Progress Reports from the Field

Three SCA members and one staff began a new project for the season called uroutes. The purpose of the project is to identify resource concerns on unauthorized routes(uroutes) across the Salmon-Challis National Forest that may significantly impact important watersheds containing bull trout, chinook salmon, and steelhead.

The SCA members traveled to uroutes using Trimble Nomads loaded with a shapefile layer of known routes, approximately 6000 routes totaling over 2000 miles. Each route is walked and surveyed for significant erosion. Additionally all stream crossings, seeps/springs, and wetland areas are identified.

The Team has returned from corps member training at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) in McCall, ID. Trainings included: Wilderness First Aid (WFA), SCA's: Mission / Program Overview / Risk Management Protocols, Conservation Ethics, Fire Ecology, Tree Measurements, Plant Identification, Navigation, GPS, FIREMON & FFI Database.

The Team is now enjoying some much needed time off and preparing for more training, this time with our Agency Partners, in Wayne National Forest. Topics on the schedule include: Local Fire Ecology, Local Field Sampling Techniques, Vegetation, Cultural Awareness, and USFS Radio Protocols.

Trail Corridor brushed Approx 3 miles or 15,830 ft
Blow down removed from trail 18 trees
New trail/ rebenching 600ft
Structures removed 2
Drainage dips installed 5
Dirt moved tons

Our first day on hitch we hiked the Naked ground trail 3 miles and we noticed it needed a lot of help to keep it an established trail. The thickets of rhododendrons grow into the trail whenever they are given the opportunity. Lots of rain and blow down provide a perfect environment for the rhodo to grow rampant. We spent the first half of the hitch becoming proficient in the art of clearing corridor in the wilderness. There was much to cut out and to hide away from the trail. This is no small feat on a steep old growth trail. Our goal was for the trail to not look cut at all, and we certainly took pride in making that happen.
Of course, there was plenty of large blow down mixed into the trail corridor clearing. Some of these trees were small but several were mighty large. There was a particularly large hemlock across a small stream that made a natural “bridge” but in the current condition it was not at all passable. After clearing away the many branches and cutting a walk able surface into the log it made a great bridge! (See before and after below)
The group excelled in making do with the tools we had. It was a great time for the whole group to master the single bit axe. Everyone had plenty of opportunity to hone axe swinging skills in order to get 18 trees out of the trail tread. Dan had a boot blowout that allowed him a more stationary day of full- on axe swinging.
Many muscles were built during this shift! Lopping and sawing was an all-day affair for several days, too. The digging of new trail tread was sprinkled in as needed. I am still a fan of the hazel hoe, but the mattock worked so well when we needed to cut through a root or break up a rock!
The old saying goes “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?” Well I can’t answer that question directly but I can attest that an old growth hemlock makes a big sound when it falls and one is nearby. We had a bunch of rain this hitch and the dead trees became saturated. We were on our way out of the worksite on the 3rd day and there was some noise on the other side of the river. Within a minute there was a huge tree that took its last fall, and we witnessed and felt the tree come down to its final resting place. We know the chances of this are very small and we were glad that we were on the other side of the river.
The group worked together to help our new member EJ feel welcomed and to get him up to speed on what he missed from training. The group is in the early stages of forming and is learning how to cooperate and work effectively together. The few things that have come up as different opinions have been smoothed out in a respectful manner. The group is heading into the next hitch with a clear understanding of how to interact with one another. This will be important in communicating ideas, and meeting individual needs in the future. We are establishing a safe environment ready for the group to grow together.

Progress Report:

Program Name: Pisgah Corps Mt. Mitchell Hitch 1
MDA Code: 10_NCAROL1_UFS
Max ID: 10116
Project Leader: Jonathan Kravitz
Dates: 5/31-6/10/10

Turnpikes Installed (2)
1. 4’ x 60’
2. 4’ x 22’
Rock Steps Installed: 14 in total, 3 visible
Wood steps installed: 20
Trail Restored: 300’
Water bars with Drainage Dips (9)
1. 12’ x 30’
2. 13’ x 17’
3. 12’ x 33’
4. 4’ x 16’
5. 4’ x 26’
6. 5’ x 18’
7. 4’ x 18’
8. 4’ x 14’
9. 4’ x 12’
Rolling Dips: 3
Rock and soil moved for fill: 210 dirt bags
Revegetation and corridor restoration: 250’

The first week on Mt. Mitchell was exceptional. The crew faced several challenges in dealing with water and each other. Springs were seeping from bedrock along the first few hundred feet of the trail, emotions were running rampant; sludge and deep erosion have been brutalizing the tread for a long time. The rainforest-like climate here in the mountains of Western North Carolina receives significant amounts of precipitation and this past winter Mt. Mitchell recorded 166 inches of snowfall! The melt has severely degraded the integrity of the trail. We utilized turnpikes, check steps, drainage dips and teamwork to successfully redirect water to its appropriate place!

After experiencing rain on the second day of the hitch it became clear that the amount of erosion taking place was a result of having no place for the water to go… We spent a lot of energy moving soils and stabilizing tread surfaces with rock crush. Drainage in some areas looked like digging 20 feet off of the trail towards daylight. Drainage dips were directing water as fast as we could put them in. Previously non-existing streams were paralleling us as we worked arduously through the week to give the water an escape route. In some areas we used a grip hoist to remove large root balls in the way of our drainage ditches- using these to tighten up the corridor proved aesthetically appealing too. Precision placement of rhododendron, ferns, moss, and tree saplings by the crew leave you feeling tucked in to this 300 foot section of revegetation and restoration; a nice change from the beginning of the week where you felt like you were walking along a highway bypass. The area was very exposed and the wide tread width was hideous. There is now a well crafted and intentional place for hiking to occur and for water to flow.

Rock and crush, mineral soil and duff were moved in quantities that leave the mind in a dream-like state, one of those surreal experiences where you question if that really just happened? It did. And our backs are feeling it…. There is literally no mineral soil on the top of the highest peak in the east so we had to get primitive and beat rocks into clay. Turns out we can do that too… Actually we found a bit of mineral soil hiding under a rock right next to the trail which Johnny AKA “The Hammer” Manuel single-handedly moved with one scoop of the shovel and a wink, covering an entire 4 x 20’ section of turnpike. He also carved the rock to help it act as a stream channel, protecting the work we did in establishing a turnpike at the base of the big-@$$ rock.

Marion set many steps, moved rocks out of a creek bed in a muddy rampage that both drew you in but left you weary, she kept us laughing with her constant giggling. Patrick with his attention to organization set steps, mapped out ideas, mulched roots and conquered turnpikes. Ashley debarked trees like a beaver, dug like a fierce gofer tortoise/prairie dog and moved rocks at an alarming rate. Her biceps grew several centimeters. Justin moved rock like a Tonka Truck and fashioned a latch system to haul the canvas dirt bag, he smiled sometimes it was cool. I busted an eardrum…. no biggie...All said and done it was sweet.

We also took small pleasures in observing the scenery on our 35 minute drive from base camp to the top of the summit. The tunage on this drive included such hits as “Don’t Stop till You get enough”, Franti’s Album Songs from the front Porch, especially the hit “Sometimes”, amongst other classics and oldies. The view from the Blue Ridge Parkway is stunning and best viewed in the morning around 7 am and in the afternoon after 4:30 pm. We have enjoyed living in the cool mountain environment here in the south and look forward to finishing up some trouble sections on the trail next hitch.

GTECH STRATEGIES
Sustainable Community Fellow

Claire's April

VOLUNTEER DAYS:
• Grantmakers for Effective Organizations working in Larimer/E Liberty on 4/11--Awesome, got a lot done!
• Peabody students clean up lot behind Peabody school on 4/15--Got a lot Cleaned up!
• Bank of NY Mellon working in Uptown on 4/22--A lot of fun, bankers are competitive!
• PSVP Kids working in E. Liberty on 4/24--Fun, rainy, kids have a LOT of energy but love getting their hands dirty!
• Coro working in Wilkinsburg on 4/29--Fun, Coro people are a lot like us Green Cities people, competitive, too!

DEVELOPMENT/EDUCATION
• Took a Grant writing Class with the whole GTECH team at Robert Morris on 4/14
• Attending CityLive on Land, Air, and Water on 4/27

GREEN ECONOMY MEETINGS
• GJAB on 4/13
• Green Pathways to Prosperity Summit planning on 4/26 and ongoing--planning a Summit for 5/20 about getting the green economy message out to the community leaders of traditionally disadvantaged communities!
• Job Readiness Roundtable meeting on 4/28 which was awesome!

COMMUNITY MEETINGS:
• Larimer Green Team on 4/8
• Imani in the Hill on 4/15
• Shacona block group on 4/20
• Lawrenceville on 4/21