Work on Pismo Preserve trails moving forward

From the highway, the hills above Pismo Beach don’t look much different from years past.

Yes, the hills are a verdant green dotted with purple from the explosion of grass and wildflowers that popped up after recent rains, but otherwise the stretch of hillside looks the same as ever, even two years after a titanic effort that raised more than $12 million — a large portion coming from individual donations — to purchase 900 acres and set them aside as the Pismo Preserve.

But look closer, and signs are everywhere that a massive trail system will soon give South County hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians some much-needed outdoor recreational space.

The preserve, at one point expected to open in 2015, is now due to be ready this fall.

Drive into the temporary parking lot at the trail system’s entrance, and it’s clear that changes are in the works: a storage shed with trail-building tools sits in the lot, sandbags are stacked along the edge and, in the distance, pathways seem to be appearing out of the hillsides.

But the biggest sign that changes are fast coming to the preserve is the gathering of about a dozen people — fully kitted out in hiking gear — waiting in the parking lot with shovels and hoes.

These people are the worker ants making the preserve a reality.

Construction began in January on 11 miles of trails that will stretch across the preserve, set in the hills behind Pismo Beach and Shell Beach. The sustainable trails will be a mixture of smaller hiking paths and wider mountain biking and equestrian trails that will spiral through the hills and tree-filled canyons and open out onto sweeping ocean views.

Approximately 5.5 miles of trail have been completed so far, with the majority of the labor done by volunteers working four-hour shifts, Tuesday through Saturday, though some of those volunteers put in multiple shifts in a week.

Between 15 and 30 volunteers are on hand working every day, said Greg Bettencourt of Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers — one of the three agencies working on the trail-building project (The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, and San Luis Obispo Parks, Open Space and Trails Foundation are also involved).

“I think, by and large, it’s an interesting mix,” Bettencourt said. “We’ve learned a lot from this project. You would think they would all kind of be outdoor, trail people. But one of the guys down there, my kids went to Mission (Prep high school) with his kids. He’s a pharmacist. I don’t think he’s particularly an outdoor guy. Maybe he bikes a little bit and walks around a little bit. But I think there are just a lot of people who want to get out. There’s just a lot of different folks who want to come out and chip in.”

Scott Couture, the Land Conservancy’s field crew leader, said he was surprised and gratified by the number of people who have shown up to volunteer.

“The thing I take away from this has been the resounding community response and involvement in this project,” Couture said. “It has exceeded our expectations of what we would get just in the number of volunteers and people willing to spend their time on this.”

The Pismo Preserve was acquired by the Land Conservancy in September 2014 for more than $12 million after a massive fundraising effort. Of that, $8 million was donated by the state Coastal Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Board, $3 million came from local and regional government agencies, and the remaining $1.3 million was donated by the community.

In a time when money can be scarce for similar projects, the community rallied behind the Land Conservancy, hoping to preserve the large area of open space for generations to come and provide an extensive trail system for hikers, bikers, walkers, equestrians and anybody who wants to enjoy the outdoors.

“I’ve found this project to be one that will be very rewarding for the community and generations to come,” Couture said. “Just last week, I was talking to a woman working on the trail, and she said, ‘Oh, this will be something my grandson can enjoy.’ I think the community really sees this as something for everyone in the community and not just for The Land Conservancy.”

Not all volunteers for the project do the same thing — some follow behind an excavator machine that digs up the larger multiuse paths and pack in the dirt, while others dig trails with shovels and hoes and build stone retaining walls. Others do some light labor on “Saturday TrailWerks,” or volunteer days when people are encouraged to come out for a single day to help (the next scheduled TrailWerk day is March 19, though the group is not accepting any more volunteers for that day because sign-ups are full).

There also are volunteer opportunities for people who don’t want to necessarily build the trails themselves, Bettencourt said. These people help in other ways, such as working at events, coordinating public relations and handling advertising and other duties.

The volunteers gathered on Tuesday were briefed by Bettencourt on what they would be doing during their shifts. Volunteers could choose which trail to work on — one of the upper trails that is harder to reach or a more accessible lower trail. After picking their path and grabbing the necessary equipment, the volunteers were off to their areas for the next four hours.

Along the lower path, workers followed small blue flags, digging up grass and compacting the dirt through a heavily wooded canyon. Because the path would be a hiking-only trail — and not for equestrians or bikers — it was being built by hand and not with an excavator machine, Bettencourt said.

“Hikers tend to be a little less picky about the trail,” he laughed.

Much of the lower trails section has been completed, Bettencourt said, while some of the proposed trails in the upper areas and some of the more challenging trails are still undeveloped.

“We expect this to be a very, very, very popular place,” he said. “So we have designed the trails and are constructing the trails in a way that will accommodate, frankly, huge use.”

The trails will likely be completed sometime in April, both Bettencourt and Couture said, though the preserve will not be open for public use until the fall. That will give time for the trails to settle before they are inundated with outdoor enthusiasts and will also give the Land Conservancy time to complete work on a proposed parking lot at the trail system entrance. The parking lot will have restrooms and a picnic area.

Once complete, the preserve will be open to the public from dawn until dusk. No camping will be allowed.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Work on Pismo Preserve trails moving forward."