News.bytes Extra, issue 325

Volunteers renew Whipple Mountains Wilderness markings

On April 21 2008, Vicky Hoover and a group of Sierra Club Volunteers from the San Francisco Area and the Mojave Desert Chapter arrived at the Needles Field Office to spend the Easter Weekend in the Whipples Mountains Wilderness. The Southeastern corner of the Whipples foothills along the western edge of the Colorado River receives heavy recreational use during one of the busiest holiday seasons in Southern California. The volunteers accomplished a grand total of 143 hours constructing a steel & cable boundary fence, installing channel posts and signs (without the use of the a post pounder which proved to be 1/4 inches to small for the posts) and completely rocked and ringed the trailhead leading into the access point.

Volunteers pound in a fence post with makeshift "tools"

More hard work on the first day:

Stringing fence cable at the "Lucky Day" site:

Checking newly-attached fence cable at the "Lucky Day" site, on the second day or work:

Taking time for a group portrait:

Before: wheel tracks lead into the wilderness...

...and after: marking off.

"For a project where everything that could go wrong happened, we had the blessing of the season and a few lucky MacGyverisms to succeed with a great project. Many thanks go out to Vicky and her crew of volunteers."

M. Daniels, 3/08

BLM California News.bytes, issue 325