PRESS RELEASE

A TRAIL OF TWO CITIES by Joe Fondy

"The vital link" of the Verdugo Mountain Trail system between Burbank's Wildwood Canyon Park and Glendale's Deukmejian Wilderness Park was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, February 27". Burbank was the lead agency, but Glendale assisted in obtaining the Proposition A grant, moving toward a trail system that spans city and County boundaries.

The ceremony was attended by Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski, Vice mayor Stacey Murphy, Glendale Mayor Eileen Givens, along with Council Members, City Managers, Parks and Recreation staff, a representative from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, volunteers and a significant number of hiking enthusiasts from the area.

"This trail shows what good things can happen when two cities work together to further their common recreation interests," said Mayor Golonski. "it makes a difference also for the kids who worked on it and for the community.'

"Using this trail, and other connecting trails in the area," said Roger Bell of Bellfree Contractors, Inc., a Redlands based trail building company, "you literally could start here in your back yard, reach the Pacific Crest Trail in the Angeles National Forest, and hike to Canada or Mexico."

Bell's company also built the Deukmejian Trails in Glendale several years ago and, he estimates, about 150 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. In fact, his company has completed over 250 trail related projects in 14 states over the past 30 years in this unusual occupation.

Bell's comments were made to about 1 00 attendees on a sunny Chamber of Commerce kind of morning framed with flags and a rainbow of colorful balloons. Following the ceremony most hiked the new trail and came back enthusiastic in their endorsement of the project.

Jim McCorvey, a City trail guide, talked about his experience as a small kid in the Verdugo Hills. "On this trail, some places were so steep you literally had to crawl on hands and knees. What a difference! More people can enjoy what only a few of us could survive before. I am delighted with what the Department and the contractor have done here." Jim offers guided trail trips, including one upcoming on Earth Day, Saturday, April 17 .

Bell agreed. "I'm not sure if you realize it, but recent surveys have indicated that walking and trail use is the number one recreational preference of citizens." Bellfree orchestrated a crew of expert trail builders with specialized equipment in the six week project.

Workers from Burbank's Summer Youth Trails Project were recognized for park cleanup assistance. Also, the California and Los Angeles Civilian Conservation Corps participated briefly with the trail project.

"We wanted to create an outdoor experience for both beginners and advanced users. Before, the trail was simply too unsafe and too steep for most people. But now, a vigorous one mile climb yields magnificent views of the Valley and, on a clear day, of the ocean. This is a high quality, close-in recreation opportunity few cities can match. The trail is a tribute to the imagination and forward thinking of the Parks and Recreation staff who saw this need and secured grant funding," added Bell.

The designer for the project was Keith French of Nuvis, an Architectural firm with offices throughout California. Incorporating dozens of switchbacks, a massive wood wall, numerous rock structures and barriers to reduce trail cutting, the new trail substantially reduces grades and improves aesthetics while celebrating the natural outdoor environment.

"The key is good drainage and frequent changes of pace so the hiking experience is enjoyable and stimulating, not overly difficult. On a ridgeline trail like this, where rapid elevation gain 'is inevitable, that becomes a challenge. I think we succeeded admirably."

Ron Haig of Glendale started his hike near La Tuna Canyon Road off the Foothill Freeway, trekked over to Verdugo Peak and down to Wildwood Park, six miles one way. "It used to be so steep in spots you had to hike at peril of life and limb. I think it's just beautiful and it's gonna last a long time."

Glendale's Mayor Givens continued to praise the efforts of both cities after hiking the trail. "The Parks and Recreation people have worked hard to expand recreation opportunities and improve the quality of life for everyone in this area. The next time one of the City Leaders in Burbank tells me to 'take a hike!' I'll tell 'em, 'fine, I'll start in Glendale and you can start in Burbank, and we'll meet in the middle!"'

WHERE TO FROM HERE?  Bell's success with this project, completed in late December, has led Burbank to employ his services in two other ways.

First, the company was hired to repair a badly eroded streambed in Wildwood Park, using a product he sells called Geoweb. This expandable polyethelene material creates a cellular confinement for soil to prevent erosion and enable plant growth.

Next, Bell was selected to provide consultation about other trail repair needs in Burbank and to develop a prototype program for on-going trail maintenance. "This is unique," he said, "most cities that connect to mountain areas or have other city trails traditionally neglect maintenance for lack of funding, inadequate in-house skills and equipment, and untrained volunteers. Consequently, such trails are notoriously unsafe and create serious erosion problems."

Bellfree may be the only company in the Southern California area offering such contract services, and Burbank was able to justify use of public funds for this assistance due to citizen support for good trails and acceptance by its public employee union.

"It’s a win/win situation," said Jan Bartola, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation. "We definitely want to improve the quality of all our trails, especially after seeing the response to this project." Burbank is at work on a major new facility in the next canyon over, the Stowe Canyon Nature Center, which will feature hiking trails and nature education. "Responsibly highlighting the outdoor environment is a large part of what we are about," she said.

Roger Bell added, "I'm hoping this idea of providing trail maintenance and erosion control in foothill areas will catch hold with other cities in the area. I believe attention to this kind of activity truly provides a valuable service. It also saves money long term by keeping trials, hillsides, and streambeds from deteriorating, and it definitely reduces the City's liability exposure."

He says that the Cities of Orange, Glendale, and La Canada have expressed similar interest in trail work of this kind, and Glendora, Duarte, Sierra Madre, Anaheim, Yucaipa, and Redlands, among others, have engaged the company's trail and trail bridge construction expertise in various ways over the years.

A Board member of an advocacy group, American Trails, Bell says that trails in our consciousness have truly come of age. "The National Trails Symposium last November in Tucson attracted over 600 attendees from all over the country, from public agencies and private organizations representing all manner of trail user."

He added that users include people with disabilities, and even in backcountry areas we need to be sensitive to enabling access for people who might not previously have been considered trail users. ' believe trail accessibility is a wave of the future."

The National Park Service and other groups, in a widely circulated position paper, have called for "Trails for All Americans," envisioning a trail within 15 minutes of every citizen. "That's a dream worthy of our best efforts," said Bell, "and I believe the public as well as many private citizen groups and funding agencies are ready to provide support to make it happen. Our time is here!"

For more information about this story, contact Joe Fondy at 909- 793-8191 or Roger Bell at 909-793-4501.

For information about Burbank's Nature Program, call 818-238- 5378.

Glendale officials can be reached at 818-548-4844