Current Issues

Help us keep the Rubicon Trail available, safe and
healthy by getting involved! Attend a public hearing,
join a work party, attend a fundraiser, contact your
political leaders, or just become informed. WE are
the Rubicon Trail; without each of us trying to do our
part, it may soon be a once-enjoyed beauty.

Counting - TRAFx
The Rubicon Trail Foundation is continuing its ongoing
participation in volunteer trail counts. The data
gathered is used to help effectively manage the
trail and justify grant funding. For 2010, we're
continuing these volunteer counts and adding pilot
studies with the TRAFx Vehicle Counter.

Ask us at RTF about how we are integrating this
innovative new counting tool with our continued trail
counts or contact TRAFx at www.trafx.net for more
information.

Current Issues - Send in your comments!

Easement
El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest are working on easement language to define the
centerline of the trail and determine its width. This affects all trail users, as this decision will be a blueprint
for the Forest, the County, and law enforcement agencies for future work on the trail and enforcement
efforts.

You can get involved with this decision by giving your input to us at info@RubiconTrailFoundation.org or
comment directly to the Forest or the County. Contact information is listed on our Contact Us page.
Your comments should be substantive and polite in order for them to be of value!

Saturated Soils Report
The Cleanup and Abatement Order (CAO) requires the County to come up with a plan for using the trail
during saturated soil conditions. This is important because it will determine how the trail is used during these
times. RTF is dedicated to “year around access” and has encouraged the county to write a report that
reflects that.

Trail user input is important. Comments can be directed to us at info@RubiconTrailFoundation.org or
directly to Tom Celio at the El Dorado County Department of Transportation at tom.celio@edcgov.us.

Again, your comments should be substantive and polite in order for them to be of value!

Work Parties - 2012

Get outside, have fun, meet people and do something
satisfying at the same time. Join us for a work party
weekend and help keep the Rubicon Trail jeep and
visitor safe and friendly! Contact Scott Johnson.

We are working on our 2012 schedule. Get your
gloves ready for some hard work and some "hard"
fun keeping the trail usable, safe and beautiful.

Friends of the Rubicon

"Friends of the Rubicon, FOTR,
is an informal coalition of
groups and individuals dedi-
cated to keeping the Rubicon
Trail open and available to all
recreationists. FOTR is the
work force, the volunteer
labor, and one of the sources
of trail knowledge for the
Rubicon Trail.

We (FOTR) have only one
annual meeting, usually held
in the first few months of the
year, in the Sacramento area.

We (FOTR) do not collect dues
or have bylaws and such. We
(FOTR) plan our trail efforts
via the Internet, and we do
our work on the ground. We
(FOTR) are about action and
saving the Rubicon Trail.”
(quoted from FOTR website)

Although many people are
involved in both RTF and
FOTR, the two groups are in
fact not related other than
the goal of helping the
Rubicon Trail.

For more information about
FOTR, work parties, and
other topics, go to:

Training

The Rubicon Trail Foundation has hosted several Volunteer Leader & Land Steward (VLLS) training class.

This is a great class that gets a lot of people going in trail maintenance and leadership. It is four days and
covers leadership, management, organization and many other topics useful to maintaining our trails. RTF is
picking up the cost for you. Meals are included. All you have to do is get yourself there. Space is always
limited. For information regarding upcoming classes and applications, contact Matt Farley by email at:
Matt.Farley@RubiconTrailFoundation.org.

Del Albright offers an online leadership course aimed at teaching people who want to help our trails learn
how to lead volunteers during work parties. It is RLTC: Recreational Leadership Training Course.
http://www.delalbright.com/RLTC/rltc.htm

Join Organizations
Not everyone can become leaders in this battle, but
we should all become supporters of those leaders.
The leader on the Rubicon Trail is the Rubicon Trail
Foundation. We always welcome your donations and
your input. In all fights for OHV access, your voice is
in the large national OHV Organizations such as the
Blue Ribbon Coalition, the United Four Wheel Drive
Association, and the National Off-Road Association.
On the statewide level, please consider joining and
supporting the California Association of Four Wheel
Drive Clubs, the California League of Off-Road Voters,
the Off-Road Business Association, and the California
Off Road Vehicle Association. On a local level, you
can get involved in your local club.

The one simple thing we can do to support our recreational activity is join any club and or organization. Think about how much money you
spend in parts, maintenance and fuel for your rig.
Why not spend an extra $150 a year and support or
join a few of the organizations listed above?

Help Our Public Image
We, as a recreational activity, have a public image
problem. We need to change that. Take the time to
talk to your neighbors when you are preparing for or
getting back from a trip.

Let them know where you went, what you did, how
much your family enjoyed it, etc. I’ve often had to
correct the idea that I drove through a meadow just
because my rig was dirty. I make sure they understand
that I was on a legally open OHV trail the whole time.
And sometimes go on to say that when I was done
performing maintenance efforts, the water/mud that
got my rig dirty was drained from the trail, preventing
future erosion.

Poitical Leaders
We all need work with those who hold the power to
manage our trails. The easiest way for each of us to
do that is to write a letter to the local elected official that
ultimately controls the trail you just drove.

One trip - One letter. How hard is it to send off a 20
word e-mail to your local county board member? The
physical and e-mail addresses of the elected officials
that manage the Rubicon Trail are the Contact Us page.

Invite Others
Although OHV use is already growing exponentially,
invite your neighbor or co-worker along for a
drive. Show them what it’s like to get ten miles
away from any paved road. Walk them off the
trail to your favorite overlook.

Share the fun and beauty of the Rubicon Trail!