Last season we
had several successful volunteer work days to clear brush along the trail, construct water bars, and fill in ruts. Our
department paid for a one week rental of a tracked Bobcat which helped move dirt and shape some water bars last fall.
Our neighbor Zac Chwirka was building a garage last fall and offered to dump the
extra fill in the main trail parking lot. Doug Palmer and the Big Soo Terminal offered a bobcat and operator to move
this dirt. By luck, the operator was Tyler Flammang a mountain biker with skill at earth-moving and erosion control.
The upper one third of this trail is in much better condition thanks to this work.
The Missouri River
Runners had a great turnout at their annual Broken Toe Trail Run last fall. The Missouri River Runners donated $3700
to the Friends of Stone Park for trail improvements. Over the winter, the Friends of Stone Park applied for a Loess
Hills Alliance Economic Development Grant to buy materials and equipment for trail improvements. In January, the Friends
were notified that they received $4,000 in grant money. The Friends recently applied for $1,000 from the Iowa Equestrian
Council grant program. Several equestrian-riders made donations to the Friends for trail improvements. The grant
money is being used to purchase a dump trailer to move fill dirt to some of the eroded sections of trail. Grant funds
will also be used to purchase fill dirt and experiment with geosynthetic material. Check out http://www.geocheminc.com/geoweb1.htm
In 2009, we’ll
move fill dirt to try to restore the trail surface in some of the problem areas, particularly the trail to Mt.
Lucia. Volunteers will continue to do the shovel work and fine-grading.
By late in the year, we’ll have some geosynthetic material on one or two steep portions of the trail system. Geosynthetics
have been tried at other equestrian sites in the Midwest. We’ll see if it helps
hold loess soil.
The grant money
is not enough to pay for labor to do the work. In fact volunteer labor will provide a significant portion of the match
for the grants. My park staff has been drastically cut for this season. As of today, I anticipate hiring two part-time
seasonal staff (vs. six in 2008). I hope you can help us at one of the volunteer work days this summer. The first volunteer trail work day is Tuesday, May 12th, from 5-8:00 PM.
Meet at the Wahkaw shelter in Pammel Valley.
I will send you information about more volunteer events as the season progresses.
Happy
Trails to you, until we meet again.
Kevin Pape
Park
Ranger
Stone State Park
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
(712) 255-4698
