY steep, we parked at a place we could turn around in, in case there wasn't' another such place further along.  We trudged up the REALLY steep road, doing some clearing along the way as a reason to stop going uphill.  At one point, we cleared a bunch of REALLY prickly stuff with long sharp thorns.  We got to the top, but because we used the road instead of the trail, none of the directions worked.  We spent about an hour walking around and on a rock outcropping that we figured must be Buzzard's Roost because of the location, even though Janie kept saying that it didn't look like the place she remembered.  The problem was, there was no connector road and, in particular, no trial with a sign to not use it. But there was a rattlesnake.  I heard it before I saw it, and there it was, rattling away, all coiled up between rocks. I tried to get a picture, but it didn't come out.  It was exciting, though.  I don''t think I've seen one that close up before.

Anyway, we sort of gave up and headed down to the car, looking again for the connector or the blocked trial.  We very shortly saw what turned out to be the connector with the 4" pines across the trail.  We had missed it on the way up because there was a lot of manzanita shielding the entrance.  We cut the three pines and a lot of manzanita and cleared the connector trail.  We then decided to look for a place for lunch and headed up the trial and lo and behold, there was Buzzard's Roost as Janie remembered it.  We ate lunch there, and then decided to take a brief look for the blocked trail with the sign.  Sure enough, it was right where you said it would be.  There were a bunch of branches behind the sign, which should have been enough, but, sure enough an older guy walked out of the trail when we were there.  I asked him why he decided to ignore the sign, and he said he wanted a quiet place to eat lunch (there were a bunch of kids on Buzzard's Roost) and he wasn't going very far.  What are you going to do?  We added a lot of branches and some manzanita and the thorny plant to the barricade.  You'd have to REALLY want to go back there now, at least until the first storm blows it all down.


I'm attaching photos of the cleared connector trail, Janie working on that trail (which I took by accident), and the new barricade.

The crew put in 12 hours and I would like to thank both Peter and Janie for keeping the work day alive.  It wasn't the first time the crew was this small.  One day it was Mike and I and it was when we were building the ramp on the Kirsch Trail leading to the Schultz Bridge. We were putting in posts for the hand rail and we had to drill through a root with a rock bar because we had no choice.  The prickly things Peter mentioned were Chaparral Pea.  The thrones are sharp and get up to 2" long but it's the small ones you have to watch out for.

See you on the trails

Jeff and Peter
Photos by Peter

JUL 2015 - Eagle Rock

It was a smaller than usual group this morning with 6 of the crew ready for our now annual work day on Eagle Rock trail.  There have been Swifts . . . I mean a few trees reported down and working on the trail each year makes the brushing a bit easier.  The day started out clear meaning it was going to be a warm day.
 4" Tan Oak

There were a couple of small thinks that only required a hand saw and these were both before the bridge.

The bridge looked good but there were a couple of 2" wide boards missing but overall it was holding up after close to 25 years.  At the first lookout I was surprised to see a Western Tanager perched in a tree very close to us.
 Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)

 Tough first start at a Knob Cone Pine
Dale and I guessed what we thought were the diameters of the trees from Kurt's photos from his scouting trip a couple of months ago.  This one and the final pine near the top were just about half the diameter we had guessed when we were at HQ.  Good to know.
 
Red Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla magnifica)

Up on the Rock we were treated to a few White-throated Swifts with one flying about 3 feet from Janie.  We also saw a Red Velvet Ant, which is actually a wasp and the female is capable of delivering a powerful sting.  Males can fly but female are wingless.  Adults drink nectar.  First time I ever saw one.

 Eagle Rock is one of the harder trails and we saw a few small kids that probably took their first steps on the hike.  OK the parents probably helped.  Nice to see young kids being exposed to nature so early and maybe they will grow up respecting nature.  We put in 44 hours and I would like to thank Dale P., Janie, David P., Janette, and Herman.

 See you on the trails

 Jeff

 Birds of the Day
3 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
2 Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
1 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
1 Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni
1 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
2 Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
6 Common Raven Corvus corax
24 Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
4 Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
1 Brown Creeper Certhia americana
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
4 Wrentit Chamaea fasciata
1 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
1 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena

JUN 2015 - Last Chance

There was an off shore breeze that pushed out the fog leaving the beautiful blue Santa Cruz sky.  As we were getting set up I could smell the blooming Azaleas right outside HQ.  What a treat.
Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale)

I was expecting it to be warm so the 9 member crew headed to a cool spot in the park: Last Change trail.  Soon after hitting the trail we were greeted by a flock of Chickadees and numerous wild flowers.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

Since we were into the Marbled Murrelet breeding season, we traded the chainsaw for the crosscut saw.  This saw works great after you get use to pulling only.
 
Elk Clover (Aralia californica)

The next blockage was another rotten tree and with a cut from the saw and a few whacks with the Pulaski this was cleared.
 
 

As I mentioned there were many wildflower along the trail

White Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea alba)

Red Larkspur (Delphinium nudicaule)

Globe Lily (Calochortus albus)

There were a couple of small things across the trail and some brushing to the end of the park boundary.

Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)

California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)

Cricket (ID?)

Hairy Star Tulip (Calochortus tolmiei)

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia)

It did warm up but since the trail runs along East Waddell creek it was relatively cool.  The crew put in 65 hours on a shorter than usual day and I would like to thank Dale P., Dale S., Janie, Norm, David B., Shyamal, Curt, and Janette.  The bird of the day was hearing an American Dipper in the area I have seen then the last 2 years.

See you on the trails.

Jeff 

Birds of the Day
1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group])
1 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
12 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
3 Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
4 Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
5 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
3 Common Raven (Corvus corax)
4 Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
9 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
6 Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)
1 American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)
3 Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
3 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
2 American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
1 Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
1 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
5 Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
11 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group])
2 Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)

MAY 2015 - Return to Basin Trail

This month we headed back to finish up along the Basin Trail with a crew of 8.  We parked where STS crosses over China Grade road because my truck was running on empty and I wasn't sure if I would make it back to Boulder Creek for gas.  There always seems be be something in bloom in the park and today was no exception.
Douglas Iris

It took about a 1/2 hour to get to where we left off last month and then first tree was taken care of by a hand saw.
We had to work around this large Redwood since it was larger than our saw could take care of.
The next blockage was a 24" Fir and after 4 cuts the trail was clear again.

New growth on a young Madrone

Next was another 18" or so Fir that didn't take long to clear off the trail.
Beetles on a Bush Poppy
Fremont Star Lily (Toxicoscordion fremontii)
Chaparral Pea (Pickeringia)
Green Soldier Bug (Chinavia hilaris)
After lunch we had another 24" Fir to tackle and we kept on knocking down the 11 trail obstructions.

Run away Banana Slug
This leaning tree we left on the way out but on the return we cleared it quickly ending a satisfying day on the trails.
Sticky Monkey (Mimulus aurantiacus)

It was one of our longer days and we put in 73 hours.  I would like to thank Dale S., David B., Janie, Norm, Jan, and Mike.  It was a birdie day with 25 species, which added to the enjoyable day.  I did make it back to Boulder Creek with gas to spare.

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day
1 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
1 Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
1 Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
4 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
1 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
1 Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
8 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
5 Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
5 Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
11 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
1 Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
1 Common Raven (Corvus corax)
7 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
3 Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
20 Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
2 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
3 Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
1 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
5 Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
1 Wilson's Warbler (Pacific Coast) (Cardellina pusilla chryseola)
6 Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
5 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group])
2 Purple Finch (Western) (Haemorhous purpureus californicus)

APR 2015 - STS, Dedication, and Basin Trial

We had 4 new members and 15 regulars out for at least part of the Day.  We started out with most of the crew moving firewood for Susan and I took a few workers to take care of a reported tree across the STS trail near the Lodge.  
 About 18" Tan Oak
 We broke out the Crosscut Saw
 Cleared
 California Azalea

There was a dedication for Linda Yule for all of her time working on preserving the watershed along the coast through the Sempervirens Fund.
 Dedication event for Linda Yule

After the dedication we headed up to Basin Trail with a detailed map from Kurt with photos and GPS coordinates of many downed trees.  There a few small things at the east end of the trail and they got larger as we went.
 Light Brushing
 Tan Oak
 Light lifting
A bit messy
 And Cleared
 This was a Madrone and about 24"
 Open
 Last one for the day

 After this one we called it a day since the next few were getting larger and there is always next month.
Beatles on a Bush Poppy

There was a great turn out and we got a lot done.  There is more to do on Basin trail and Kurt's map was a great tool.  We put in 135 hours and I would like to thank Norm, Dale S., Janie, Michele, Dale P., David P., Janette, Mike, Herman, Francis, Dell, Manny, Anita, new members Curt, Kamal, Fulon, and Winbert.

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day 
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) 
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)