General Information

Government Type

County

Entity

Emery County

Public Body

Emery County Travel Bureau

Notice Information

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Notice Title

January 2024 Trails Minutes

Notice Tags

Tourism

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

January 2, 2024 08:00 AM

Event End Date & Time

January 2, 2024 10:00 AM

Event Deadline Date & Time

01/02/24 10:00 AM

Description/Agenda

Emery County Trail's Committee January 2, 2023 8:00 AM In Attendance: Brad Walker, Jaydon Mead, Myron Jeffs, Rod Player, Ken Mcarthur, Don Bennett, Terri Bennett, Larry Johansen, Les Thompson, Les Wilberg, Ray Petersen, Jim Jennings, Kent Wilson, Wayne Ludington, AnnDee Mead, Drew Sprafke, Camie Bell, Kim Player, Kathy Kearny Reeves, Kim Mcfarland, Keven Jensen, Jordan Leonard, Ed Geary Welcome Chairman: Les Wilberg 1. Approval of Minutes: November 2023. Correction on attendee name spelling. Motion made to approve by Terri, seconded by Larry. Approved. 2. Discuss Reports of the Following: a. BLM- Jaydon extended a Thank You to Jim and the trails guys for getting a quick cattle guard clean up and culvert installation at the Swinging Bridge equestrian campground to keep cows out of the campsites. A Thank You for the work was also received from an SRP. Campsite 12 has two culverts that keep washing out that will need to be watched, right now they are functioning but may need a more permanent solution in the future. The BLM went this month to clean up the Twin Knolls/Lone Man trail to narrow the trail back down from the result of widening from riders going off-trail. Thanks to Wade for helping to install the Yoki Bottom Steamboat History sign at the end of Fossil Point Road. Several hundred rocks have been delivered to the wedge area to try to keep people from creating new campsites where they shouldn't. The mountain bike environmental assessment (EA) for Little Cedar Mountain has been drafted and sent off to the State office for review. Looking forward to hearing back sometime soon so that it can go out for public comment. Surveys are not entirely completed yet due to the nature of the trail alignment and has posed a challenge with the project but work and surveys will continue to be done as possible. Discussion on the ability to work on the development of projects using more than one EA at a time. In regards to the land exchange from the Dingle Act, the decision should be signed soon and the actual exchange will be happening during 2024. This includes State sections around Millsite. Some State sections that have been in limbo will be discussed in a meeting with commissioners around the end of the month. Some parcels still need to be evaluated before the swap. Jaydon will be working as the Travel Management Lead for the San Rafael Travel Management Plan and will be stepping away from some things like campgrounds and other recreation tasks to focus on trails and network systems. Working on finalizing the draft alternatives for the plan, hoping to have them released for public review by the end of January, first of February. Some preliminary documents will also be published along with it. Trails Committee and Emery County will be notified to be able to look at it in advance. Hoping to release EA in April which is when the official public comment period will take place. No planned projects coming up for the next month besides ordering and working on new signs and panels for various places like along the Buckhorn, Swinging Bridge, as well as equestrian trail maps. Sid's Mountain trails and around Temple Mountain will also be getting some new signs this winter. Trail development around Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur has been completed and more work on interpretive panels will be underway. A newly discovered dinosaur bone will be put on display and should be ready right before Easter. For trail work, there are plans to work on the Behind The Reef Trail this spring. There may be a possibility of obtaining another trail cat. A date needs to be set and further plans will need to be finalized. Some new signage and cleaning has been put in place in the equestrian campsites as well, discussion on other signs that may be needed as well as safety measures around waterways. There will need to be close monitoring of beaver activity this year to ensure safety for people recreating on the river. Discussion regarding fences across the river in different locations. Most campgrounds are now fenced so there is not as much of a need for the river fences. The fences around Fuller's Bottom and Swinging Bridge also need to be checked on to see what needs to be updated. An individual has been apprehended for the theft problem at Swasey's that was discussed at our last meeting. Hopefully the issue can be put in the past and the fee box will be put back in the future. Action needs to be taken at the mouth of Cow and Calf Canyon where vandalization has been committed on/near rock art. In an effort to make signage and directions more clear and easier to understand, the trail heads around the Good Water Rim Trail will be up for suggestions for new names. The BLM is open to, and welcomes name suggestions. A heads up on the subject of public perception: Recently there was a new Energy Gateway South power line going up across the country that passed through Price Canyon. As part of the project, there was a mitigation agreement between the power company and NFWF to put money toward wilderness projects. The BLM received some money as well as other agencies and groups including SUWA. SUWA has funded the hiring of a crew of four people and two trucks that will be around a lot starting this spring. They will be out doing work through the Price BLM field office. The public will likely think that the BLM is funding their projects which is not true. They are under the guidance of the BLM and have to have their projects approved by the BLM. There will be BLM employees accompanying the SUWA crews in the beginning but they will eventually be working on their own. They will be doing a lot of boundary work, signage, monitoring some areas that have motor vehicle occlusions. b. Forest Service- Myron reported installation of scan and pay stations that haven't proven very successful so far. They will be left up and we'll look forward to increased usage as people get used to the system. Work has been done on Dairy Trail with help from some of the ranchers. More than 30 water bars have been installed as well as a lot of boulders removed. Work has also started on Dry Wash trail. Myron bought a copy of a sign to be put up to show thanks to the Back Country Horsemen for their hard work. Myron has accepted a new position in the Forest Service and will be working out of the Price office. He will be around but will be working to help fill his prior position. An agreement has been put together for a trails crew out of Snow College. Half of the money to fund the crew will come from Arapeen Grant money from the state. The crew will be expected to spend half their time on motorized trails and half on non-motorized trails. Discussion about the timber harvesting and how to coordinate with them to make sure certain areas are left unbothered, and proactive actions to minimize any potential conflicts. We will still need to prepare for some issues in Little's and Reeder Canyon this coming summer. We will also need to potentially expect some access issues. A meeting will be arranged to make sure everyone is on the same page. A new project will be proposed in the next few weeks on building some new mountain bike trails on the west side of Joe's Valley Reservoir. The area is bordered by State Road 29, the private property line around Reeder subdivision, and back to Lowry water (more or less). It's about a thousand acre plot. Surveys and research has been done and an estimated 15 miles of trail or so should be attainable. Some tentative routes have been drawn up but are still being worked on. The existing Reeder trail head would tentatively be expanded to be a parking lot and primary base. Secondary locations for access might be somewhere near Reeder subdivision, current parking lot at the pavilion, current campgrounds, and a couple other places with views that would be good spots for a pull out and a bench. The proposal is not finalized and feedback is welcomed. Work and labor should be able to be done internally but there will be efforts to find a partner with funding for signage, benches, kiosk panels, etc. Some work will need to be done to protect wildlife in the area, currently most of the area is unusable to livestock owners. Discussion on the parking lots and improving the road going down to the old Joe's Valley boat dock. Summer 2025 will see major improvements to the pavement and campsites around Joe's Valley. (Still working on the staging area near the road-closed sign in the winter). Discussion about the project underway at Mill Fork. There are some leftover boulders available for other projects on the Forest, as well as some discussion on improving the turnout/around area so that trailers will have better access. c. State Parks- Finished up some repairs in the snow cat shed, new heaters, new ceiling fan, fixed door, new outside light. The snow cat has been picked up from Salt Lake. State park passes are in, they can be purchased at the Huntington State Park, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days to stop by. Offices are being remodeled and inventory have been the main focuses lately. Drew at Goblin Valley reported a busy winter season, as well as some work being done on the foot trails and mountain bike trails as some have been neglected. Also working on obtaining a grant to work on some acquired dispersed camping areas. Still working on the plan to carry out that work, some campsites may be closed or 'reigned in' for a time. Currently selling annual passes in the visitor center. d. Committee Member- Kim from Green River provided an update on the North Long Street access situation. Last month the city council voted in support to open the road back up to the public. The trails up the river up to the Price River should be examined for opening and maintenance. The BLM could possibly issue a right-of-way to the camp, beyond that is wilderness so no motorized vehicles or wheeled vehicles would be allowed. e. Commission f. Travel Bureau and Public Lands- Coming up on January 17th in Green River there will be a Lunch and Learn held with AnnDee and Amanda presenting information regarding TRT and TRCC, how it's collected, how it's used, and event opportunities. All are welcome to attend but need to RSVP with Patsy Stoddard from the Emery County Business Chamber. Still working on a program for trails so that maintenance/conditions can be tracked. Currently trying to compose a list of any and all trails to be added to the program. Purchase of a mini excavator and the lease of two trucks has been completed. These were done through state grants. The Swell Trails grant that we administer will start to be put into action for this year. In the past, this money has been used for the walking trail up Ghost Road, trails in Huntington, Back Country Horsemen projects, Green River Epicenter Outdoor classrooms/trail systems/public lands. For those applying for the grant, please do a good job on applications. These applications are looked at thoroughly and sending in quality applications is appreciated and will help ensure the success of the grants. Millsite on Ice will be rescheduled for and Ice Off later on this year. 3. Adjourn Council - Les Wilberg, Rod Player, Steven Jeffery, Wayne Pahl, Les Thompson, Larry Johansen, Robin Hunt, Don Bennett, Terri Bennett Staff - Keven Jensen, Jim Jennings, AnnDee Mead, Next Trails Meeting Feb 6, 2024 8:00am

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Meeting Information

Meeting Location

75 East Main Street
Castle Dale, Ut, UT 84513
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Contact Name

Tina Carter

Contact Email

travel@emery.utah.gov

Contact Phone

(435)381-2600

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

February 08, 2024 10:31 PM

Notice Last Edited On

February 08, 2024 10:31 PM

Deadline Date

January 2, 2024 10:00 AM

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