Trail Work Days Report: Upper Big Ravine Improvements

Before and after images of the work completed on the Striped Skunk trail in the Big Ravine trail system.

How many volunteers does it take to move 30 yards of gravel? The answer is 17 people, 3 tractors, 2 UTV’s, and an ATV with a trailer.  On Friday September 20th the volunteer crew loaded, shuttled, dumped, raked, and tamped 15 yards of gravel on the Martin and Striped Skunk Trails on the Big Ravine’s west side north of the soccer fields.

The shuttles - 2 UTVs and Jon Crumps ATV.

Saturday was a repeat performance on the East Rim Trail where the project was staged from the parking lot on Meyers-Olson Rd. and fueled by Erickson’s apple cider donuts brought by new volunteer Rich Path.
 
“My wife and I walk these trails all of the time with our dogs, but this is the first opportunity I’ve had to volunteer on a trail project. I really enjoyed the sense of community and spirit of cooperation,” said Rich. Another new volunteer, Terry Bauer, echoed the sentiment, “I have walked these trails for years. I figured the least I could do was to help keep them in good shape. It’s actually kind of fun!”

Striped Skunk boardwalk after the June 2024 flood.

The gravel was placed in locations that have been consistently muddy and difficult to traverse late into the spring season. Trail users will recognize these locations where impermeable clay soils and lack of drainage on flat terrain cause the water to pool and stand for extended periods. These conditions were especially prevalent during this year’s extremely wet spring and after the June 19th flood event.
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In the muddiest spots, volunteers installed heavy-duty landscape fabric to keep the gravel from sinking in. In addition, small berms and drainage ditches were added to divert water off of the trail and minimize potential erosion of the trail tread. Four boardwalks were moved from the Striped Skunk Trail and relocated to extend existing boardwalks in key locations.

It was a huge team effort!

• Many thanks to Mary Finn for mowing the East Rim Trail prior to the work days.
• Big kudos to the raking crews who kept going when the going got tough: Terry Bauer, Bill Bieganek, Neil Howk, John Ipsen, Gene Lemmenes, Rich Path, Anney Olson, Sheree Peterson, and Janel Ryan.
• Phil Peterson, Sean Reagan, and Rich Ryan put their tractor skills to work loading, shuttling, and spreading gravel.
• Bob Feyen, Sean Reagan, Jon Crump, and Kate Kitchell operated the UTVs and ATVs. 
• A special shout out to Mt. Ashwabay and the Bayfield Winery for loaning the UTVs, the perfect equipment for a project like this.
• We are very grateful to the City of Bayfield Parks and Recreation Committee and the Town of Bayfield for providing funding for trail materials.

Although we hope that the 2024 very wet spring conditions and the June 19th flood event were relatively uncommon occurrences, we hope that these trail improvements will make the trails more usable under such conditions in the future.