New trail opportunities, enhancements and acquisitions will expand your trail network Measure A Investment Paying Off in 2016
MCBC endorsed Measure A in November, 2012. At the time, we stated that a YES vote on Measure A would ensure funds to “acquire new land for trail connections and new access for mountain bikes.” The momentum of MCBC member support helped pass the measure by a whopping 74%!
Entering the 2016 season of Measure A-funded trail work, we thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight the progress that’s been made and outline what to look forward to in the coming years.
Measure A Benefits: Four Trail Projects This Year
Right now, Open Space trail crews are preparing to start work on four trail projects funded by Measure A which will enhance and expand Marin’s trail system for bicyclists.
Octopus Junction Trail (summer)
The Marin County road and trail crew will work on trails in the area referred to as “Octopus Junction” in Camino Alto Preserve, in Mill Valley. The project will restore habitat along 2,500 linear feet of unsanctioned trail, and provide a 1/2 mile of sustainable multi-use connector trail between Octopus Access Fire Road and Camino Alto Fire Road.
The Plunge Bypass (summer)
The Marin County road and trail crew will build a new ¼-mile-long trail, bypassing the existing “Plunge” section along the historic Railroad Grade (shown in historical photo at right) as it connects from Fairfax to White’s Hill, to create a more gradual gradient, including constructing a new 30-foot-long trail bridge across an ephemeral stream and restoring and revegetating 975 feet in the section of trail to be abandoned.
Fairway trails (fall)
The Marin County road and trail crew will work on trails in the area named after Fairway Drive in Mill Valley. The project will restore habitat and provide 1 mile of sustainable hike/biker trails off of Escalon Fire Road.
Giacomini trail route (fall)
The Marin County road and trail crew will work on a series of trails in the Giacomini Open Space Preserve that together form a 2 mile route from the San Geronimo Ridge to the valley. The project will be coupled with the decommission of an erosive fall-line social trail.
All of this work is made possible by increased staff and equipment purchased with Measure A funds in preparation for the coming trail work, including Maintenance Equipment Operators and Trail Technicians who will be responsible for these much-needed efforts.
Measure A Benefits: Trail Connectivity Through Aquisitions
A major reason for MCBC support of Measure A was to assist in the purchase of land and easements to enhance trail connectivity. Last year, the Sky Ranch was purchased with Measure A funding and enables through-access to Fairfax from Worn Spring Fire Road near Bald Hill. This has historically been a dead end for people on bikes.
Future Measure A Benefits: New Trail Proposals
We’ve known since 2011 that new trail proposals, adoption of non-system trails and other management tools — such as change-in-use where appropriate — would not be possible on Marin Open Space land until the adoption of the Road and Trail Management Plan (RTMP) in December, 2014, and subsequent preliminary Regional Trail Designation workshops which started last spring.
This summer and winter, RTMP workshops for Regions 3 and 4 in North Marin will start to shape the trail system in these preserves; and public workshops will be held on trail proposals put forth by MCBC in Regions 1 and 2. We anticipate that the Mill Valley/Sausalito Pathway will receive a much overdue repaving in the next 12 to 18 months thanks to Measure A funds. And more trail projects are slated for 2017, 2018 and beyond!
After waiting patiently for four years, we now begin to celebrate projects that are a result of Marin County Parks expanded capacity to build and enhance trails. All of this is rooted to MCBC member support of Measure A. Thank you for being part of the solution!
