TRĀL
GENERAL MEETING
July 14,
2010
Present: Chari Ainsworth, Patrick Frawley,
Don Covert, David Gronlund, Rich Smith, Kevin Thompson, Perri Bachini, Andy Zimmerle. Amy Racki
The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM
by Rich Smith.
Area Updates
Mesquite – Kevin reported that the area
suffered some significant burning as a result of the motorist that had a luggage rack catch fire. From
the B-Line up the hill to the west is burnt. Don and Kevin stopped to talk to a few shooters in
the area to remind them that the Tonto was closed to shooting due to the fire risk. The left
without incident.
Bulldog – Patrick reported that it’s been
pretty quite out there, but that’s typical for summer. He’s noticed that locks continue to be cut off
gates, and there have been a few abandoned camp fires but overall it looks clean since there hasn’t been a lot of
people in the area.
Forest Service Update
There’s nothing new to report on the Travel
Management Plan. Everything is status quo for now.
There have been several fires in the
Sugarloaf and 4-Peaks area due to target shooting.
Work is beginning on the B-Line with the
first project being the removal of the fencing and bathrooms from the 4-Peaks parking lot. The parking
lot will be fenced off to be used as a nursery for native plants that are removed during construction.
There will be a few restrictions along the
B-Line as construction begins to widen the roadway. Following are the affected areas:
Sugarloaf – The staging area just west of
the B-Line will be restricted for heavy equipment on certain days. Additionally, the cul-de-sac area
about ¼ mile in will be fenced off for equipment staging. A trailer will be brought in for
security to be on site 24-7. Sugarloaf will be closed M-F with limited use on
weekends. This will start in January.
Mesquite – The turn lane from the B-Line
into Mesquite will be closed starting in September and lasting into possibly November. The bridge
across Mesquite wash will be under construction, so there may not be access into Mesquite from the wash either.
New
Projects
Perri would like to see fencing put up
along the 402 (4-Peaks) wilderness area to keep shooters out. People are pulling the fence down, or
cutting the wire, and accessing the area to target shoot.
Kiosks have been ordered for a number of
areas and help will be needed to install and update them this fall.
Patrols – We would like to start doing
patrols in the Tonto, but will need to wait until the vehicle maps get published in December. We may
start with a pilot in the new year. Rich suggested a few of the members go to San Bernardino to
see how they are doing patrols since they have been doing them for years and have a lot of
experience. Those members that do go would be able to train others in TRAL on how to do
patrols.
Open Discussion
Rich spoke to Yamaha about the grant and it
was suggested that he wait to submit the application until the cycle in which the money will be used.
Ideas were thrown out for where the money could be spent, which included educational materials.
Rich would like to have a discussion with the Executive Board before proceeding.
Training – There are a number of training
classes we would like to have, which include: First Aid, Installing Signage on Designated routes, Radio Training
(Rich needs to contact Kelly Durham on outfitting TRAL with radios), Leadership Training, and Training on Trail
Building, Maintenance, and Closing.
Andy will look at statistical analysis
tools, through Google, that we can use with our web site to track hits and other data that may be helpful in
developing our site.
August 6th at 6PM at the Arizona
State Parks (Coconino Office) there will be a discussion on funding for interested users and organizations if
anyone is interested in attending.
With nothing on the agenda, and no further
discussions, the meeting was adjourned at 8:18 PM
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