April 3: “There is No Poop Fairy!” Metal signs went up at all three major trailheads

Five volunteers from the Trails Alliance of Santa Fe met with the Trails Program Manager for the first regular city trail work day of the season on April 3, 2019.  Taking advantage of supplies of rock left over from work with The Masters Program on the “Wide Trail” in March, the group built check dams along trails near Junction 26 and a grade reversal to prevent further erosion on the way to Junction 29.  We also put up three metal signs at each major trailhead to replace the faded paper signs letting trail users know that “There is No Poop Fairy!”

April 3: Check dam intended to fill in a gully upstream and prevent further erosion downstream

April 3: An artificial “grade reversal” intended to keep storm water from flowing into an eroding “fall-line” trail downstream

April 9: Bolstering last year’s grade reversal on the “wide trail” above the Arroyo Frijoles

On April 9, we continued down the “wide trail” using the rock supplied by city parks to reinforce grade reversals and fill in the deep gully near the Relief Route underpass, where we found soil deposits that were helpful material to tamp down into a trail tread.

On April 17 and 24 we continued the work on more typical, naroow single-track trails across the meadow, which features two braided fall-line trails, and up toward Junctions 21 and 22.

April 9: Filling in a pronounced gully that was etched in the “wide trail” above the Relief Route underpass after last year’s major weather events

April 9: The underpass was a cool place to harvest soil to tamp down on the rocks.

April 17: Grade reversal at bottom of meadow

Arpil 17: Grade reversal in meadow, under way

April 17: Grade reversal in meadow, completed

April 24: Grade reversal on the way to Junction 21, with assistance from Journey Montessori School students

April 24: A group effort