FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kurt Schneider
E-mail: kurt@friendsofeldorado.com
Eldorado National Forest, CA: Monday, September 29, 2008
The Friends of Eldorado National Forest Public Lands Day Work Party
Coalition of Organizations, OHV Users and Companies hold massive clean-up
The Friends of Eldorado National Forest and the Rubicon Trail Foundation combined forces for a massive volunteer effort in Eldorado National Forest for the15th annual National Public Lands Day.
The Saturday work party consisted of two separate volunteer crews. The garbage cleanup crew managed to remove over 30 cubic yards of illegally dumped trash near Grizzly Flat, which included household garbage, appliances, and scrap. Filling up a 20 yard dumpster generously donated by Amador Disposal/Waste Connections fairly quickly, workers also and even removed 2 abandoned vehicles from the forest using winches and trailers. With Forest Service supervision from Steve Parr, the second volunteer crew worked at Owens Camp to remove two buildings and hand-demolish 70 feet of concrete-filled block foundation with sledgehammers. Volunteers manually smashed the rebar out of the debris so that the clean concrete and steel could be recycled separately. The wood from the buildings will be recycled for later use near the Rubicon Trail.
While the volunteers were comprised of mainly OHV users, many different groups, clubs and organizations were involved in the work party and in supporting the effort. Top Gun 4x4 Club, Rough and Ready Jeep Club, Sacramento Jeepers, Sierra Treasure Hunters, Under Construction 4x4 club, the Kyburz Krawlerz, the Rock Zombies, the Rubicon Rockheads, Rubicon Trail Foundation, E Clampus Vitus, and URJB were some of the groups that appeared in force to support the Friends of Eldorado National Forest organization (FOE). This project also received support and donations from: Goodby Grading who donated the use of a dump truck, and Fishmouth Fabworks who had its competition Rock Buggy on hand to help in demolition, as well as CRAWL Magazine, Pirate4x4.com, the Rubicon Trail Foundation, and the USFS.
Friends of Eldorado National Forest (FOE) works closely with the Eldorado National Forest to maintain our forest trails and campsites, ensuring continued access via motorized vehicles for all types of people to recreate in the forest, including campers, fisherman, hikers, horseback riders, hunters, bird watchers, miners and the like. There are more than 1,300 people registered to the FOE Myspace page and 350 supporters on the mailing list, which is growing daily. With support from both the Forest Service, and the OHV community, FOE continues to grow in influence and effectiveness.
FOE has also hosted ride-alongs to get Forest Service staff on the trail to experience responsible recreation in person, and become more familiar with the routes that provide motorized access to Eldorado National Forest. Our educational efforts extend to the public, as well, with letter-writing seminars and informational booths at CalROCS events, Rock-N-for-the-Kids Rockrace, Cal4Wheel headquarters, as well as at multiple members' homes and local club meetings. FOE is committed to maintaining and improving the relationship between forest users and forest managers, and helping to maintain and retain access to our Forest. The mission of FOE is to actively maintain trails, campsites, and similar resources, support other organizations with similar goals, and to both educate forest users in responsible use of our National Forests -- and educate the public that the vast majority of OHV users DO care about our forest and are working to maintain it for future generations.
More information is available at www.friendsofeldorado.com or www.myspace.com/friendsofeldorado.
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If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Kurt Schneider from The Friends of Eldorado, Please e-mail Kurt at kurt@friendsofeldorado.com
