Yesterday was National Public Lands Day. What projects did other groups organize or participate in?

U4WDA and its member clubs worked at 14 sites across Utah. Estimated number of volunteers was about 390, although we're still waiting for the official numbers.

We held a group project in American Fork Canyon just south of Salt Lake City. Clubs involved included Utahoffroad.com, Utah4x4Club.com, Wasatch Cruisers, Lone Peak 4 Wheelers, Zuktah, and Utah Xterra Owners Club. Additionally, we had many individual members, and a group from Teraflex came out to help. In total, we had 97 volunteers.

Activities included:
*Trash removal from over 100 dispersed sites
*4 fences totaling 120 feet to close illegal, user-created routes
*Posts and signs installed on a washed out section of trail dangerous for 4x4 vehicles (several rigs have rolled off the hill at this spot over the last few years)
*Utah4x4Club.com installed two information kiosks as part of their adopt-a-road project on the Forest Lake trail

We started at 9:00 AM, and finished at 2:00 PM. We finished only minutes before the snow started falling.

Big thanks to Teraflex, Teraflex Plus, Six States Distributors, and Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts for sponsoring free t-shirts again this year.

Some of the group:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/07.jpg

Building fence:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/08.jpg

Drilling is fun:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/09.jpg

Some of the fence crew:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/10.jpg

One pile of trash:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/11.jpg

After the project, a few of us ran up to Forest Lake in the snow.

My Scout:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/02.jpg

Rigs and drivers:

http://www.utahoffroad.com/temp/npld2007/04.jpg

We are trying to fill the "management gap" at American Fork Canyon for the Forest Service as their resource limitations make it nearly impossible for them to properly manage the OHV activity in the canyon. We can either sit by and then complain when the area is closed, or we can be proactive on helping with management issues before they result in closures.

Preventing problems before they require closure is the best thing we can do to maintain our access.

What did other 4x4 groups do for NPLD? I'm anxious to hear how other projects went.

No one else did anything for National Public Lands Day?

This might be why we're fighting so many closures. Not enough preventive work on the ground to prevent closures.

I have never heard of it before!

Great work in Utah!

The Friends of the Rubicon crew was busy in the Sierra:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=615529

I think OHV-ers work way harder to maintain their resources than the ultra-green closurists, but we definitely need to keep getting better at publicizing the outcome!

Randii

The Friends of the Rubicon crew was busy in the Sierra:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=615529


Great project!


I think OHV-ers work way harder to maintain their resources than the ultra-green closurists...


Most definitely.

We worked on China Lake NAWS - stabilized and rebuilt a wall on an old mining cabin, then worked to stabilize some stone walls in a historic mining town called Coso Village so eventually a mortar crew can come in and properly rebuild the walls.

Next day we went sightseeing and located a few lost historic sites and lots of Indian artifacts. Off limits military land can be frustrating but it sure keeps a bunch of history safe from vandals and thieves.

Chris