PRESS RELEASE: PWORA Kicks Off 2026 with Leadership Continuity, Funding Focus, and Renewed Forest Partnerships

The Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA)/RestoreTrails.Org will hold its first Board of Directors meeting of 2026 on January 12.

At this meeting, Ted Cabral has agreed to continue serving as President, providing leadership continuity as the organization advances its trail restoration and recovery mission.

A key priority for early 2026 will be to strengthen RestoreTrails through a more structured, sustainable funding approach. PWORA is developing a proposed Business Partnership and Fundraising Program designed to diversify revenue, build long-term stability, and expand restoration capacity.

As part of this effort, President Cabral will attend the upcoming California OHMVR Grants Workshop to ensure PWORA remains aligned with program priorities, timelines, and future grant opportunities. In addition, PWORA is exploring private grant opportunities that may complement OHMVR funding and further diversify RestoreTrails’ revenue sources.

PWORA has also reinitiated outreach with the Mendocino National Forest. The goal is to rebuild momentum on priority trail work and identify new opportunities for collaboration moving forward.

Together, these efforts reflect PWORA’s continued commitment to leadership, stewardship, and long-term recovery of OHV trail systems impacted by wildfire and other disasters.

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“DEVELOPING THE THINKING SAWYER” – RECERT CHAINSAW CLASS ON THE ELDORADO NF

 

“DEVELOPING THE THINKING SAWYER” – RECERT SAW CLASS ON THE ELDORADO NF

 By Don Amador

7/2/2025

The U.S. Forest Service requires that volunteers, who use chainsaws to clear trails of downed trees on Forest Service lands, become chainsaw certified or recertified every 3 years.  It was that recertification requirement that prompted the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA) to hold a class at the Elkins Flat OHV Area on the Eldorado National Forest June 6, 2025.

 

Guided by PWORA’s Master Agreement with USFS Pacific Southwest Region 5 and tenets of the new U.S. Forest Service National Saw Policy, “Developing The Thinking Sawyer”, the class, was graciously hosted by the Eldorado National Forest, which included students from the USFS agency and trail volunteers from several OHV organizations in Northern California.

 

Sawyers from Eldorado Crew E-365, having multiple years of chainsaw Fireline and project work experience, assisted with the field instructing, along with Bill Aaron, retired U.S. Forest Service sawyer with 40 years of chainsaw experience during wildfire suppression, as well as hazard tree removal at FS admin sites. He currently remains as a Forest Service C level evaluator and instructor. On occasion, Bill operates under the banner of his own company, Bill Aaron Consulting LLC to help train chainsaw safety and operation for many FS volunteer groups.

 

INFO ON THE FOREST SERVICE “THINKING SAWYER” NATIONAL SAW PROGRAM

https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/out-and-about/national-saw-program-updates

 

In 2023, the Washington Office of Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources program announced three important updates to the National Saw Program: amended national saw policy, national sawyer qualification tracking database and a new sawyer training curriculum. These improvements support implementation of the saw program at the national, regional, forest and district levels to benefit agency staff, partners and volunteers who use chainsaws and crosscut saws on National Forest System lands.

 

Don Amador, PWORA Training and Safety Education lead, states, “I agree with a number of trail volunteers that I talked with (who had been certified under the old saw program) that the new complexity-based certification system makes a lot of sense.  I also appreciated the program’s sharp focus on safety with a primary goal of getting you and your crew back home for dinner at the end of the day.”

 

PWORA continues to believe the need for a trained volunteer workforce will grow as federal agencies roll out new programs such as the Forest Service’s National Trail Strategy or face challenges such as recreation budget cutbacks or staffing shortages.

 *Amador was recertified as a B faller/bucker.

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance and serves as the Safety Training Coordinator. Don is a Co-Founder and Current Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino.  Don served as a North Zone Fire Cache AD Driver for the 2022 to 2024 fire seasons. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.  Don can be reached via email at: damador@cwo.com

PWORA IS NOW RESTORETRAILS.ORG

 LEARN MORE AND JOIN US ON OUR WEBSITE AT RESTORETRAILS.ORG

Preserving sustainable multi-use trail recreation amidst natural disasters for present and future generations.  Visit us at RestoreTrails.Org.

 2023 Round Valley Trail Four Wheel Drive Tour and Notes

by Del Albright

Up hwy 4, N. CA, near the Bear Valley Ski Resort is the Round Valley 4x4 Trail.  Our group decided to tackle it on a rainy September day.  It was awesome.  We also tested a brand new Bronco (Baja version) with great success.  The new owners and new wheelers were thrilled with the Ford.

and surprisingly we found Mule's Ears flowers in full bloom, Sept. 2, 2023.  Awesome.

PWORA NEWS RELEASE - CELEBRATE OHV AREA POST-WINTER REOPENING

STORM DOWNED TREES CLEARED FROM OHV TRAIL

Upper Lake Ranger District, Mendocino National Forest

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 6/5/2023

CONTACT: Ted Cabral – 707.246.8289

               

CELEBRATE OHV AREA POST-WINTER REOPENING

 

UPPER LAKE, CA - A celebration is planned to honor the work done by volunteers and the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA) in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service over the last six months to reopen motorized trails damaged by heavy winter storms. The PWORA Celebration event will be held on June 17, 2023 at the Middle Creek Campground on the Mendocino National Forest near Upper Lake, CA.

 

STORM DOWNED TREES BLOCKING OHV TRAIL

Upper Lake Ranger District, Mendocino National Forest

The severe rain storms, high winds, and heavy snow had caused hundreds of trees damaged by recent wildfires to fall across the designated road and trail system that blocked public access and raised concerns about rider safety and environmental impacts due to unauthorized reroutes around blocked travelways.

 

To help address those storm impacts, PWORA organized numerous work events attended by 170 volunteers who contributed over 2,000 hours to clear downed trees off of the multiple-use road and trail system managed by the Upper Lake Ranger District (ULRD).

 

PWORA worked with the ULRD’s District Ranger, Frank Aebly, and OHV recreation specialist, Matt Nourmohamadian, to ensure that trail clearing efforts followed sustainable trail management practices and safety protocols.  

 

Ted Cabral,  PWORA President and CEO, states, “Getting OHV routes reopened for public use before the Memorial Day Weekend was a herculean effort that was only accomplished by a strong collaboration between PWORA, volunteer crews, and the ULRD management and staff.”

 

“Special thanks also goes to the Lake County Public Works Department and Forest Service law enforcement who worked on a temporary fix and management strategy to reopen a slide on a section of the Elk Mountain Road to allow for trail repair crews to continue clearing downed trees,” Cabral continues.      

 

“The celebration event is an appropriate way to highlight the heavy lift by the Forest Service and partners to reopen this important recreation area so it can be once again enjoyed by the recreation community,” Cabral concludes.

 

 PWORA wants to thank our many sponsors and grant partners who helped make the reopening possible and they include,  FOX FACTORY Trail Trust Program, Factory Pipe, Metal Cloak Industries, California State Park OHV Grant Program, Metal Cloak Industries, Yamaha Grant Initiative, and the Marin County Motorcycle Association.

 

FB LINK TO JUNE 17 CELEBRATION

https://www.facebook.com/pwora

 

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SNOW WHEELING FUN AND PROTOCOL

 

OVER THE SNOW, FOUR-WHEELING FUN AND ADVENTURE -- AND 

SOME PROTOCOL TIPS

By Del Albright

Snow wheeling, or over-the-snow 4x4 travel, is a lot of fun -- especially in good snow that allows you to float on top of the crust.

I recommend the first step is good snow-gripping tires like the BFGoodrich Tires KM3 Mud Terrain.  Secondly, air your tires down as far as you can safely go.  If you have beadlock wheels, then 3 to 5 pounds psi works great.  Third, lock it up and go slow.  Let the tires grab and walk you over the snow.

Protocol:

1. Follow the rules.  Make sure over-the-snow travel is allowed where you plan to go.

2. Always avoid resource damage (like driving over small shrubs and trees).

3. Obtain a permit if it's required in your area.

4.  Be extra courteous to other snow users like cross-country skiers.

Have fun.  Be safe.  And wheel that white stuff!

#BFG

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NEWS RELEASE - POST STORM TRAIL RECOVERY PROJECT STARTS ON UPPER LAKE RANGER DISTRICT

Downed Trees Cleared from OHV Route

POST STORM TRAIL RECOVERY PROJECT STARTS 

ON UPPER LAKE RANGER DISTRICT

 

On January 21, 2023, over 27 staff and volunteers from the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA) and the Forest Service worked to reestablish motorized access to the Deer Valley Campground.

 

Crews cleared both small and large diameter downed trees along the Upper and Lower Deer Valley roads. Dirt-bike strike teams were deployed to clear downed trees on single-track trails.

 

Post Storm Condition on Many OHV Routes

The recent series of winter storms with heavy rain and winds caused a lot of trees killed or damaged by recent wildfires to fall down across much of the designated road and trail system. Several of the key OHV campgrounds also sustained significant damage.

 

PWORA Project Supply Trailer

The project area is located on the Upper Lake Ranger District (ULRD) that is on the west side of the Mendocino National Forest. The ULRD offers a total of three OHV staging areas/ campgrounds including Middle Creek, Penny Pines, and Deer Valley. These are multi-use facilities that offer a diverse range of high-quality motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities.

 

Ted Cabral, PWORA’s president and CEO, states, “It’s volunteer work parties like this that highlight the

increasingly important role that non-profit partners have in helping federal agencies with post natural disaster repair and recovery of roads, trails, and campgrounds.”

 

Safety Meeting with Volunteer Crews

PWORA has volunteer works parties planned the 2nd Saturday of each month for February, March, April, May and June to help the ULRD reopen portions of its trail system. These trails and access roads are currently closed due to damage by wildfires and severe winter storms.

 

PWORA’s volunteer work event will stage at the Middle Creek Campground at 9:00am. For more information please contact the PWORA FB page at:

 www.facebook.com/groups/677479795963782

 

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