| Don Keele and Clayton Campbell work to remove a worn out culvert. In the background, Mike Stout stands on the newly installed bridge where the culvert was. |
ATV enthusiasts volunteer hours to repair trails and replace unsafe crossings
As in all situations, a few irresponsible people will spoil the fun for all the others who endeavor to do the same activity. In the past, much publicity has been given to the damage ATV riders do to the land. Very little acknowledgment has been given to those who work to improve things for everyone, and try to prevent further damage and repair problems.
Local ATV clubs are involved in projects that improve safety and reduce the possibility of more damage to the land. Working with the United States Forest Service, these volunteers repair trails, remove and replace old culverts, improve safety conditions on the trails, as well as do surveys to ascertain the number of riders to see which trails are the most heavily used.
Two bridges were recently replaced on the Dragon Trail which runs from Ferron Canyon to Joe’s Valley. Members of the Carbon County OHV club completed the work of replacing two culverts and installing two bridges to eliminate the possibility of someone going off trail to cross the stream.
The bridge installation was completed on two different days by Clayton Campbell, Harold Strong, Bonnie Keele, Don Keele, Mike Stout and Bud Carlson. These volunteers put in many hours to finish the trail improvements. The USFS provided the materials and the trail workers supplied the man power.