WTA has received a National Forest Foundation grant to restore the 1/2 mile accessible trail at the St. Cloud Day Use Area in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. WTA is providing the volunteer labor and the Forest Service is providing the gravel and two motorized toters to move the gravel.
Over the years, the trail tread has become overgrown with grass and blackberries until it was a narrow foot path and no longer accessible to visitors with disabilities. Over the course of several work parties, WTA volunteers have cleared the trail down to the old compacted gravel bed. Today, we began moving the gravel from the pile in the parking lot to the trail and spreading it on the tread at an approximate depth of 3 inches. We completed about 500 feet of gravel today.
Future WTA trail work parties will continue spreading the gravel around the entire trail. Then the Forest Service trail crew will top it with extra fine gravel and use a motorized compactor to make a firm surface that can be used by wheelchairs.
I kept an eBird checklist of birds I saw and heard while I worked in the morning while they were most active. The Cedar Waxwings were very active, flying as a group between tree tops in the early morning, but I did not see them the rest of the day.
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