By ELAINE WATKINS/YachatsNews.com
The 21 volunteers clad in yellow vests form a circle to hear Wally Orchard describe their morning’s task.
It’s 10 a.m. Saturday. Gathered in a parking lot of the Yachats Commons, the volunteers are armed with clippers, gloves, buckets and knee pads — anything to make the next two hours a bit easier.
Orchard outlines the work and gives everyone a choice: pull ivy in the nearby wetlands, help city volunteers clean up a flower garden along U.S. Highway 101 or spruce up Whale Park on the south edge of town.
“Thank you for your efforts,” the Yachats Trails crew team leader tells the group before they trudge off to their tasks.
This scene is repeated twice a month by a group of volunteers who for years have organized to create, enhance and maintain popular trails and natural areas around Yachats. The first Saturday of the month is generally for work on trails; the third Saturday is to attack weeds and invasive species.
On Saturday, June 1, the Yachats trails group is celebrating National Trails Day by joining Siuslaw National Forest rangers and Cape Perpetua Visitors Center volunteers to work on a trail project near Devil’s Churn.
The Yachats Trails Committee and its Yachats Invasive Plant Subcommittee – more commonly called YIPS! — maintain existing trails and develop short-and long-term plans for new ones. They also acquire and maintain easements, pull invasive species, and create better habitat for native plants. Their goal is to support amenities that make Yachats attractive and livable for residents and visitors.
Kathleen Tooke draws satisfaction from volunteering on the trails committee.
“I get intense exercise, and I’m socializing even though I’m working independently,” Tooke said.
She believes that the group’s efforts inspire hikers to be more caring of the environment.
“Keeping the trails and terrain maintained may help keep people from damaging the surrounding terrain,” Tooke said. “We all want trails that are clean, safe, and as natural as possible for users over the long haul.”
Committee helps with planning too
The trails committee planning this spring involves several projects. First is the proposed construction of a suspension bridge across Amanda Creek. Another is extending the Ya’Xaik Trail to the main fire station under construction on the north edge of town, an essential connection if roads close during an emergency.
The committee is also advising the city on improvements to the 804 Trail along Ocean View Drive, which Lincoln County is turning over to the city this summer. The committee also plans to install permanent trails maps in strategic locations around Yachats.
In terms of a longer horizon, the committee is keeping an eye on a clear-cut property on the mountain east of town that has outstanding views of the coastline. The group is identifying how feasible it would be to get easements across other private properties, build new trails and link up to existing trails.
Beverly Wilson, director of the Yachats Visitor Center, says one of the most frequently asked questions from tourists is about trails. The center hands out about 10,000 trail maps each year.
“We get asked about trails for children and for seniors with mobility issues,” Wilson said. “People of all abilities and ages come here to enjoy the beach and the forest.”
One of the most popular attractions from April through June is the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve and its world-class display of rhododendrons. No reservations are needed to enjoy the 1,000 feet of trails open to the public. The preserve is the only place along the trails system that doesn’t permit dogs. All other trails welcome dogs on a leash.
The best way to access the preserve is by hiking to it. A few parking spots are available at the top of Diversity Drive, where the 1.15 miles Ya’Xaik Trail loops through the gardens.
Additional parking is at Smelt Sands State Park. From there, hikers follow the 804 Trail toward the Overleaf Lodge and then cross U.S. Highway 101 to pick up the Ya’Xaik Trail at Diversity Drive.
How it operates
The Yachats Trails Committee is run by five people who act as co-leaders to coordinate the work. Orchard, Bob Langley, Joanne Kittel, Loren Dickenson, and Jan Brown each take responsibility for a different task and together they oversee nearly 150 volunteers.
Typically, anywhere from 10 to 25 people will show up at the Commons on any given Saturday morning. The trails group and the YIPS! take alternating weeks.
Afterward, the volunteers gather at the Drift Inn for drinks and snacks. Langley says he joined the group when he moved to town three years ago because “it’s a great way to get to know people and build bonds among community members. You form friendships while serving the common good.”
The committee gets funding from several sources. The city provides about $10,000 each year for tools, equipment, workshops for volunteers, and help with some of the bigger projects.
View the Future maintains a trails fund that has raised $40,000 in donations. They’ve also received $50,000 in grants.
Langley says the greatest dollar value comes from unpaid labor.
“In fiscal year 2018, the volunteers put in about 2,700 hours of labor,” he said. “The annual New Year’s Peace Hike alone took about 200 hours to coordinate.”
There’s also no way to put a dollar amount on the efforts of local businesses and organizations to improve Yachats’ trails. Drew Roslund of the Overleaf Lodge provides and drives a tractor each year for the all-day ivy pull along the 804 Trail. Dahl Disposal hauls the ivy away for free.
Others pitch in in other ways. Will Williams of All Seasons Landscaping donates time and heavy equipment during the weekly work sessions. Students from Angell Job Corps helped develop the Amanda gathering area and also worked on the Prospect Park reclamation.
Layne Morrill, developer of the new Fisterra Garden Townhomes, dedicated several parking spots at the back so hikers could access the Ya’Xaik Trail. Oregon State Parks beach ranger Doug Sestrich is always ready to pitch in with time or materials to improve trails at the three state parks in or around Yachats.
Langley says there are challenges to running this operation. With variable weather and numbers of helpers, “We need to enough equipment and materials to match the volunteers’ skills each work session.”
There are also emergencies, like downed trees, that may be beyond the volunteers’ comfort or safety zone. And working through permitting and design issues can take years and require patience and fortitude.
However, the enjoyment that the volunteers get from completing and using local trails makes it all worthwhile.
For more information:
Yachats Trails Committee: www.yachatstrails.org
Hiking around Yachats, visit https://www.yachats.org/business-directory/1552/trails-yachats/ or http://www.yachatstrails.org/find-a-trail.html.
Learn more about the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve by visiting its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gerdemannbotanicpreserve/. The Yachats Visitors Center broadcasts the preserve’s private tours on both Twitter and Facebook at VisitYachats.
What an excellent article by Elaine Watkins. It covers all aspects of what Yachats Trails is achieving and proposing to achieve.
As a town with a population of about 700 people it is nothing short of incredible although I believe some participants come from surrounding areas and towns.
Wally Orchard is my brother. When visiting him from New Zealand recently I was voluntarily included in a weed pulling party. I was most impressed to note how well organised everything was and the participants were enthusiastic and friendly.
Wally took me on a number of Yachats trails which were all of a high standard.
Keep up the good work guys.