[TreadLightly!]

The Lost Jeeps So Cal Club was awarded one of our stewardship grants this last cycle. Nice work guys!

This article was written in the Big Bear Grizzly news.
http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/a...cc4c03286.html

Club cleans up for Jeep thrills

Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 5:01 am

By Arrissia Owen | 0 comments

Off road enthusiasts like to tackle big rocks on big wheels. Sometimes they also enjoy conquering the elements with clippers in hand.

The Lost Jeeps So Cal Club, which boasts members from Big Bear Valley as well as other locales around Southern California, was recently awarded a stewardship grant from the nonprofit organization Tread Lightly to help support their trail cleanup efforts. There were seven winners nationally for the $500 grant.

Tread Lightly offers training and restoration initiatives along with educational messages that are strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them. The program seeks to balance the needs of the people who enjoy outdoor recreation with the need to maintain a healthy environment, according to the group’s website.

The Jeep club adopted two trails: 1N86 in Angelus Oaks, and Pilot Rock Truck Trail 2N33 that runs between Silverwood Lake and Lake Arrowhead. Lost Jeeps members spend time fixing culverts, cutting back brush and removing debris from the trails to maintain safety for off-road enthusiasts.

By cutting back shrubs, the group also helps make the trials more fire safe. “The less shrubbery out there the better,” says group member Kelly Hoffman, a Big Bear Lake resident.

Money received from Tread Lightly will help the group purchase additional shovels, gloves, hard hats and lopers to continue the maintenance, as well as fuel to travel the trails during cleanup efforts.

From October 2008 to September 2009, the group logged 917 hours working on the trails through the Adopt-a-Trail program, part of the National Forest Service. The grants are awarded based on the number of hours worked. Lost Jeeps So Cal Club is on track to beat their record from last year, Hoffman says.

“It’s something we enjoy and that we like to do,” Hoffman says.

Lost Jeeps So Cal Club includes about 30 members. For more information about the group or to join visit www.lostjeepssocal.com. For more information about Tread Lightly, visit www.treadlightly.org.

The other winners for the grants:

Stewardship Grants Awards
June 1, 2011

Applicant: Gunnison Valley OHV Alliance of Trailriders
Location: Colorado: The Block and Tackle Trail.
Start Date: Sept. 2011
Summary: The single track trail is in need of armoring adjacent to Brush Creek and at the crossing.

Applicant: ACES 4x4 Club
Location: Michigan: Allegan State Game Area.
Start Date: Aug. 2011
Summary: With almost an unlimited amount of access, there is also abuse. The proposed project is a site cleanup of all registered sites and other areas.

Applicant: Halsey Trails Club
Location: Nebraska: Nebraska National Forest.
Start Date: June 2011
Summary: Grant money would be used to promote safety, environmental awareness and educational materials. The goal: to make the forest more user friendly to all types of recreationalists.

Applicant: Donna Bauer
Location: Colorado
Start Date: June 2011
Summary: The goal is to use grant money to promote more volunteer restoration projects across the state.

Applicant: Ronald Schulbert
Location: New Mexico: Paliza Canyon and Mt. Taylor
Start Date: June 2011
Summary: The goal is to improve and repair trail availability in Paliza Canyon and pick up trash on Mt. Taylor.

Applicant: Creeper Jeepers Gang of Durango
Location: Colorado: Black Bear Pass, Elwood Pass and Mt. Blanca
Start Date: June 2011
Summary: New signs are to be placed at Elwood Pass and Mt. Blanca.

Applicant: Lost Jeeps SoCal
Location: California: San Bernardino National Forest
Start Date: Oct. 2010 – Sept. 2011
Summary: The grant would be used to purchase supplies such as shovels and hard hats for road and road-side repair.

The next cycle is open for application.
http://treadlightly.org/page.php/stewardshipgrants/