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September 2026 Trail Day Report
9/20/26
September Trail Day was a a BIG day! Big because this was Advocates' largest Trail Day attendance at 68. Unbelievable! Thank you every volunteer who put aside their Sunday morning to do good for the Forest of Nisene Marks and for the community. Thank you to our many returning volunteers and first timers. We hope to see you all again on a future Trail Day (sign up here.) 😎
Let's Get Started!
After signing-in, choosing a project from the Project Board and enjoying coffee from Pacific Coffee Roasters, pastries from Companion Bake Shop and fruit from New Leaf, volunteers turned their attention to the day's Trail Captain Jim who provided a warm welcome and introduction. Afterwards, the group gathered for a photo, Leaders outlined project details to their teams and carpooled into the park.
Head Out To The Trails!
Here is how we improved the forest and made a difference with our efforts.
Our projects this month included:
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Mikhail, Andrea and Jim led a crew of 18 to the challenging switchback portion of the Oak Ridge Trail. The Oak Ridge Trail is arguably the most challenging trail to maintain in the lower park due to its elevation, switchbacks and sun exposure which encourages growth of plants across the trail. On September Trail Day this crew completed the maintenance on this trail! Andrea and Silas successfully weed-whacked a considerable length of overgrown trail while the rest of the team brushed-back and groomed 5 switchbacks.
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On the Porter Trail, Gary and Chris led their crew of 9 to complete brushback on a mid-trail section that overgrown. Chris A, Nithan and Gavin put in some significant work on the trail bed in the middle section while the rest of the crew did detailing along the entire trail. The Porter Trail is close to immaculate now, a far cry from a survey in 2024 that described the trail as nearly impassable. Great work Porter team!
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The Native Forest Restoration program got a significant boost on September Trail Day when 35 volunteers joined John, Ellen, Teresa, Gail, Susan and Linda in vanquishing tree and ground ivy on the Old Growth Loop Trail. Our "Billy goat" tree ivy team free 12 trees and our ground ivy team cleared 3,400 sq ft of ivy adjacent to redwood grove. A friendly, impromptu "longest vine competition" broke out among some of our greatly enthusiastic younger volunteers with vines stretching more than 30' (unofficially).
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Lastly, our State Parks representative Gilbert led a small group in building a split rail fence at the Nisene entrance parking lot. It's a beauty!
Join us for October Trail Day, 10/18!
Spread the word about your park and volunteer experience by sharing an image or video on socials. Tag us to be entered into our ongoing volunteer raffle and win cool Advocates merchandise. Better yet, sign up for the next Trail Day and come see us again!
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