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Minutes August 16, 2005 Attendees: John Bragg, Robyn Giss, Bob Golden, Donna Bishop, Karin Thomas, Zoe Sweet, Mike Smith, Reg Pullen, Mike Davidson, Teri Whitty, Jennifer Groth, Tom Sill Reg reported on the Blacklock hike, which attracted 31 participants. 16 went on the more arduous hike to Blacklock, while 15 enjoyed the interpretive hike around Floras Lake. Approximately half of the participants have gone on a Striders hike before. Several of the hikers said they are looking for more challenging hikes in the future. The August hike will be at South Slough and will begin at the Hinch Road bridge. It will follow a route across saltmarsh that is not at present a recognized hike. Participants will need to wear knee boots as the hike will cross several marshy areas so that people can observe some of the restoration work that is taking place. The Coos Bay Waterfront will be featured during the September hike. It will be a one and one half mile hike focusing on interpretation of the unique historic resources along the Coos Bay Boardwalk and Front Street. Historian Teri Whitty will lead hikers into several of the historic buildings along the route, including the Marshfield Sun building and the Coos Bay Ironworks. Some businesses and organizations plan to set up displays along the way. Some time will be spent at Central Dock discussing the plans for a new Coos County Historical Society Museum on the site. An optional hike will be from the Boardwalk along the railroad past the railroad museum and up to the Fred Meyer Shopping Center. This hike will focus more on interpretation than exercise and will probably appeal to a different group of people than the typical Striders hike. Bob Golden discussed the possibility of an historic tree tour of Coos Bay, and others mentioned visiting historic buildings and sites on a hike. Perhaps some of these hikes could be connected to the Millicoma Marsh or Blossom Gulch trail systems. Robin Giss is creating a brochure of the historic businesses that will be featured on the September hikes. John Bragg and Miranda Shapiro will review the brochure and Miranda will promote the hike during her monthly appearance at KCBY. Hikers will be given a number of handouts relating to the preservation and enhancement of the waterfront. The October hike will be at the North Spit trails. There will be both a long and a short hike. Much of the trail is soft sand, and a walking staff might be a good idea. The hike will probably start at the North Spit Boat Ramp, but railroad construction now taking place could change this plan. Planning for the Chamber of Commerce after hours event has been tabled for the present. This will be a major promotion for the South Coast Striders, and it needs to be done as effectively as possible. Further discussions ensued about the role of the CRTP and the North Spit trails. Mike Smith felt that the trails should be available for ATVs as well as other users. Donna Bishop pointed out that ATVs are allowed north of Horsfall, and there should be areas where other users can enjoy their experience without encountering motorized traffic. The most important reason why Mike would like to see the North Spit trails opened to ATV use is that the North Spit is never closed because of fire danger, whereas all of the other trails are. In Mike’s opinion, there have not been any conflicts between motorized and non-motorized use at Winchester Creek, Blue Ridge, or Horsfall. Mike would like to have the letter of support for the trails from the CRTP modified to reflect greater concern for multiple use trails. Mike will edit the letter and send it back to John before the August 30 deadline for public comments. The group felt that it was appropriate for the CRTP to send a letter to the BLM commenting on the trail plan. There are currently some efforts underway to identify places that are suitable for ATV trails. As Federal agencies are forced by budget cuts to quit maintaining many roads, they could be converted into a variety of trail types to meet various needs. Instead of a rails to trails project, this would be a roads to trails concept. Some of the CRTP members would like to look at BLM roads in the Burnt Mountain area to see if they could be converted into trails. As the BLM moves away from clearcut logging to favoring pre-commercial and commercial thinnings, the opportunities to convert temporary and permanent roads into trails will continue to increase. Reg reported on a new trail opportunity in the Rocky Peak area east of Humbug Mountain. There appears to be considerable demand for longer trails that can offer a more strenuous and challenging hiking experience. The goal of the CRTP should be to dream about trail opportunities and to help make some of them come to reality. Elliot State Forest may be one of the best areas to look to, since the land is blocked up and close to Coos Bay-North Bend. Mike Davidson encouraged the CRTP to think about geocaching and trails. This is a new recreational activity where people use their GPS to find objects hidden in the woods. Geocache sites could be set up along trails so both hiking and GPS skills could be combined. This is the modern version of orienteering. |