Author: FOBM

Friends of Boggs Mountain (FOBM) was awarded a large donation from Calpine Corporation to purchase a mini excavator to build trails in Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest (BMDSF).  Calpine presented the FOBM board of directors with a $20,000 check at Mountain High Coffee on Cobb January 16, 2019.   FOBM will use the trail building excavator to rebuild trails destroyed in BMDSF during the Valley Fire in 2015.  FOBM and CAL FIRE signed a memorandum of understanding as a guide for trail work. 

Trail work is scheduled to begin early 2019.  Please visit the Friends of Boggs Mountain Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FOBMCA/   for information on future volunteer trail work days.  You can also email Friends of Boggs Mountain at [email protected] with specific questions.

Thank you, Calpine, for supporting our community and efforts to bring outdoor recreation back.  We look forward to using the machine to get trails up and running as quickly as possible.   We’re grateful for all the support necessary to get the trail building project up and running.

We look forward to working with community volunteers to rebuild our trails over the next few years.  We’ve all missed our trails and look forward to getting outdoors and on our trails again.

 From left to right: Peg Landini, FOBM Treasurer, Deb Bloomquist, FOBM President, Chris Bloomquist, FOBM Secretary, Margaret Lewis, Business Operations Analyst Calpine, Danielle Matthews Seperas, Manager, Government & Community Affairs and Darlene Hecomovich, FOBM Volunteer.

Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce Boggs’ limited opening via CDF’s press release below. Please note that we added bold font to their statements that emphasize: only the existing road system and day use are allowed.

Click here for the official news release (PDF).

In the meantime, a temporary revised map is available here – URL:  http://boggsmountain.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018_Boggs_Reopen_Map_DB3_flatten.pdf

Map Brochure Text:
URL:  http://boggsmountain.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180703_Reopen_Brochure_DB2.pdf 

For more information, please contact the Boggs Forest Staff directly at: 707-928-4378.

As we get more information from CDF, we’ll make sure to let the public know. Please follow us on Facebook and/or visit this Website.

Thank you all so much for your support of Boggs and FOBM’s work in the forest!

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In 2015 the 76,067 acre Valley Fire burned from Cobb down through Middletown in one day driven by extreme winds and dry fuels. It is estimated that 98% of the 3,493 acre Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest (Forest) was impacted by the fire. Due to fire damage and the vast amount of work needed to make it safe for public use, the Forest has been closed since the fire.

Immediately following the fire CAL FIRE initiated a plan for clean-up logging and reforestation of the property. Foresters from all over the state were brought in to assess the damage to the timber and mark trees for retention based upon the fire intensity and fire damage to the tree.

In just over one calendar year over 50 million board feet of timber was harvested from the Forest. This is enough to build approximately 5,000 mid-sized homes. In addition, 21 miles of forest roads were repaired as well. Logging slash and charred vegetation were piled and burned over the last two winters.

In the spring of 2017 and 2018 there were 702,695 trees planted on 3100 acres using seeds that were collected from the Forest.

With the vast majority of the timberland on the Forest planted, and the bulk of the dead trees removed, CALFIRE will be opening Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest to the public for day use only starting July 16, 2018. No camping will be permitted on the Forest as the majority of the restrooms in the campgrounds were destroyed and numerous other hazards are present that would make nighttime occupancy unsafe. Over the course of the year the Forest Staff will focus on the rebuilding of recreation infrastructure, including restrooms and trail building.

As many hazards still exist on the Forest and the trail system is severely damaged by logging, public use will be limited to the existing road system. Portions of the property that still pose a hazard to the public will be off limits. The designated shooting area will be accessible to the public on August 1, 2018 but will be subject to temporary closures for Forest Staff safety while working in the vicinity. It is strongly encouraged that the public call ahead before traveling to the shooting area to verify that it is open.

“I would like to thank all the CAL FIRE personnel and private vendors who worked hard to mitigate the fire damage to this point. Although more work is needed, we are committed and pleased to open Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest back to the public” says CAL FIRE Unit Chief Shana Jones.

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest is working with Konocti Regional Trails (KRT) to develop a connector trail from Boggs to the village of Cobb. KRT is currently preparing a CEQA (CA Environmental Quality Act) initial study draft, to solicit comments from agencies such as CAL FIRE, Caltrans, Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, Cobb Area Water District, PG&E, County of Lake staff, as well as local schools, the surrounding community and general public. Gerri Finn, Boggs Forest Manager, has given her enthusiastic support for this project, and will be providing input in the environmental review.

The connector trail is less than a mile, begins at the base of the Interpretive Trail, and will follow the state property line on the southern border of the forest toward Hwy 175. It will then turn south toward the Emerson property, requiring an approximately 700-ft trail easement, and an encroachment permit from Caltrans until it ends at the intersection of Estates Drive and Hwy 175. Caltrans has proposed installing flashing beacons to the north and south of the intersection to warn motorists of pedestrians.

Professional trail builders are being considered to help flag and construct a 4-ft wide multiuse path with trail dozers on some steep areas as shown in the photo. A puncheon (a low bridge with no rails) may also need to be built for a seasonal creek crossing. Fundraising, donations and grants are being considered to help pay for the trail construction. Volunteer trail crews will also be deployed to do finishing work.

The connector trail is the brainchild of Adian Minty, a Cobb community volunteer, father of Cobb Elementary School children, and avid mountain biker. It is his aspiration for this trail to provide safe access to Boggs for school children who need to ride a bus just to get to the forest less than a mile away. It will also provide access to the village of Cobb’s shops and restaurants for Boggs visitors, and for community residents who wish to walk or ride their bikes to the forest from their homes.

For more information, please contact KRT Trails Coordinator and Friends of Boggs Volunteer, Gigi Stahl, at fobmtn [at) gmail {dot} com.

This brief tale is about getting up from a nasty spill, what I learned from it, and the gratitude I owe to the good samaritan couple who came to my rescue.

I was walking in the forest the other day, heading back with my dog Chip on a rather steep trail with loose, granular soil. The OOPS came about when my favorite super-light Brooks tennis shoes lost traction, I slipped, fell, and could not release the leash handle wrapped around my wrist as my 80-lb dog took no notice of me and continued heading down. Finally he looked behind and stopped, inquisitively looking at my crumpled state.

Big time OWIE.

As though it were planned, a car immediately came driving up toward me, and I motioned for it to stop. The alarmed driver and passenger scrambled out of the car, and immediately came to my assistance. Needless to say, I was a bloody mess. The couple helped me into their vehicle, and tried to get Chip inside – though he refused. The young man then offered to walk Chip back to my car at the parking lot (about a half hour’s walk from where we were), while his wife drove me back to my vehicle.

GRATITUDE. I’m still amazed at the timing of their appearance in this forest of 3,500 acres! I thanked this incredible couple for their kindness, and managed to drive back home to clean up.

I was hurting and in a really bad state. Decided to go to the doc, and luckily – no broken wrist or anything else.

So what did I learn from this?

1. If you’re on a steep section of trail or road, keep your dog’s leash just at your fingertips, not around your wrist.

2. If you know you’re heading for a fall, keep your center of gravity low and prepare to tuck in (don’t break your fall with your hand) and take a roll.

3. Carry a hiking stick and take it slow.

Lastly, I am forever grateful to the good samaritans who came to my assistance and patiently got me and Chip back to my car. Thank you for your kindness.

– Mike Kasper

(Mike Kasper is a board member of the Friends of Boggs Mountain. You’ll often see him hiking with that handsome German Shorthaired Pointer – Chip!)

Many of us have a deep attachment to Boggs. For some it is their back yard, a short ride from their home or worth the long drive to be in a wonderful refuge where one can hike or ride for hours and meet few souls, if any at all, on the trail.

And what about those trails, eh? They’ve seen a lot of TLC from wonderful trailwork volunteers over the many years that Boggs has been in existence. Boone Lodge has been a huge advocate and recruited many (including this author) to devote time to clear brush from trails, build drainage structures, and help repair damaged trails.

Over the past year, we’ve had ‘regulars’ appear at our trailwork days: Phyllis Murphey, Brien Crothers, Obie Porteous, Matt Kolasinski, and Brad May. Board member Mike Kasper has been especially attentive to the ‘fuel ladders’ in certain areas, and has collaborated with Forest Aide, Katie Johns, and Forest Manager, Gerri
Finn, to target specific trails that needed immediate attention.

We also had a lot of help from out-of-county visitors – a crew of seven from Boy Scouts Troop 4 from Cotati who visited Boggs to camp and mountain bike on an October weekend. Even before setting up camp, they immediately joined us on a Saturday morning to clear sightlines on a 2-mile segment of Gail’s Trail south of Road 400.

Our trailwork efforts this past year have focused on eliminating blind corners and improving sightlines as much as possible. Brushing the sides as well as the top to get a vertical clearance of 10-12 ft for equestrians is part of this effort. In July, members of the Clear Lake and Kelseyville High School Bike Team helped us clear a problem area where the manzanita had grown very thick at the first switchback on Mac’s Trail.

As for trail hazards, many thanks to David Thiessen, Joan Hume, and Phyllis Murphey who got all western on the poison oak along the Interpretive trail this past June. Now that’s what I call dedication! Next time we’re going to make sure that we provide Tecnu and paper towels for our volunteers. Oh, and just remember that poison oak “sticks”, meaning the reddish bare branches and stems you see sticking out of the ground in the cold months are also covered with the offensive oil (Urushiol) which can trigger a nasty rash.

When the rains arrive, we’ll look into developing drain dips as alternatives to rock water bars where possible as the latter require greater maintenance. Drain dips serve as catchments that funnel water (if correctly placed) to a natural drainage area.

To sum up: a huge THANK YOU to all our trailwork volunteers, especially to those who keep returning! And to the “unsung heroes” – those who quietly do their part, especially cleaning up the forest as they go about their walk or ride – what you do is deeply appreciated. Removing a discarded can or bottle or any kind of rubbish from a trail corridor really does enhance our experience in the forest!

We would love to have more help in keeping our trails in great shape – especially from equestrians who have a higher reach than the average hiker – so please mark the second Saturday of each month from 9-11 a.m. as the Boggs trailwork day. After trailwork, you can set off for your hike or ride with a great feeling of being a trails steward. If you can’t volunteer but see something that might be an issue on the trail (downed tree,
eroded area, etc.) please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or leave a message with the forest manager at 707-928-4378.