Bear Creek/Pinhoti Mega Work Day

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Bear Creek-Pinhoti Mega Work Party

A mega trail work party and some riding in the Chattahoochee National Forest of North Georgia.

IMBA-SORBA and the Ellijay Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) are hosting a trail work party at the Bear Creek, Pinhoti 1 & 2 trails in North Georgia, near Ellijay.

The Bear Creek, Pinhoti 1 & 2 trails need YOU! Come out on March 10, 2012, from 9a – 2p to do some much needed maintenance on Bear Creek Trail, Pinhoti 1 (Pinhoti connector from Bear Creek to FS 90) and Pinhoti 2 (Pinhoti section from FS 90B parking lot to Conasauga Road). You will join fellow trail users, local residents, EMBA (EllijayMountain Bike Association, SORBA, Mulberry Gap, CoTrails, and the U.S Forest Service to make a difference on one of the most popular trails in North Georgia.

Come join us for a day, and enjoy volunteering in one of our nation’s greatest treasures, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

8:30a – 9:00a Welcome & Sign-In: Mulberry Gap camp dining hall (coffee will be available)

9:00a – 1:00p Trail Work on Bear Creek, Pinhoti 1 & 2

1:00p – 2:00p Lunch at Mulberry Gap – Mule Barn

2:00p SORBA sponsored Free Prize Raffle for Volunteers

3:00p – 6:00p Riding on your own (maps will be available)

7:00p – 8:00p Dinner with a Bonfire at the Mulberry Gap ($12 per person, please RSVP at Mulberry Gap)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

10:00 Group Ride or ride on your own (maps will be available)

Meet at Mulberry Gap Located 9.3 miles from Ellijay Square (historic downtown Ellijay) on 52W, turn right on Conasauga Road, proceed 3 miles and Mulberry Gap is on the left. Go in second gate and park in designated areas (there will be someone there to direct). Please don’t block camp sites or park up at the Barn.

These trails need drainage repair, trees cut out, trash picked up, and brush cut back. We will be breaking up into groups and traveling to the areas needing work. See the Trail Maintenance section in the IMBA Trails Solutions book, starting page 191.

No experience required to volunteer. Please bring a hard hat or helmet (bike or riding), gloves, water, and a snack. Dress for working outdoors safely under the prevailing weather conditions. Stinging insects are active at this time of year, so if you have a severe allergic reaction to stings please bring your Epi-Pen or other device.

Eat a good breakfast on Saturday before you get to the work party. SORBA-EMBA and Mulberry Gap will provide lunch, if you register here in advance. Only those who register are guaranteed a lunch. Online registration closes on Wednesday, March 7 at 11:59 PM.

Camping is available at Mulberry Gap at a discount (please contact www.mulberrygap.com or 706.698.2865 for reservations, mention Mega Work Day) or at Bear Creek Campground http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=10473&actid=34.

Rain Date: March 17, 2012

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When

March 10th, 2012 8:30 AM through March 11th, 2012 10:00 AM

Contact

Email: walt@sorba.org

Kick-Off for Co Trails

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I am very excited to announce the result of all those meetings I have been going to in Gainesville, GA. the past year.  After much deliberation and debate, we, the trail user groups are working together!  And, get this, we are working with the U.S. Forest Service!  Who would of thought that John and Jane Q public could work with a government agency?  Well it’s happening.  And in case you don’t believe me, you all are invited to the Co Trails kick-off meeting.  Read further for info:

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and CoTrails Volunteers
work together to launch strategic effort to connect volunteers
with sustainable trail needs

The Chattahoochee-­‐Oconee National Forests and the CoTrails volunteer group announce a weekend of meetings and workshops January 20-­‐22, aimed at identifying problem areas and solutions in the national forest trail system, helping determine maintenance needs, and providing volunteer training.
The public is invited to these gatherings, all to be held at Unicoi State Park and Lodge near Helen, GA and offered at no cost.

Trails don’t take care of themselves—CoTrails volunteers do! Please join us!

COTRAILS STRATEGIC PLAN LAUNCH AND GENERAL MEETING: Friday, January 20, Unicoi State Park Lodge, Masters Hall, 6:00-­‐8:00pm, with social hour including complimentary food and refreshments to follow (this replaces the January CoTrails general meeting previously scheduled for January 24). This meeting is open to anyone interested in supporting and becoming active in CoTrails’ mission to “provide diverse, quality trail experiences that are maintainable and ecologically sustainable” on the Chattahoochee-­‐Oconee Nationa Forests. George Bain, Forest Supervisor, will be speaking.

This meeting will be followed by a weekend of Trails 101 training for interested volunteers. The meeting is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to John Campbell: jwcampbell@fs.fed.us.

For the CoTrails Strategic Plan, visit www.CoTrails.org.

TRAILS ASSESSMENT KICK-­‐OFF AND TRAILS 101 COURSE: Saturday and Sunday, January 21-­‐22, at Unicoi State Park Lodge near Helen, GA beginning at 9:00am each day. The Saturday morning kick-­‐off will include presentations from Chattahoochee-­‐Oconee National Forest, CoTrails volunteer group, and Applied Trails Research, with the goal of providing an introduction to a trails assessment process that will be occurring on the national forest. The classroom portion of the Trails 101 course will follow and last until 4:00pm. Sunday will be the Trails 101 field session on Smith Creek Trail ending at 3:00pm. The meeting and course are free and open to anyone interested. Please RSVP to John Campbell: jwcampbell@fs.fed.us.

DIRECTIONS AND LODGING: Unicoi Lodge is offering attendees a special rate of $69 for lodge rooms that weekend. When making reservations, refer to “CoTrails” or event #E05170. Lodge Reservations and Directions: (800) 573-­‐9659, http://gastateparks.org/info/unicoi/. RV and other campsites are also available.