BREAKING: Trails Restored and Re-opened After Wildfire

Del Albright

4-5 minutes

The Carr fire of 2018 in Northern California affected, partially devastated and closed 52,000 acres and 200 miles of OHV and Jeeping trails in...

The Carr fire of 2018 in Northern California affected, partially devastated and closed 52,000 acres and 200 miles of OHV and Jeeping trails in theBureau of Land Management (BLM) managed Chappie-Shasta OHV Area. Not only was this devastating for the region and the community, but it was an awful blow to the off roaders and 4×4-ers who enjoyed the miles and miles of trails.

BUT, thanks to a core group of volunteers and supporters, instead of a long-term closure [potentially years], less than two months later the area is open to the public again – and many areas restored!

Because of both behind-the-scenes meetings, politics, adaptive management by agency leadership, and the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance’s (PWORA) long-term commitment to wildfire recovery efforts on public lands combined with the volunteer work party of October 20th, 2018, the area was reopened and returned back into the hands of the users.

Chappie-Shasta is a famous and awesome off-highway vehicle area, enjoyed by side-by-sides, dirt bikes, ATVs and jeeps/4×4’s, located right by the dam of Lake Shasta, along the Sacramento River.

Under the guidance of PWORA, using the Recreational Incident Command System (RICS), and supervised by the BLM, 35 volunteers put in one hard-day’s work to install dozens of no-dig barriers, clean out untold numbers of plugged culverts, and add signage where the wildfire had ravaged the area.  Prior to the work day, the BLM staff already pre-staged barriers and supplies, and conducted quite a bit of rehabilitation work.

Split into two groups, the Big Gulch Group and the South Group, lead by volunteers each with a BLM Agency Rep, the work took place flawlessly. In fact, the vast majority of the crews were back in camp for an early dinner, with a giant burger cooked on the grill with all the fixings sponsored by Metalcloak, a Rancho Cordova business that also sits on the PWORA Board of Directors.

Several clubs and groups participated including: Overland Bound; Redding Black Sheep Jeep Club; Nor Cal Jeeps; Redding Dirt Riders; Marin County Motorcycle Association; Cal4wheel; Beale AFB Jeeps; and individuals who just wanted to help.

Enjoy the pics and video, and if you know these volunteers, be sure to say THANKS!

Thank you Matt Gilbert of Beale AFB Jeeps for the great (short) video.

Signage was impressive and we fixed what was burned

Jeeps in the traditional line-up

One happy ModernJeeper and Metalcloak owner Jerry Arnold

South Group was lead by Kent Reynolds and found the trashed tires

Nathan Wenz ran the Big Gulch group with Don Amador

Official PWORA logo on the recon truck

Dozens of dumped, trashed tires found in burned area

One jacked up dumped tire

BLM agency reps worked alongside volunteers all day

Ted Cabral, OHV Commissioner briefs Overland Bound Michael Murguia

Just some of the trashed tires recovered

Re-bar driving tool (rather than sledge hammers), yes!

Lots of grubbing and digging to install barriers

Big Gulch Group and sawyer Don Amador

Everyone pitched in with barrier installation — hand work for sure

Briefing and thank you Metalcloak for dinner

Greg Willoughby the BBQ champ and his king-size burgers

The BLM used a mastication/mulcher machine to munch a lot of brush and burned vegetation

Saving backs by winching out trashed tires and cleaning culverts

This inaugural Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA) event was a tremendous success, applauded by the BLM and the entire team.  Thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors and supporters.   Learn more about PWORA here.

Full length recap video by Overland Bound with their “Boots on the Ground” program explained.