LOVE THE TRAIL DOGS
Trail Dogs The Unsung Heros of our local trails
Who exactly builds trails and then Who maintains them?
The State Park has some bandwidth for trail work but not enough. Walnut Creek Open Spaces have their Rangers and EBRPD has some budget and people power to do trail work but the Trail Dog crew work weekly with all of these agencies. Meet the Trail Dogs, the unsung heroes of our local open spaces.
Lance Nielsen tells a story of wanting to work on local trails but being busy during the weekends when Trail Work Days for the Parks were scheduled. He needed weekday workdays so he asked around and found an organization based in Livermore and then working on Sunol Trails. He said this organization had been around since the 1970s and worked on trails wherever they were asked and had workers. It was run by a guy named Harry Sillock.
After working with them for a year or two the decision was made to move the organization to Save Mount Diablo. The group needed insurance and a 501 C 3 non-profit umbrella and Save Mt. Diablo was having the Trail Dogs do considerable workdays on building new trails.
Today the Trail Dogs clock around 2,000 hours a year on local trails and they spread out their efforts. They work one day a week for Save Mount Diablo, one for EBRPD, one for Walnut Creek Open Space, and one for Mount Diablo State Park. On 5th Tuesdays, they head on over to Lafayette and work with their local trail group.
The Trail Dogs are an eclectic mix of social-minded folks who want to get some exercise and who relish the satisfaction of the results of their efforts. The group has a calendar sign up approach to work crews and just goes out and gets the job done.
But trail work itself consisting of cutting back overgrown brush, weed whacking in the spring, reconfiguring switchbacks where erosion has caused problems, building drain dips and reworking actual trail tread are all parts of this effort.
Barbed Wire Fencing Removal
But what about old barbed wire fences? One or two Thursdays a month they work on what they call Defensing projects. When new lands are purchased by a local non-profit like John Muir Land Trust or by EBRPD, the defencing crew helps to remove old barbed wire fences and posts from the old ranch lands to create a visually more beautiful property and a safer property for wildlife and users.
This is messy, hard and rough work but there is a core of volunteers who prefer these defencing projects.
Burt is a former Mount Diablo State Park Ranger (1975 to 1993). Burt has been Defencing since 2000 having spearheaded defencing projects initially on Mount Diablo with Rich McDrew.
Before and after is so gratifying that it is easy to get hooked on these projects.
Whatever your political or agency funding beliefs, our park rangers and staff cannot do everything required to maintain our parks to a satisfactory standard. Volunteers are needed and appreciated and working with the Trail Dogs is a great way to give back and to reap the benefits of those efforts when hiking or riding in our open spaces.
Consider working on trails one day a week or one day a month in lieu of going to the gym. It can be hard work but there are a range of activities that can fit any temperament or capability.
The Four Pictures Below Show Trail Dogs Removing Old Hidden Pipes At Lime Ridge After Fire Unexpectedly Uncovered Them
Before and After Trail Rock Border Improvements in Lime Ridge
Trail Dogs and Mountain Bikers Join Park Rangers and MDIA Volunteers to Replace Dan Cook Bridge
