First Meeting of Bidwell Park Trail Advisory Group

On March 12th, the Bidwell Park Trail Advisory Group met for the first time. This is a community group mandated by the Bidwell Park Trails Manual, a document approved by the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission on June 28, 1999. The goal of this advisory group is, according to the Manual, "to develop useful dialogue between user groups and create solutions to user conflicts." They'll work on consensus solutions within the existing policy described in Park Dept manuals. Another unstated objective is to answer questions from the public about what's been happening in the park and to disseminate information about future park maintenance activities so that it's not such a surprise to park users when they see, for example, Star Thistle being burned, or discover that the cabin at 10-Mile Road has been torn down.

The formation of this group comes at a critical time for the Park. As the population in the region grows, park usage is increasing. The planned fishing pier at Horseshoe Lake and the observatory (now under construction) will bring more people to the park. Most of the existing park trails developed informally, without consideration of drainage, erosion, accessibility, or maintenance issues. Except for Yahi Trail next to Big Chico Creek, all trails are multi-use meaning that equestrians, bikers, and hikers share the same path. Upper Park has about 46 miles of trails, most of which never receive any maintenance. A few individuals and small groups of volunteers provide most of the small amount of trail maintenance that's being done. The Sierra Club ended their formal support for monthly trail maintenance last June and almost no repairs to trails in Upper Park have been done since then. Some progress has been made on signage in the Horseshoe Lake area and along the Yahi Trail. Because of funding constraints, the Park depends heavily on volunteers for maintenance projects but the number of volunteers has not kept pace with the increased park usage.

Although Bidwell Park users come from all over the region, park maintenance is funded entirely from City of Chico general funds. For the 2000/2001 fiscal year, the Park Dept. received about $2 million (out of the City's total general funds of $24.4 million). About half of this $2 million is used for salaries and benefits, with the rest going to materials & supplies, purchased services and other expenses. Besides Bidwell Park, the Park Dept. is responsible for maintenance of street trees, the skateboard park and other parks in Chico.

About 30 people attended this meeting, including bicyclists, walkers, equestrians, hikers, and runners, as well as three of the five new Park Commission members. The focus of the discussion was primarily Upper Park.

Park Director Dennis Beardsley briefly discussed some of the issues facing the park including the routing of the proposed Annie Bidwell Trail on the south side of the park, the lack of a master management plan for the same area, the future of Upper Park road, lead removal in the former rifle range area, the lack of up-to-date trail maps, potential parking lot sites for Frisbee golf and the need for many more volunteers to help in the park. He mentioned the Department's efforts to obtain funding for additional staff dedicated to Upper Park, the development of this year's work plan for the park, and their hope of moving to a five-year work plan. Beardsley said that there are only 8 park maintenance personnel for all of Bidwell Park's 3670 acres, and that most of the park maintenance is focused on Lower Park because of its developed facilities and heavy usage. Last year, park volunteers logged 9000 hours, about the equivalent of 4 paid workers. In response to a question about park closure notices, he mentioned that trail closure information is available 24 hours a day by calling 895-4972.

Attendees expressed concerns about the high attrition rate in the Park Watch volunteer program, development on the east side of Chico potentially increasing park usage even more, the deteriorating condition of the trails, the need for trail closure signs at other park entrances, the low turnout for monthly trail maintenance, and the need for more trail markers and maps throughout the park and for more information at the trailheads to educate users about the Park's official trails and about how park trails should be used. Others suggested possible solutions such as more publicity about the Park's volunteer programs, the designation of one person as the Park Dept's trails expert to provide continuity for trail design and maintenance (much like Chico's urban forester position) and possible participation from CSUC's Recreation and Parks Management Department interns.

For the next meeting, tentatively scheduled for April 19th, the group decided to focus on publicity, maps, Park Watch issues and prioritizing the trail maintenance projects. Anyone with an interest in the Park trails can participate in these discussions. If you would like to attend these meetings, call the Park Dept at 896-7800 and ask to be put on the mailing list for the Trail Advisory Group. If you have issues, questions or ideas about park trails but can't attend the meeting, contact Dennis Beardsley at the same number or via e-mail. To learn more about the Park Dept and its volunteer programs, visit the Park Department's web site.

This column originally appeared March 22, 2001 in the Chico Examiner.