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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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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