TRADITIONAL MOUNTAINEERING ™
www.TraditionalMountaineering.org ™ and also www.AlpineMountaineering.org ™

Copyright© 2007 by Robert Speik.
All Rights Reserved.

From our calendar of interesting events:
Wednesday, April 18, 2007, join "Friends of the Badlands" for an introduction to the BLM Badlands WSA Stewardship Program
"Friends of the Badlands" has entered into a Partnership with the BLM to act as Stewards for the Badlands WSA. Join us for an introduction to this new opportunity to volunteer. We will meet at the Theater parking lot at the SEC of Highway 20 and 27th Street in Bend, and car pool to the several Badlands Trail Heads for discussion of the new program. For information call Bob Speik at 541-385-0445.

Badlands Site Stewardship - A Task List of Potential Projects

● Monitoring
    ● BLM's eyes and ears on the ground
    ● Establish and maintain photo points for monitoring change over time

● Route closures and closure maintenance
    ● Emplacement of physical and visual barriers on BLM-identified illegal and extraneous routes; ensuring their long-term closure by conducting periodic site visits
    and as-needed maintenance.

● Adopt-A- Trailhead
    ● Trailheads:
        ● Periodic (monthly) walkthrough of trailhead areas - not just the trailheads, themselves. observing and reporting vandalism, offensive littering, shot up trees,
        long-term vehicle parking, etc.
        ● Learning where signs and information belong on trailhead kiosks and committing this to memory/notes
        ● Responsible for re-stocking maps and/or brochures, sign cleaning, maintenance and notifying BlM of the need for replacement;-replacement as needed;-
        keeping trailheads tidy and presentable
        ● Looking for safety hazards and reporting on them
    ● Trails:
        ● Walk, ride, run trails, noting trail conditions, location of internal
        ●Signing, condition of signs and reporting on problems
        ●Observing hazards such as wire on trails (hazard to equestrians), abandoned vehicles, property, etc.
        ●Reporting (and mapping if trained in mapping methodology) on undocumented phenomena such as abandoned stock tanks and other improvements;
        cross-fencing, especially if down, location of illegal routes, particularly if they look fresh; reporting on evidence of trail use by motorized vehicles.
        (n.b. Some administrative and in-holding use does occur).
        ●Future: BLM identifies non-administrative trails and volunteers convert two-track to single track

● Boundaries
    ● Foot or vehicle patrol (depending on which boundary) looking for OHV trespass, observing and recording locations of signs and barriers and maintaining same
    ● Patching boundary fence

●Signs
    ● Sign Inventory
        ●Prepare photographic and GPS data for inclusion in BLM’s geographic information system (GIS)
    ● Interior sign fabrication (most minimum possible)
        ●Stenciling, routing and burning rustic signs to be mounted on used juniper fence posts

●Public Contact
    ● Presence on the ground for small number of specialized working at hwy 20 trailheads performing meet and greet

●Native Plant Restoration
    ● Development of Badlands Restoration plan
        ●To include Restoration site identification and prioritization
        ●To include weed location and extent information
    ● Seed collection, cleaning, storage preparation and broadcasting; cuttings?
    ● Plant propagation, field out-planting (future)
    ● Weed mapping and removal using approved methods where applicable

●Record keeping and reporting to David
    ● Recording number of vehicles/trailers, etc parked at trailheads, people contacted
    ● Recording volunteer hours worked

Read more . . .
Leave No Trace
IMBA builds trails with the Central Oregon Trails Alliance
BLM partners with Friends of the Badlands
Wilderness trail closures by BLM's Friends of the badlands
Oregon Natural Desert Association - ONDA

 VOLUNTEER WILDERNESS INVENTORIES
Photos of a Wilderness inventory near Juntura, in eastern Oregon
ONDA survey of Owyhee Canyon
Owyhee Canyon Wilderness study area
Oregon's Owyhee River inventory delivered to BLM
About the Owyhee River wilderness inventory with ONDA