Some of the 36 volunteers gathered Saturday morning to clear about 3.5 miles of Mitchell Trail. Courtesy/SFNF

Two of the 36 volunteers gathered Saturday morning to clear about 3.5 miles of Mitchell Trail. Courtesy/SFNF

By LYNN BJORKLUND, Recreation/Lands
Española/Coyote Ranger Districts
Forest Service
Santa Fe National Forest

Santa Fe National Forest – The very popular and difficult Mitchell Trail, starting from the Arizona Trailhead, received a much needed trim job Saturday morning, Aug. 17. Following a robust monsoon season, the locusts and other vegetation have become out of control on this trail and some others around Los Alamos.

Kevin, a local Los Alamos runner, reported coming off the North Mitchell completely shredded and bleeding after a jaunt down the canyon. Running actually wasn’t possible. You couldn’t even see the trail.

The day was a huge success with 36 energetic volunteers launching off on Saturday morning. About 3.5 miles of trail was cleared from the pesky shrub that is a typical first seral stage increaser after a fire. The shrub is native to New Mexico, and although unpleasant to hike through with its thorny armor, it does jump start the nutrient cycle in the soils, helping to fix nitrogen while assisting in micro climate shading and nutrient cycling for the next generation of vegetation.

Special thanks to David Hampton and Steve Daly for organizing and leading the event, and to Craig Martin for leading the subgroups. It was just like old times with Craig teaching how to safely slay a locust for long lasting results. Also special thanks to the White Rock LDS Church for providing almost one third of the work force.

The Santa Fe National Forest extends thanks to all our local volunteers and partners including YCC, PEEC, the Tuff Riders and the Southwest Nordic Ski Club. Los Alamos has one of the most active volunteer communities in the Region.

With limited budget and resources, we could not do it without you.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Santa Fe National Forest, please contact our office in Española at 505.753.7331 or contact any of our existing partners listed above.

One of the 36 volunteers gathered Saturday morning to clear about 3.5 miles of Mitchell Trail. Courtesy/SFNF 

View of an overgrown section of Mitchell Trail, which 36 volunteers cleared about 3.5 miles of on Saturday morning. Courtesy/SFNF

View of an overgrown section of Mitchell Trail, which 36 volunteers cleared about 3.5 miles of on Saturday morning. Courtesy/SFNF