SFA Trail Maintenance
On Saturday, December 6th, we were joined by 90 SFA track and field volunteers to do various trail maintenance on SFA’s recreational trails for our stewardship outing. Most of our volunteers had never helped with any kind of trail maintenance before. Firstly, our ambassadors Maddie Sweeten and Ava Emerson, along with other outdoor pursuits workers, gathered up all the equipment needed for a full morning of trailbuilding, maintenance, and cleanup. Next, we met up across the street from the trails, in the commuter lot, at 8 am to take our group picture and break into 6 groups.
The first group of 24 people, led by Ambassador Maddie Sweeten, was on berm construction in a northern section of bike trails. Half of the team was on heavy dirt work while the other half was shaping the berms. To build the berms, firstly, the old berms had to be cleaned up of leaf litter and debris. Then dirt was excavated, using shovels and mcleods, in another area so as not to erode the trails. Then people transported the dirt to the berms, building them up layer by layer, and before we knew it, we had constructed 3 berms! Lastly, a couple of brave volunteers decided to test out the newly constructed berms, and they worked perfectly!
The second group consisted of 17 people removing debris blocking the trails. They used blowers and weed eaters to clean up leaf litter and any limbs encroaching into the trails that caused a hazard to hikers and bikers. Several of the members in this group also walked the trails removing trash, in an effort to keep our trails clean.
Group 3 worked on creating a berm on the southern side of our mountain bike trails as well as cleaning up one of our bowls. Half of the 24-person team was on heavy dirt work, transporting dirt to build up the berm. The other half of the crew worked on building another element to the bike trail, a bowl. Firstly, organic material was removed, then the group started shaping and building the bowl, revamping one of our trails that was closed!
Groups 4, 5, and 6, one of which was led by Ambassador Ava Emerson, worked throughout the trails to pick up any litter or trash. These groups also helped to clean any plants or branches that were blocking or intruding on the trails. This job was very important because it allows the bikers to ride through the trails without their bike being damaged or whacked in the face by limbs in the way.
By 10 am, all the groups were done with their jobs, and the trails were looking cleaner, restored, and better than ever! Everyone did a fantastic job and it was truly amazing to see so many willing volunteers get outside and get out of their comfort zone.
