Volunteers spruce up Crevasse Moraine

June 3, 2007

By Amie Pappas

Frontiersman

PALMER - A popular local trail system received a bit of facelift Saturday.

The Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers trail club celebrated National Trails Day by holding a trail care work day on the Crevasse Moraine trails.

VMBaH a volunteer organization that works as a trail advocacy group to insure that there are plenty of hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails in Mat-Su. The Sutton-based club is building an additional one-mile enhancement in the Crevasse Moraine system, as well as maintaining it.

National Trails Day is part of the American Hiking Society's public information program. Over the last 15 years, National Trails Day has become America's largest outdoor and trail

celebration.

VMBaH was started about three years ago.

&#8220Before VMBaH there were not very many trails for people who don't use motors,” VMBaH co-chair Pat Owens said.

Now there are more trails for hiking, biking, horse-back riding and skiing, not just for snowmachines and ATVs.

The Crevasse Moraine was a last-minute change for the celebration. The original plan was to go to the Matanuska Branch Railroad Trail.

&#8220Because of last year's flooding and rain the railroad trail had deteriorated so much that we knew our efforts would be fruitless,” Owens said, adding that VMBaH would need more funding to work on a project that size.

The club receives grant funding from the Mat-Su Borough and through volunteer donations.

The club also generates revenue from its general membership. People can sign up online or by mail to become a member.

&#8220We need money,” Owens said. &#8220It helps us pay for all our programs.”

Recently, the club was given funds from the borough bed tax to buy trail tools and a trailer to pull them around in.

VMBaH board member Joe Ortner works as a designer for the new trail project. He learned through an Alaska trails course about sustainable trail design and began working.

&#8220Getting people out to help is the biggest challenge to trail building.” Ortner said.

A slogan used by VMBaH is &#8220Many hands make light work.” The hard work done by VMBaH hands does not go unnoticed.

&#8220I really like the multi-use trails,” Mollie Vice of Wasilla said.

Vice was out walking her dog Otis just before VMBaH showed up.

&#8220I can ride my horse, run or ski in the winter,” Vice said. &#8220The trails are so nice. They really do an excellent job.”

More information can be found at VMBaH's Web site, www.vmbah.org.

Contact Amie Pappas at

352-2284 or amie.pappas@ frontiersman.com.