If you’ve visited Los Padres National Forest recently, you’ve probably noticed a marked improvement in the network of trails. The landscape in many of the wilderness areas had been severely damaged by fires in recent years, but thanks to funds from the Recovery Act and the help of young adults in the California Conservation Corps (CCC), widespread trail improvements have been made.
The funds helped to create dozens of jobs in the area, and CCC workers rehabbed almost 200 miles of trails over the course of a few months. Among the hires were seasonal wilderness rangers, a packer-support person for those working on the trails, and many CCC members from the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria areas. The CCC is a state agency established in 1976; they hire young adults (18-25) for one year commitments to do natural resource and emergency response work. According to the CCC, “young women and men of the Corps work hard protecting and restoring California’s environment, responding to disasters, becoming stronger workers, citizens and individuals through their service.”
Due to the fires in recent years, specifically the Zaca Fire, trails required more than basic maintenance. Some had to be reshaped, rebuilt, or re-established. While the work may be hard, it’s often very rewarding for CCC members, as they are constantly thanked for their hard work on the trails. CCC member Kyle Martin said, “The trails were in desperate need of help. After hiking four miles it was a rewarding experience meeting people riding horseback tell us how much they appreciated the work we were doing.”
Santa Lucia District Recreation Officer Ken Kunert said about the project, “The funds allowed us to open up key wilderness trails that hadn’t been maintained to Forest Service standards in over a decade. The intent of the Recovery Act was to put people back to work and improve infrastructure on public lands, and we accomplished both.”
Read more about the project here.
