Adopt-a-Trail Agreement Signed
With the ink barely dry on a new Adopt-a-Trail agreement for parts of the Foothill Trail, volunteers got busy recently doing needed maintenance.
When the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) purchased what is now the Valley View Preserve two years ago it came with the promise of reopening the historic trail. That work was accomplished through the efforts of OVLC’s volunteer trail crew which opened up over a mile of the old trail. Other parts of the trail on Forest land, had been barely kept open. Totaling around one half-mile, the portions affected by the agreement start off of the Pratt Trail and another stretch connects to the Fuelbreak Road.
The formal permission to maintain the trail sections to USFS standards was made between OVLC and the Ojai District’s Wilderness Trails Manager Heidi Anderson. It helps to give a small boost to some 190 miles of trails Anderson and the USFS have to maintain on the Ojai District and helps cement the public’s access to three Valley View Preserve trails. There are numerous US Forest Service trail connections around the preserve which includes Pratt, Cozy Dell and Gridley Trails. Anderson said, “Because OVLC does such top notch work on their trails, the Forest Service is glad to have their help.”
The Foothill Trail runs east/west and historically ran all the way to the area around the Gridley Trailhead on Gridley Road. Boyd Dron, who grew up using the trail from his family home near the trailhead called it “Ojai’s most beautiful front country trail.” It is OVLC’s hope that one day the final historic eastern stretch, which passes through two privately owned parcels can be opened once again to public access.
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy works to protect the views, trails, water and wildlife of the Ojai Valley. Since its founding in 1987, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has permanently protected over 2,000 acres. On that land every year, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy maintains dozens of miles of trails, guides hundreds of visitors, and hosts thousands of guests—hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, school children and others. To learn more, visit www.ovlc.org.
