Re: USFS budget cuts

This is an excellent video on the coming financial crunch for the department that maintains and supervises our trails and wildernesses. Next year's budget calls for massive cuts in their funding.

https://youtu.be/d24PTLHEu_Q

And one place they are going to be cutting is in the hiring of seasonal trail crews---the people who maintain the trail systems we all use. So, yes, those fallen trees, strom damage, and even clean up of over-used sites will not happen on any appreciable level in 2025.

Sure, you can write your newly elected congressperson to complain. See what that does. But you can also volunteer where you hike, and even where you don't hike, to maintain the mountains you love. We've been doing this for years. Highly recommended.

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

More rumors of bad news to come. Apparently, the USFS fears it won't have enough staff to properly maintain campgrounds this summer:

https://ktla.com/news/california/thousands-of-california-forest-campsites-may-close-this-summer-amid-federal-budget-freeze-report-says/amp/

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

If you want to make a difference, Now that the weather is getting better, it's time to get back to work on the trails. I spent Saturday working on the Soscol Headwaters trail system--fourteen miles of new trails in a wonderful area in the hills above southern Napa. Terrific views, great people, and a nice sense of accomplishment. And a big project to manage with a very small budget. Volunteers are making this whole thing possible.

We repaired some of the damage done by recent storms and marauding cattle, grading the trail for better drainage, installing a couple of stone drains, and generally making the trail more secure against future problems. We're keeping an eye on the big storm forecast for next week, but we think we've resolved most of the cattle issue. And once these trails get a chance to settle in a bit, they should be good to go for the summer, and many summers beyond.

Here's a link to some photos of the crew at work, including a few beauty shots of what the views and terrain up there are like. Wonderful spot.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FfL18aPBLURwAPru9

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963