PO Box 735, Cobb, CA 95426
December 9th, 2024
As the weather cooled, the leaves turned to gold and orange, and the rains began, the board of Friends of Boggs Mountain took some time to reflect on the work completed this year before we turn to planning the activities for 2025. We’re proud of the progress our community of volunteers and supporters has made in bringing back some of Lake County’s favorite trails, and we wanted to share the accomplishments and exciting events that have taken place throughout 2024. These events reflect the passion and commitment of our volunteers, local supporters, and visitors like you who help make our work possible.
Trail Restoration and Cleanup Days
Weather permitting, Friends of Boggs organizes at least one trail work day per month, where volunteers gather to reestablish trails that were decommissioned after the Valley Fire and make important repairs to ensure the existing trails remain safe and accessible for all visitors. These trail days were a great success with volunteers contributing approximately 500 hours of work, and we were thrilled to see both new and familiar faces joining us to care for this treasured forest.
Trails restored in 2024 include:
⦁ Creek Trail
⦁ Hoberg’s Loop
⦁ Nate’s Cutoff, thanks to Eagle Scout Ivo Nuti of Troop 405
Boggs Mountain 75h Anniversary Celebration
One of our most exciting events of the year was the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest at Calso Camp. A delicious free lunch catered by Fire and Feast was provided to attendees, who also enjoyed live music from local Cobb area performers. Norm Benson, former Forest Manager from 2000 – 2004 and one of the founders of Friends of Boggs Mountain, spoke on the history of Boggs Mountain and current goals for the Forest. The highlight of the event was the presentation of a $15,000 dollar check from Calpine Corp. to FOBM to be used for reconstruction of hiking trails destroyed by the Valley Fire. Thank you to all who made it happen and to all who participated!
“Reach A Dream” Scholarship Program
In the summer, Friends of Boggs participated in Middletown High School’s “Reach a
Dream” scholarship program. The program is community funded and was founded to
provide scholarships for graduating Middletown High School seniors who are moving on
to higher education, trade schools or entering the Armed Forces. The Friends of Boggs Mountain scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to students aspiring to enter careers in the outdoors. The awards ceremony was held on May 30, 2024 at
Middletown High School. In its inaugural year The Friends of Boggs Mountain
scholarship was proudly awarded to three deserving students: Isabella Barriga, Jacob
Brown and Dominick Clark. These students all excelled academically, were active in
athletics, school activities, and provided hundreds of hours of service to their
Community.
Bike Monkey Endurance Race
Despite a cold rain that soon turned to snow, 200 riders started the race at 9:00 am Saturday morning. By the end of the race at 5:00 pm a bedraggled muddy group of riders sailed past the finish line. It was an eventful, highly memorable day for all who participated.
FOBM set up a booth to sell t-shirts and other merchandise as well as hosting the beer bar. The cold didn’t seem to dissuade the riders and other guests from enjoying a cold beverage after, and even during, the event helping us to generate enough money to fund a few more miles of trails. We’re already looking forward to Bike Monkey’s return in May 2025 for their 20th Anniversary race!
How You Can Stay Involved
If you’ve enjoyed your visit to Boggs Mountain State Demonstration Forest and would like to help us continue our mission to preserve and enhance the forest, we invite you to become a part of the Friends of Boggs Mountain community. There are many ways to get involved, whether through volunteering, attending events, or donating to support our programs. If you would like to do so, we accept checks payable to Friends of Boggs Mountain mailed to our PO Box or Paypal via the link on our website: boggsmountain.org. FOBM is a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
You can find more information, stay up to date with our upcoming activities, and connect with others who share your love for the forest by following us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FOBMCA. As we begin to plan for next year, we’ll also be reaching out to get feedback on what you want to see happen and participate in most!
Wishing you happy trails and happy holidays,
Mira Greene
On behalf of the Friends of Boggs Mountain Board