Summit Valley Meadow
Grindstone Ranger District - Mendocino National Forest
The recent post and cable armoring project at Summit
Valley is a great example of how non-profit partners and volunteers can bring
much needed resources to assist the Forest Service in their long-term post-wildfire
rehabilitation program.
Summit Valley is a beautiful meadow complex located on
the east side of the Mendocino National Forest in California and the designated
parking area has been a highly popular picnic stop for OHV enthusiasts.
Pre-Project View of Burned Post and Cable Barrier
Post-Project View of New Post and Cable Barrier
The 2018 Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, destroyed most of the post and cable delineators which prevented vehicle incursions into the sensitive meadow area.
Summit Valley Project Volunteers
On October 4-6, 2019, staff and volunteers from the Post
Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance (PWORA), Overland Bound, and the Forest Service removed
burnt out posts and replaced them with new 6-inch round peeler cores. Most of the existing cable was reused and
restrung through the new posts.
Pre-Staging of Project Materials
Under Forest Service supervision, project leads used the
Recreation Incident Command System (RICS) to help plan for and guide the volunteer
work event. Use of RICS and pre-event project
evaluation and staging of materials led to a successful completion of the
outlined task.
The Stonyford OHV Area on the Grindstone Ranger District
is well known as a destination recreation area for sustainable motorized activities. It also provides important motorized access
to non-motorized recreation pursuits such as hiking, fishing, hunting, and
wildlife viewing.
Project Volunteer Cleaning Out Pre-Existing Post Hole
for Placement of New Post
Post-wildfire recovery and rehabilitation of recreation
sites that occur in a timely manner are key factors in the reopening process. PWORA believes that non-profit partners will
have an ever increasingly important role as a force multiplier in helping
federal agencies with post natural disaster repair of roads, trails, and campgrounds.
The Summit Valley project also highlights the role that
non-profit organizations have in reestablishing travel management structures that
protect wildlife areas and/or cultural resources.
