2021.12.16 | Trail Maintenance on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

Just in time, regular winter rains have returned to the Central Coast. On December 6, volunteers from the Sierra Club planted 40 Monterey pine seedlings on the Ranch. These new plants, as well as past year’s plantings, will benefit from a good root soaking. Ranch trails, on the other hand, need protection from the downpours.

Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve’s (FFRP) faithful trail crew turns out to repair damage and reconfigure trails to prevent future damage. Led by FFRP volunteer Brian Morgan, in close collaboration with Carlos Mendoza, Ranch Manager for Cambria Community Services District (CCSD), this group maintains eight miles of trails on the Ranch.

The goal is to prevent erosion by directing water off the trails. While some trail maintenance is done during the dry season, it is only while rain is falling that the impacts of water can be seen firsthand. Carlos Mendoza and Brian Morgan regularly patrol the trails during the rain to spot places that need maintenance.

A Los Osos resident just told me how much she appreciates the level of trail maintenance on the Ranch. “No matter where I go or when I come, I know the trails will be open and safe, no matter what the ability of the visitor.”

If you are interested in volunteering for the trails crew, submit a volunteer application through the Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve’s website at fiscaliniranchpreserve.org/support/. We are deeply grateful for the work of our volunteers and so honored to be contributing to the community.

Photo: FFRP Volunteers installing a water bar in 2006, by FFRP

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/