By Marcel Robicheaux
Land does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in context of all who interact with it. This is the identity of the ecosystem. When we act as stewards we become part of what we care for.
As a prior maintenance manager for an outdoor education and conference center in the Cuyamaca Mountains, I know firsthand how periodic maintenance is invisible when performed as needed. The wonderful spaces we enjoy continue to exist as we have known them because someone shows up and takes care of problems as they arise. Conversely, a lack of maintenance becomes visible and is more expensive in the long run. This principle is as true for land as it is for buildings: If we remove invasive weeds diligently each season, our work is easy. If we remove ladder fuels, we likely won’t have to replant an entire forest after a wildfire comes through.
Learning the ropes
This fall I have performed many tasks at Idler’s Rest. Some are routine like cleaning the bathrooms, taking out the trash, and picking up litter. Once we received snow I began shoveling clear the steps so folks have an easier time of getting to the vault toilet in the winter.
Being on site in December I realized we have significant winter use to warrant continuing these periodic tasks. Each time I was on site I saw users and signs of use. In 2022-23 we will begin to numerically track usage. PLT recently purchased infrared trail counters. I have been experimenting with setup and will install them in late winter or early spring.
Some tasks I perform after a unique event occurs. These are tasks that are nearly impossible to notice after they are complete, like clearing windfalls from trails, removing human waste from the orchard trail, replacing a broken board on a walkway, or cutting down a dead Ponderosa hanging over the parking lot.
Earlier in the fall I raked needles off the steep section of Highland Loop trail and the Cedar Grove trail. In one needle drop these may not pose a problem, but over time they can build up and reduce traction. I also removed pine needles from the edges of the vault toilet. Again this is something which builds over time, do it twice a year and it’s never a problem, don’t do it and one day you realize there’s 3 inches of pine needles burying something important.
It takes a village
With some of the work at Idler’s Rest I need to call for reinforcements. I am exceedingly grateful for the help of Archie George in clearing a large cedar which came down across the trail in our heavy December snow load.
Archie also helped me replace a handrail on a bridge that was damaged by a windfall. Truly I should say that I helped him, for he brought critical tools and hardware and performed a substantial portion of the work.
There are also big projects I can’t do alone. It has been an honor to coordinate volunteer projects at Idlers Rest for these big-picture projects.
One notable project is improving the surface and slope of the universal access trail down into the cedars. This project was born out of conversations with the wonderful folks at Disability Action Center Northwest (DACNW) who kindly let us know that our accessibility trail needed work. In response Palouse Land Trust purchased 10 yards of 3/8- which is a compactable, crushed rock aggregate recommended by Trails for All People, a publication detailing specifications for universal access trails. This aggregate will be applied to the trail and compacted. With a firm and compacted trail grade and with flat, level pads at switchbacks folks using devices to aid them in mobility can have an easier time getting down to the cedars, something able-bodied trail users often take for granted.
Using volunteer help we distributed the crushed rock to the upper half of the trail, lessening the grade before the first switchback and compacted the surface. We also cleared a larger landing at the second switchback, moved some of the geotextile which holds the trail in place, and removed a dead tree that was hanging over the trail, brushing our hats as we walked by. We halted work when the snow piled up and prevented distribution of gravel to the trail surface. Work will resume as soon as possible so that we can list the trail on Blue-Path, the accessible business and space directory.
Without volunteers Archie George, Dave Ostrom, and Chris Pannkuk this project would not have been possible. We also were grateful for the help of Erica Jensen, another AmeriCorps volunteer who works mostly with Idaho Firewise. It amazes me the things we can accomplish together.
A project on the horizon is the installation of road access gates to the parking lot of Idler’s Rest. These gates will be used for temporary winter closures of the lot when snow and ice create conditions that could lead to the damage of personal vehicles or the parking area. Thanks to grants from the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and Thomas O. Brown Foundation, gates arrived mid-December, albeit too late for installation this year. As soon as conditions allow I will be coordinating volunteer work parties to install.
Looking ahead
My presence at Idler’s Rest reaches beyond what I do to maintain and improve access for the community. Sometimes I am at Idler’s as much as two or three times a week and every day I am there I talk to at least one person or group who has come to enjoy those trails and spaces. Even on those snowy December days. Some folks I talk with don’t even know PLT owns and manages Idler’s Rest. Some know the names of our office staff and board members.
Looking to the future, I seek to better understand the management guidelines of the space and explore the possibility of fuels reduction at critical control points in the preserve. My intent with this is for increasing the wildfire resiliency of the preserve to better protect this incredible space. In the spring I will lead regular volunteer work crews with the WSU Center for Civic Engagement, and will be planning work projects for these crews this winter.
Much of the work at Idler’s Rest depend on volunteers, and PLT volunteers are much more than temporary and free labor. Volunteers have the opportunity to be part of our organization, advising and helping and taking ownership of projects and the stewardship of the lands we all love. Volunteer recruitment is also a major “behind the scenes” component of my role at PLT.
I continue to look at new ways to build engagement and recruit new volunteers, and if any of you readers know anyone who may enjoy being involved, please refer them to our new volunteer sign up page on the PLT website.
Together with our board, our staff, our volunteers, and of course the lands we conserve and steward, the Palouse Land Trust is more than the sum of its parts. It is a pleasure and an honor to be working together to conserve the lands we love.