Trails Talk
For those of us afflicted with the trail building bug the wet Spring came with mixed blessings. It showed us where we needed to do drainage work to keep the trails dry but it also showed us that our messaging on responsible trail use was working. Many heeded our requests to stay off of the trails until they had a chance to dry out. Those dreaded ruts and trail braiding created from riding around mud holes can take a real toll on our precious trails, not to mention the many volunteer hours required to keep those trails safe and usable. Most of the trouble spots have been dealt with now so the trails should easily shed those summer downpours as they come.
Dealing with downed trees is another ongoing activity for our volunteers. BCT makes it a priority to remove them as soon as they are reported. To do this work safely, selected volunteers and staff receive specialized training in identifying hazard trees and work within the forestry industry standard set out for them for felling and bucking up fallen trees. These skills will come in particularly handy as we begin widening some of the ski trails to better accommodate skates lanes. Remember, if you hear a chainsaw ahead on the trail this means that you might have to stop and wait until the coast is clear. The trail will be clearly marked and monitored by BCT trail crew to keep you safe.
This summer’s focus for trail work will be to upgrade the winter snowshoe/fat bike trails into year-round trails by putting in a permanent tread. Trails such as Snowshoe Hare, Snowy Owl, Snowy Short Cut and Boundary Horse Trail were originally cleared and marked for intended winter use. These popular trails began seeing increasing summer use which resulted in muddy sections, trail braiding and widening. Once upgraded with proper drainage and a defined sustainable tread, these trails offer even more options for summer explorations.
Besides trail work, BCT also works to reduce the environmental impacts of users of the West Bragg Creek Area. This includes users of the animal variety. You may have noticed the 2 blue cattle watering troughs that BCT operates and maintains. These are designed to keep cattle out of Bragg Creek which in turn protects the stream banks from eroding while also preserving water quality for our resident trout. The beaver pond complex west of the parking lot is controlled by a pond leveller that was installed last summer by BCT, Cows and Fish and the Elbow River. Watershed Partnership. It not only provides a great aquatic habitat that stores water and helps control flooding but it’s also a great viewing area for wildlife in action.
As you can see, there are many interesting projects and opportunities available with BCT for those who share our passion. We provide regular updates on our activities through our monthly newsletter. Please visit our website at braggcreektrails.org to sign up.
See you on the trails
Conrad Schiebel (BCT President)
