Winter 2008-09 The re-routed South Leaf Trail, which replaces an eroding logging road with 0.6 miles of narrow, winding trail, is now open. Spring 2009 Major work on the Giant Salamander Trail and the El Corte de Madera Creek Trail finished in May 2009. On the Giant Salamander Trail, the stream channel was restored, and a poorly-built logging road was rerouted and converted into a trail. The upgraded trail is 1.2 miles (0.2 miles longer than the previous trail alignment) and has three new bridges. The District celebrated the trail's reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2009. Giant Salamander Trail "During" Heavy Excavation Equipment Used During Construction Giant Salamander Trail "After" Road-to-Trail Construction (Photos by Meredith Manning, MROSD) The El Corte de Madera Creek Trail also opened in May. The stream channel was restored and three bridges replaced culverts across El Corte de Madera Creek.

El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve encompasses 2,817 acres in the upper headwaters of the San Gregorio Creek watershed. This watershed provides critical habitat for steelhead rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Steelhead are federally listed as a threatened species, and coho salmon are listed by state and federal agencies as endangered on California's Central Coast. These species have experienced dramatic population declines primarily due to habitat loss from streambed sedimentation associated with water diversions, road construction, mining, grazing, and timber harvest activities.

This Preserve offers a unique and complex challege to the District and its partnering agencies. Not only does the Preserve occupy a key location within the San Gregorio Creek Watershed with sensitive fish habitat, but its extensive network of former logging roads make it extremely popular among hikers and mountain bikers. To balance the health of the watershed (and of the people and animals who depend on it) with recreation uses, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District partnered with the National Marine Fisheries Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board and created a comprehensive Watershed Protection Program for the Preserve.

(Photo by MROSD)

The purpose of the Program is to protect and restore watershed integrity while maintaining opportunities for year-round multiple use recreation and environmental education. The Program implements long-term solutions to erosion and creek sedimentation problems caused in part by the legacy of logging roads. A major portion of the work is focused on improving the road and trail system and stream crossings. The Program also calls for long-term maintenance and monitoring of streams and trails and extensive environmental education and public outreach.

Why restoration work requires use of heavy equipment

The District inherited a network of roads from the logging era when it purchased the land. Most erosion in the Preserve can be traced to undersized or failing drainage culverts and the intersections of old logging roads with streams. These logging roads were constructed using heavy equipment. The most effective and cost-effective restoration work is accomplished using the same sized equipment used in the original construction.

Construction scars on the Giant Salamander Trail will be only temporary; in a few years, vegetation will flourish in the riparian corridors long buried by logging road construction debris. Future trail users will not recognize the former logging roads as they enjoy a pleasant trail winding through the redwood forest.

No other major construction or trail closures related to the Watershed Protection Program are scheduled for 2009. Maps and schedules further detailing improvements will be posted on District signboards at the Preserve. Click here to view current trail conditions.