Trail Maintenance: A Collaborative Effort

An important role for volunteers is our trail maintenance operations.  In April, after the spring melt, KATVA/KORMA has a team of volunteers that will prepare the trails.  Ten-year volunteer Don Chapman said “when out, we cut dead falls, fill small holes and unplug culverts that beavers plug up then the swamp floods the trail.” In addition, there could be signage that is missing or damaged. 

Trail maintenance not only works in April to get things ready for opening day, but also works through the entire Offroad season to keep our trails in good condition. Maintaining KATVA/KORMA's extensive trail network is a collaborative effort, with dedicated Trail Maintenance Coordinators overseeing different areas all season long. 

Mother nature gives us the most beautiful and scenic views, but sometimes the weather works against us.  

Kerrie Bartlett, who leads our Trail Maintenance committee noted that back in 2011, a huge windstorm wiped out the Five Points. She recalled that “hundreds of trees were down on the trails, effectively closing the entire system to all users. But it was also the year and the first time that all the other trail user groups came together to get the trails open again! It took us all 3 to 4 weeks but we got the system open again!”

“August 2020 we had a large tornado go across our Pinery and VRTN trails near Kinmount. We worked closely with City staff to get those trails open in less than a week,” Kerrie continued. 

More recently, volunteer Ross Petty recalled “after the hail storm in August 2023, I did an inspection of the central VRT; the trail from Lindsay to Cameron was covered with fallen leaves and broken twigs.”

Maintenance not only takes volunteer time, but in the case of a major incident, KATVA/KORMA also assists in hard monetary costs. Kerrie recounts that “we also had a major washout of the rail bed up near Kinmount that closed the trail. We worked closely with the City and a contractor to fix the washout. It cost the club over $50,000 to repair the washout plus resurface the rail bed from Kinmount to Crego Creek bridge. We had the trail open again within a week”

While this requires a lot of physical effort, we also have technology to assist.  Howard Reeds said “last summer when we got the tractor I got involved with trail grading. In November we spent 2 days grading and leveling  banked corners in the Pinery trail 10.”

We not only maintain trails for 4 wheels, but we also do it for 2. Scott Kerr’s been doing trail maintenance for 3 years. “I help with both the ATV trails and Dirtbike single track. Last season I spent a lot of time clearing deadfalls from the single track in the Pinery. One of the challenges with the single track is getting equipment into the trails on a dirt bike. This year we are planning on rebuilding the boardwalk in the Pinery.”