California Conservation Corps

The California Conservation Corps (CCC) works for a wide range of project sponsors throughout California, including State and Federal agencies, cities and counties, school districts, and nonprofit organizations. One project of special interest is a multi-year trail improvement effort at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This $235,000 project was accomplished with CCC crews and other resources in a challenging environment.

The Park and the Project
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is the third largest California State Park and protects a rare and diverse ecosystem. The real jewel of the park is the 30,000-acre Rockefeller Forest, the largest remaining old growth redwood forest in the world. Over 100 miles of trails are open to hikers, bikers, and horse riders. The Johnson Camp Trail project improved the public’s access into this portion of Humboldt Redwoods that undoubtedly will become the most popular trail in the park. Although it was not possible to meet accessibility standards, the trail is barrier-free.

As a major partner in the project, CCC used its Backcountry Trails Program, a special program established in 1979, to provide the necessary level of skill. Each year, six crews of the Backcountry Trails Program work on wilderness projects, including the trails that make these areas safely accessible to the public. The nature of the work on the Johnson Camp project encouraged the use of these crews. Concerns about working in the habitat of an endangered bird, the marbled murrelet, led to the decision to allow only nonmechanized tools. The CCC backcountry crews had the tools and training to work under these wilderness rules.

The Johnson Camp project, which spanned three years, began with trail routing and design, and approval for all plans. Three spike camp expeditions lasting six to seven weeks were needed to accomplish the tasks. The work included building new trail through dense old growth forest, all done with hand tools. Cable rigging and grip hoists were used to move fallen trees, including enormous redwood logs.

The main goal of the project was to remove two miles of steep, deeply eroded road, restricted to hikers only, and replace it with five miles of new trail, on moderate grade, available to both hikers and equestrians. By lengthening the trail route, an unsustainable steep climb straight up drainage routes was eliminated. By lowering the grade of the trail and removing barriers, the trail opened a unique wilderness setting to older visitors, families with children, and persons with disabilities.

CCC served as the main workforce along with other resources. State Parks supplied technical supervision, tools, and equipment. Parks staff also provided education on the park and its ecosystems along with technical training for the trail work.

Funding and Administration
The California Department of Parks and Recreation managed the RTP grant for the project. Announced for Fiscal 2002, the Johnson Camp project was allocated $235,000 of the statewide total of $2.2 million. RTP funding typically supports recreational trail construction, land acquisition, rehabilitation of existing trails, and development of trails that promote the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Among the criteria considered in selecting projects, the CCC looks for work that helps conserve the State’s natural resources, enhance recreation opportunities, and provide improved access or other benefits. The other goal is to provide work that offers corps members an opportunity to boost employable skills. The sponsoring agency typically provides the technical plans and specifications, along with materials and on-site technical supervision. Local, State, and Federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations may contract with the CCC on an hourly basis or per-project basis, depending on the work involved. It is also possible to sponsor a crew on an annual basis.

Benefits
In the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, as in so many other parks and national forests, ongoing management problems are the legacy of old trail systems. Many trails were built straight up and down hills without regard to erosion or visitor experience. The Johnson Camp project provides a model for renovating trail systems to make them easier to maintain and far less harmful to land and habitats. In the long term, this investment will invite new generations to enjoy and respect our priceless public lands.

As a result of its experience with this and many other projects, CCC will be the major labor force helping State Parks reduce its backlog of trail work. Key efforts include improving the accessibility of trails and constructing portions of the California Coastal Trail. This cooperative trail-building partnership will continue to improve the quality of trails in the State parks while improving training for corpsmembers.

Benefits to Corpsmembers
The CCC Backcountry Program is part of an AmeriCorps Program. Like many other service and conservation corps, it has allowed us to recruit corps members throughout the country. This helps create highly diverse teams of young adults committed to putting their best efforts forth to repair and restore wilderness trails, while living and working together for five months with few modern amenities or conveniences. There is a strong emphasis on learning how to function as a healthy community, and respect and support each other during trying times. Each day is full with chores, work, and evening classes. Mastering the social skills to get along with each other is central to succeeding in the Backcountry Program, where there is minimal time for privacy.

While completing service, corps members learn technical trail skills they did not have prior to joining the corps. For the Humboldt Redwoods State Park project, a 17-person crew of minimally-skilled Corpsmembers were willing to be trained and build new trail that measured up to the construction standards that State Parks required. State Park personnel were onsite to provide the training and quality control. CCC supervisors worked in close cooperation with their State Park peers, making certain the corpsmembers were performing up to standard, and progressing. The investment in good training and providing highly qualified supervisors made it possible to complete a very challenging work project in a professional manner.

Some graduates have become supervisors, helping to train and teach the corps members who worked on the Johnson Camp Trail Project. The end result of this cooperative effort is a well-constructed trail that will serve the public for many decades to come, allowing visitors to experience one of the world’s most magnificent forests, without damaging the resource.

For More Information, contact:

Backcountry Trails Program
California Conservation Corps
2600 Old River Road
Ukiah, CA 95481
(707) 725-5106
www.ccc.ca.gov/backcountry/bcpage.htm

Humboldt Redwoods State 
PO Box 100, Weott, CA 95571
(707) 946-2409
www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=42

Johnson Camp Trail Project
www.americantrails.org/awards/CRT05awards/
johnsoncamp.html