Help Keep the Arcata-Eureka Bay Trail Clean — Free Lunch Included
Press release:
The community is invited to participate in the first-ever Community Clean-up Event along the recently opened section of the Humboldt Bay Trail connecting Arcata to Eureka. The event will be held on Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by a free lunch next to the trailhead at the foot of the Eureka Slough Bridge behind Target. It has been almost a year since the 4.3-mile section of trail connecting Arcata to Eureka opened, providing beautiful views of Humboldt Bay and a safe, shared path to walk, ride, or roll. If you value this trail, please sign up to participate in the clean-up event sponsored by Humboldt Trails Council and the County of Humboldt. Volunteers will meet at the trail head behind Target at 9 a.m. for a safety talk and distribution of gloves, trash pickers, bags, and hand tools needed to collect trash and trim invasive vegetation along the trail. Community Volunteers, guided by trail crew leaders, will work their way north on the trail, towards Arcata, meeting up with Humboldt Trails Council volunteers, working south from the northern portion of the trail.
Please RSVP if you are planning to attend by contacting the VTS Coordinator at [email protected]. For questions about volunteering for the Humboldt Bay Trail Eureka Slough to Bracut, contact [email protected], or [email protected]. For volunteer information about the Waterfront North Trail, contact [email protected].
The new section of the Humboldt Bay Trail connecting Eureka to Arcata is 4.3 miles long extending from the Bracut area to the bridge over the Eureka Slough behind Target. The trail is managed by the County of Humboldt and offers beautiful views of Humboldt Bay and interpretive signs with cultural and natural history information.
The Humboldt Trails Council (HTC) is a non-profit that serves as a unified voice to support development, maintenance, connection to, and use of trails for recreation and transportation throughout Humboldt County, California. The Volunteer Trail Stewards is a program of the HTC supporting long-term maintenance of the trails in Humboldt County.
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We need more jails not trails. This is Hilarious
6 upvotes
Are they providing power or hand tools or bring your own? The berries and -brooms are tough to get rid of. Pampas grass is even more difficult. You might need a pick axe for those. And come back in 6 months to do it again. And 6 months after that. It’s going to take more than a few people to keep all that in check. I’ve done plenty of trail maintenance with various groups and personnel is always an issue. If you can get 20% turnout of those who say “I’ll be there!” and actually show up, it’s a good turnout. People love to say how much they want to help, then back out when the thought of getting a scratch or tripping on a rock comes into play.
Yes noticed that too; people on social media offering help to whomever/whatever then in reality not showing up/following through.
Also though while bots and AI can do some types of work only humans can do the dexterous detailed jobs of identifying which is an “invasive species” etc. and identifying the sugar volcanos caused by the invasive pest now threatening avocado trees an many other trees as reported today in SF Gate. Only humans would enjoy a lunch with others who were able to show up.
They should provide hand tools, but it’s best if you bring water and gloves. I’ve been a Volunteer Trail Steward with the Arcata crew for 12 years now, and it always surprises me how many do show up.
We once had too many, when HSU’s Natural Resources Club, one of the fraternities, and a CCC crew all descended on the Arcata Community Forest; in all over 70 people, and poor Rees had to find jobs for them all.
Arcata, sure. But here you have a conglomerate of several groups joining forces. I’ll bet their own volunteer lists may be large, but only a % of them show up. But in the end its fine so long as you have enough able bodies. Makes organizing easier when the pool is larger.
Just my experiences, but the further you go out into the hills or away from the bay, fewer people will show up or less often. I work sometimes with the Botanical Gardens folks and they’re always needing trail volunteers. As it is, they have to frequently use SWAP crews to get some of the dirty work done because everyone else it seems just wants to trim flowers and take an all day walk. I don’t mind it, I find it therapeutic actually, but you get a lot of people that after a couple days of getting dirty, they stop showing up, or only on days when it looks easy. And unfortunately there is a segment of volunteers that need something that is well…less physically demanding, for whatever reason. That trims your numbers even more. Not that people don’t help in some way, every volunteer helps the day go along, but it’s a pattern where getting down and dirty really thins the herds of good backs and strong hands.
There’s also a weird psychology in play too: distance as a deterrent. I’ve heard it directly from those doing the work. That is if you have a 10-mile section (or 4.3 here) people get in their heads that they’re dong a 10-mile hike today and how much they’re going to hurt later and dip out. They don’t realize that their entire section being worked might only be 100 feet of some stair or rail replacement. Or just spreading some rock and pulling a few weeds. You’re not doing the whole thing even with 100 people unless you have some heavy equipment also in the mix. And then you get to organize it. That’s the fun part because you don’t know what skills or abilities everyone has. So yeah….20% turnout in general is considered a success. It’s just something you have to deal with.