This is a complicated project. You should read through these details before you decide to participate. Everyone who shows up for the restoration weekend should expect to work in some capacity.
Images courtesy of Dave Bunnell, GoodEarth Graphics.
That said, some jobs on the list are less strenous than others. If you are concerned about your physical abilities, we may still have a job for you! Just make a note of your concerns on the volunteer sign-up page.
At this time,it looks like we may have 40 to 50 volunteers! If there's a possibility that we will run out of space, preference will be given to people who are available to volunteer more than one day.
Please do not bring guests or young children. We will not have room for non-participating people. All volunteers will be required to sign two liability waivers. One is for the Western Cave Conservancy, and the other is for the Bureau of Reclamation. Under-18'rs will need to have a parent or legal guardian sign the forms.
Most of our teams will be needed from Friday afternoon through Sunday, but we'll have a few jobs that need doing on Thursday. You should let us know what days you are available on the sign-up form. For safety and security, we will have people on-site at all times while the restoration is in progress.
Thursday, April 25: Equipment load-in.
Friday, April 26: Equipment staging & trail prep.
Saturday, April 27: Cleaning, trail maintenance & graffiti removal.
Sunday, April 28: Finishing touches, trash removal & load-out.
All of our activities will be based out of the parking area at the Natural Bridges trailhead [GPS: 38.0519, -120.4713]. You may arrive the night before you are scheduled to work. We need to be completely cleaned up and out of the parking area by Sunday evening.
Depending on our total volunteer numbers, we plan to split everyone into four teams. This will allow us to focus on specific tasks without duplicating any efforts. Volunteers will have the ability to request which team they get assigned to, and we'll try to accomodate those requests as much as possible. When you arrive, though, you should be prepared to be moved around if necessary. The teams are described further down on this page.
If you're staying overnight, you'll definitely want your own camp gear. We're providing food & beverages, but you're on your own for sleeping & shelter. Plan on layered clothing - days may be warm, but evenings can still get very cold. You'll also need sturdy footwear and a decent pair of work gloves. We will provide a full set of tools, trash bags, and related cleaning equipment for the project. You should definitely wear work clothes. If you have an FRS radio, that would be very useful.
Some of the restoration will take place while standing in Coyote Creek. If you're on the trail or graffiti team, you will most probably get wet. If you'll be working on the graffiti team, long irrigation-style rubber boots would make your life much warmer & more comfortable.
Please be aware that pets are not allowed on the Natural Bridges trail.
Almost everyone will be able to camp overnight at the Natural Bridges trailhead [GPS: 38.0519, -120.4713]. There isn't a bunch of parking, but we should fit. There's a possibility that additional camping will be available nearby, but we're still working on those details. There is a pit toilet on site, but no showers or water supply. You should bring plenty of water! There are no electrical hook-ups at this site.
Our volunteer BSA group will be staying in a nearby group campground. Please check with your scout leaders for directions and details.
Some of the grant money we have received from the Teichert Foundation and the Western Cave Conservancy allows us to provide food and non-alcoholic beverages for our volunteers. We will have a "camp kitchen" set up at the trail head to feed everyone 3 meals a day. You'll definitely be burning some calories this weekend!
Please print, fill out, and sign both of these liability waivers. You must bring them with you to the restoration weekend. We need to have these on file before you will be able to participate in the project. Under-18'rs will need to have a parent or legal guardian sign the forms.
Bureau of Reclamation waiver
Western Cave Conservancy waiver
The trail team will lead our efforts to clean up all the surface trash left behind by thoughtless visitors. This team will also help identify about 15 historic marker locations that were described in a previous trail guide. At each marker location, we'll be taking extensive pictures and notes so we can integrate them into a new trail guide in the near future. You might get wet on this team, but that can probably be avoided. You'll definitely be hiking a lot! We may have flotation devices, but we're not sure yet.
The operations team will help keep the other teams running. That could include anything from stringing air compressor hoses up and down the hill, hauling 50-pound bags of sand-blasting aggregate, running into town for that one thing we forgot - but have to have. Think of this team as "other duties as assigned"!
You will get wet. You will get cold. And you get the fun of standing in a stream, in a cave, wearing a gas mask while doing it! Sounds fun, right? The graffiti team will be operating the custom sand-blaster we're bringing down from Oregon. The blaster is owned by the Western Cave Conservancy and is specifically tuned to remove graffiti from cave walls without damaging the underlying geology. This will be some intensive work and we may rotate people through this team to keep everybody sane.
Our support team will work to keep everyone fed, explain our project to any tourists that wander by, and - most importantly - to keep track of everyone. At the end of the day, we need to make sure that everyone who goes down the hill returns safely. To accomplish that, at least one volunteer will be parked at the trailhead to monitor who is working on what teams and at what locations on the hill.
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Western Cave Conservancy
PO Box 230 Newcastle, CA 95658
