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CMTRA
Colorado Motorcycle Trail Riders Association
Advocating for Your Right to Ride on our Public Lands

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CCMR Year End Review

Bret E Williamson | Published on 12/24/2020
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Happy Holidays CCMR! 

Here is what happened in 2020.

New President.  After 4 ½ years as CCMR president, Chad Hixon stepped down to be the Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA) Executive Director.  TPA is the organization that helped start CCMR.  I, Bob Daniel, took over as CCMR president and Anthony Ware is our new vice president.  Chad will still be on the CCMR board.  We appreciate all the work Chad has done for the club.

DudBob Singletrack.  We completed the six-mile long DudBob Trail (T6044A) located within the Chinaman Gulch area of the Four Mile OHV area.  In 2018, CCMR submitted a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) OHV Grant proposal.  CPW awarded us a grant to construct the trail in 2020.  CCMR volunteers, BLM and Forest Service pre-cleared the trail for the subcontracted mini excavator work.  It took eight weeks to excavate the trail.  CCMR, BLM, and FS personnel followed behind the excavator removing loose rocks, lopping remaining branches, knocking down berms. CCMR purchased and installed signs for the trailheads.  This was a great experience for our club, its volunteers, and our BLM and FS partners.  We had the grand opening in October.

Texas Creek Singletrack.  Courtney Brown is lead on an ongoing project for a 5.4-mile singletrack in the Texas Creek OHV area.  Courtney and the BLM have laid out and flagged the trail.  We had hoped to have a completed Environmental Assessment completed in 2020 but BLM is limited to one archaeologist and was unable to complete this part of the NEPA.  An archaeological survey is needed to determine if the proposed trail can move forward.  CCMR submitted a grant request this month to fund the archaeology survey.  If the study can be completed and approved in 2021, CCMR will submit an OHV grant for trail build funding next year.

Rainbow Trail Reroute.  The 2016 Hayden Pass fire and subsequent rain events demolished several miles of the Rainbow Trail east of County Road 6.  BLM, FS, and CCMR have worked to reopen this RBT segment by moving the trail out of the steep Wolf Creek drainage.  This requires a significant reroute adding 7.5 miles of trail.  This reroute is on BLM, FS, and state land.  The joint NEPA has slowed the process.  CCMR submitted a Rainbow Trail Reroute OHV grant request in December to reconstruct this RBT segment and restore continuity of this 101-mile trail.

PSI Record of Decision.  The Pike San Isabel National Forest (PSINF) Record of Decision Final Environmental Impact Statement was released in October.  This was the result of a lawsuit filed by various environmental groups including the Quiet Use Coalition in 2012 claiming the FS had not done the necessary Environment Assessment (EA) on hundreds of roads and trails within the six ranger districts of the PSINF.  Late in 2019, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released with five possible alternatives that would determine the future of hundreds of motorized routes within the PSINF. Late in 2020, the FS released the Record of Decision approving Alternative C which, along with some additions, has been fairly favorable to the motorcycle community.  CCMR reviewed Alternative C and provided comments to the TPA and TPA provided objections to the FS. The letter can be found on TPA’s website.  The TPA is continuously working for us, the motorcycle community.  The TPA is a 501C charity, send them some money or enter their sweepstakes to win a KTM 690.  Money goes to a great cause.

CCMR Adopted Trails. CCMR has adopted and maintains the following trails.  1. The motorized Continental Divide Trail from Old Monarch Pass to HWY 50.  2. Rainbow Trail from Silver Creek to Mears Junction, 3. Rainbow Trail from Hayden Creek to Oak Creek.  4. Poplar Gulch. 5. Sundgren Sunset Loop in Big Bend OHV area

Trail Work.  This year we assisted the FS in the spring clearing of our adopted and local trails.  Along with the Tomichi Trail Riders, we did our usual shovelling of remaining snow drifts on the Crest Trail in early July.  Then in July we had a significant rain event that closed the FR108 to FR101 segment of the Rainbow Trail.  This was a section of the Rainbow in the Decker fire burn scar.  The rain also caused a rock avalanche on the Greens Creek trail.  Both were restored.  Then we had a large snowstorm in early September that created tons of downfall on numerous trails: Crest, Agate, Lime, etc.  We supported the FS to quickly clear these trails.  Additionally, the Salida Mountain Trails completed the Colorado the Beautiful grant funded work on the Rainbow Trail from FR108 to Sands Gulch.  CCMR was involved with the planning.  This section is “more peddle friendly” now and most agree it was an improvement.

The Sign Project is nearly complete.  We produced and installed signs at the following locations: Silver Creek, Pass Creek, Rainbow Trail FR108 (2) and FR 101, Poplar Gulch, and Green Timber.  This year we had to replace the Rainbow Trail FR101 sign; it burned in the Decker fire. We will add them at Hayden Pass when we can reopen the trail.

Workshops, Groups & Meetings.  There was no CCMR spring membership drive or End of Season party this year due to COVID.  We attended various meetings via Zoom including the Spring/Fall meetings with the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office and the FS Salida Ranger District Offices.  Also, CCMR has representation on the Envision Recreation in Balance Task Force and attends its meeting.  CCMR attended the initial Methodist Front Project meeting.  This project is funded by the 2018 voted Common Ground initiative and will create a 10-mile-long, 8,000-acre fuel break on public and private lands at the base of Methodist, Poncha, and Cleveland mountains.  2021-2022 effort will be on the Hutchinson Ranch private land south of Hwy 50.  We will continue to attend these meetings and keep you informed. 

Sponsors.  Please continue to support our sponsors; they can be found on the CCMR website.  A special mention to Jugs Liquors that donate ½ percent of sales to CCMR.  Thanks Chad.

2020 has been a weird year for all of us.  Despite COVID, we got a lot done and had lots of great riding.  Here’s to 2021.


Happy Holidays!

Bob Daniel

CCMR President

 



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