Sonoma Overlook Stewards and Members of the Teen Services Sonoma take to the hills for some serious repair and restoration work on a 200-foot “rogue” trail.
Overlook runners and walkers respect the trail, but occasionally a few decide to cut a corner or worst case, create a whole new trail of their own. Once started, others follow. While carefully laid out trails minimize erosion while maximizing safety and beauty, shortcuts have the opposite effects.
That’s how a particularly long and troublesome shortcut trail started near the top of the Overlook, near Meadow Loop. The Overlook Stewards tried to embrace this “rogue” trail but it runs down the fall line; steep and narrow, it has has eroded over the last year becoming 12-feet wide, steep, rocky, ugly, and dangerous.
Trips and falls have become a regular occurrence, and winter rains would erode the hillside even further.
Stewards and teens to the rescue! On December 12, ten enthusiastic volunteer stewards and members of Teen Services, under the direction of Steward Fred Allebach (at right, with Rich Gibson and Lynn Clary) completed the work: preparing the ground, spreading native seed, laying straw, tacking down jute webbing and finishing with a second layer of straw. Below right, Steward John Donnelly works with the webbing.
Mother Nature topped it off with a dose of rain on Sunday to begin restoration of the hillside. New signage requests walkers and runners to stay on the beautiful main trail.
An expert trail designer will undertake full evaluation of the Trail in early Spring to prioritize necessary projects over the next few years.
Donations are tax deductible and can be sent to “Sonoma Overlook Trail Fund,” c/o Linda Felt, 18782 Deer Park Drive, Sonoma CA 95476.
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