News.bytes Extra, issue 480

Volunteers reclaim trail, help protect bighorn sheep

 A Baja California collared lizard (Crotaphytus vestigium) watched the crew working on the Earth Day Art Smith Trail restoration project.

During another Earth Day event, on Monday, April 25, the northern intersection of the Old Art Smith trail and some associated shortcut trails were reclaimed to look like the natural surrounding terrain.  About nine volunteers from the Desert Trails Coalition, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management teamed up to reclaim this old trail that leads down into Dead Indian Canyon. As part of the effort to protect endangered Peninsular Ranges Bighorn Sheep and their habitat within the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the eradication of these decommissioned trails was essential in keeping people from mistakenly traveling into the habitat closure area.

Maintaining sections of trail:

Heading out to clean up another section of trail:

A stretch of trail shows the results of fresh maintenance work:

- Photos and text by Steven D. Harris, outdoor recreation planner, Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 5/3/11

BLM-California News.bytes, issue 480
----->To subscribe to News.bytes, send an e-mail to: mailto:Join-Newsbytes@List.ca.blm.gov OR visit our News.bytes subscription page.