A Message From the General Manager
With sunnier days and warmer temperatures ahead of us, some may be apt to forget about the series of strong winter storms that struck the Bay Area in late 2022 and early 2023. At Midpen, the after-effects of these impactful storms remain, with many preserves and trails sustaining significant damage. Cleanup and repair efforts to safely reopen trails in many locations will continue through the summer and, in the hardest-hit areas, into the fall and spring/summer of 2024. Scientists attribute the intensity of storms like these to our changing climate.
Overall, the winter storms caused more than $7.5 million in damages to Midpen preserves and we have applied for FEMA funding to cover a portion of the costs. We have also adjusted our budget and work plan for the coming fiscal year, reassigning staff from prior planned projects to focus on the extensive and unanticipated repair work to reestablish key trail connections and reopen roads for patrol, maintenance, and emergency response.
Midpen crews have been hard at work replacing culverts, clearing mudslides, and repairing ruts, gullies and washouts to make trails and roads passable. In addition, crews have cleared more than 1,200 downed trees and major limbs that were blocking pathways throughout Midpen preserves. Most of our 250 miles of trails are open, however, repairs to numerous popular routes still remain. In the coming months and into 2024, you will likely encounter the sounds of chainsaws and chippers along with temporary trail closures to keep visitors safe as we continue these repairs.
Our trail work is governed by policies and practices that balance public safety with natural resource protection. Highly skilled work crews follow environmentally sensitive vegetation management protocols that include biological surveys of sensitive species and limiting high decibel noise-generating work during a May 15-October 15 window to avoid the bird nesting, bat roosting and woodrat nesting season. Sometimes, biosurveys can take up to two years to complete to ensure that biennially appearing native plants have been located.
One preserve, in particular, and a portion of another are expected to remain closed for several months as county crews repair heavily damaged public roadways that lead to preserve parking areas and trailheads. Bear Creek Redwoods is closed until the county is able to fix a major culvert failure on Bear Creek Road, and the lower entrance of Purisima Creek Redwoods is closed due to damage to both Higgins Canyon and Purisima Creek Roads.
You can find current trail conditions and closures on our website at openspace.org/trail-conditions.