By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
YACHATS – A symphony of wetland-loving birds punctuated by the occasional frog in full throat was all the accompaniment the Yachats Trails Team needed as they tackled yet another restoration project.
What began 18 years ago with a handful of volunteers determined to maintain local trails and beautify public spaces in Yachats, has grown to 60 volunteers who meet rain or shine on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Each two-hour work session is followed by a social gathering at a local restaurant.
With elbows bent and backs bowed in late May, the crew spread 15 yards of hemlock bark, one wheelbarrow load after another, to a patch of reclaimed ground adjacent to the wetlands behind the Yachats wastewater plant.
“This area where we laid down landscape fabric and are covering with bark to make it look a little more attractive was just solid blackberry bushes and other weeds a few years ago,” said Wally Orchard, a trails team member supervising the effort.
The unsung heroes of the day who were not in attendance, Orchard said, were Kathy and Rik Arndt, who prepared the 250-square-yard patch by digging out the weeds and invasive Himalayan blackberry.
“But there are still a lot of weed seeds so that is why put down the fabric,” Orchard said. “We will leave it with the fabric and bark for two growing seasons. The plan is most the seeds will germinate but just die because it has nowhere to go. And then in two years’ time we can pull up the fabric and landscape it with native plants.”
When the fabric is finally pulled the bark will be nicely composted and improve the soil, Orchard added, while in the meantime a slot in the fabric can be made to accommodate a tree if need be.
Twenty-four of the teams’ volunteers pitched in to help this day, meeting under gray skies at 9:30 a.m. and then dividing forces to take on multiple projects. While the majority worked shoveling, hauling and raking the bark patch, others broke off to work in the Gerdemann Botanical Preserve and along Amanda’s Trail – which connects Yachats with Cape Perpetua.
“They are working on the steps at Gerdemann, which get a bit muddy in winter, digging out the mud and replacing it with gravel,” Orchard said. “And on Amanda’s, where things grow crazily this time of year and encroach on the trail, they are cutting back the vegetation.”
Work, then play
Team members tackle restoration projects and plantings, trail maintenance and the never-ending battle against weeds and invasive species. And while the work is bound to cause sweat and sore muscles, there’s always the free drinks and platters of appetizers to look forward to at the Drift Inn, courtesy of owner Linda Hetzler.
Volunteers cite the work accomplished as reward-enough for their efforts, although eyes light-up when they mention the post-work cooldown at the Drift Inn. But when asked outright what the best part of volunteering, all mention the camaraderie and friendships formed.
“It’s a wonderful group,” said TJ Russell during a pause from gripping the business-end of a metal rake. “You get like-minded people together and it’s all teamwork. The best part is meeting the people. And being new to the community, it’s a good way to get in.”
Russell, who moved to Yachats after 40 years in Eugene, still retains her native New Zealand accent. She heard about the effort a couple of years ago but decided just recently to get involved. And she brought help.
Graeme Wood of New Zealand is visiting Russell on a visa so he’s quick to point that he’s not working as he shovels and hauls loads of bark.
“I’m a genuine Kiwi,” he said. “I’m not allowed to work. This is volunteering. I’ve been here three weeks and twice I’ve been doing this. Everyone is friendly. It is a great community. It’s really nice. It’s a small community and passionate. It’s a pleasure to be here, it really is.
“Except for the weather,” he adds with a hint of sarcasm. “I came for the summer. We’ve had one day.”
Yachats’ residents Mary Coello, Kathleen Tooke and Adam Altson have all been on the trails team for years.
“It’s a good service to the community and to the environment as far as getting rid of invasive species,” Coello said. “It’s a good physical workout, especially today,” she added and laughed. “And it’s a good way, especially for new people, to understand the community more, meet new friends and know what’s going on. We’ve got lots of newer people this year. It’s fun.”
Tooke rolled up her sleeves and became involved for the socialization and being outdoors with like-minded people.
“It’s a very good crew,” she said. “And it’s good exercise and you can work at your own level, at your own rate. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. And there’s always a variety of tasks. The one thing that runs Yachats is volunteers. It’s important and it makes the community.”
Alston, who also serves as the chair of the city’s Parks & Commons Commission, said he was taking full advantage of hiking the town’s “great trail system” and decided he wanted to do his part in helping out.
“It’s great, it’s a lot of fun and you meet some fantastic people,” he said. “It’s really rewarding. And it’s fun to go walk on a trail and say ‘oh I built that or I helped lay out the trail’ or whatever. It’s a great sense of pride and it’s always fun to go to the Drift Inn afterward and have a drink and appetizers on behalf of Linda.”
Alston also noted that volunteers include a veritable who’s who of local government leaders, many of whom started on the crew before ascending to the rarified air of their current stations. The claim needed no verification because just a clump-of-bark’s throw away were the mayor and a city councilor.
The trail volunteers made quick work of the day’s restoration project, but before they departed with sweat cooling on their brows and bark clogging the treads of their shoes, Betty Johnston walked to the end of her nearby driveway and called out.
“Thank you! Thank you everybody! I love it!”
“I wished I could help, but aging,” she told the YachatsNews. “I think it is fabulous. They do it so unselfishly and they really do beautify our town.”
Modest start
The trails team began as an unsanctioned grassroots group of 6-10 people in 2005 and remained that way until 2009 when they were officially recognized by the city as the Yachats Trails Committee under the auspice of the city’s Parks & Commons Commission. They’re now called – officially anyway – the Yachats Trails Team to avoid any confusion about having to follow state and city rules about meetings and minutes.
The city has a trails budget that ranges from $15,000 to $25,000 and the team gets grants from other organizations. It provided critical manpower for work on Amanda’s Trail before and after a new suspension bridge was erected last year and some members are helping plan and advocate for a proposed boardwalk along Ocean View Drive overlooking the Yachats River.
Joanne Kittel, a driving force for coastal trails and one of the team’s remaining founders along with Orchard and Loren Dickinson, said they started out working on the Prospect and Amanda’s trails. Now, in addition to city-owned property and four miles of trails, they also maintain trails outside city limits through agreements with state and federal stakeholders.
Kittel praised the Team’s volunteers for their hard work and dedication.
“Some are seasonal,” she said. “And others are die-hards we won’t get rid of until they drop dead.”
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
To learn more about the Yachats Trails Team or to volunteer visit https://www.yachatstrails.org
Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who tirelessly work on old and new trails. I count myself extremely fortunate to live here . Thanks for all you do.