Blue Springs State Park, Proposed Mt Bike Trail

robe2 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:41 am

All: See message below from Lynne Flannery, the land manager at Blue Springs.

I have the attachments that she mentions in her email...shoot me a message if you would like me to forward you the original email. robe2@embarqmail.com

Thanks in advance for anyone interested in volunteering on the new trail at Blue Spring State Park. Anyone interested in volunteering on the trails needs to complete the attached application and get it back to me prior to volunteering. They can contact me via e-mail or phone with any questions. There are a few ways to volunteer:

1) Join in one of our scheduled trail days - attached flyer
2) Join Mark (the lead volunteer on this project) for basic training & orientation on the trail work we are doing, and then continue to volunteer with him, or on your own. These are the days Mark currently has scheduled when to work on the trail.

Wednesday (2/23)
Saturday (2/26)
Monday (3/7)
Thursday (3/10)
Sunday (3/13)
Wednesday (3/16)
Saturday (3/19)
Friday (3/25)
Monday (3/28)
Thursday (3/31)

Best regards,

Lynne Flannery
Park Services Specialist
Blue Spring State Park
2100 West French Ave
Orange City, FL 32763
386-775-1599 (office)
386-804-3240 (work cell)

Preserving the Past While Looking to the Future

ChiliPepper · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:10 am

Does anyone know the progress or status of this new trail at Blue Springs? I have heard nothing about it since this time last year and i will be in this area this weekend, so i wanted to know the status of it. Is it ridable or is it still in the works?

Thanks a bunch for any response to this inquiry. :smt023

-CP

joboy · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:46 am

i'm interested in news on this

ChiliPepper · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:57 am

joboy wrote:

i'm interested in news on this

Well, from what I have been told the other day from a rider that was involved in building this trail, it has been scraped, but this was before the IMBA class & workday back in December.

Quote:

I worked on this for awhile chilli but some infighting and lack of direction killed it. Last I heard the project was abandoned do to sand. I guess they did not know how to deal with sand. Sucks because there is some good elevation change out there. One section had a drop in elevation of 80 feet over a 1200 yard run. Could have been a fun little pseudo down hill section.

I am going to call the Ranger that is in charge here of this project this week and get some more info on this, as the first 5 miles was slated to be completed by last month. I will post up any new info i receive from the Ranger.

O-On!

ChiliPepper · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:06 pm

OK, this is the up to date info I just received (hope this helps)....

Quote:

PHASE 1

As mentioned yesterday, we are within just a few weeks of opening Phase 1. Pretty much all of the Phase 1 trail construction "heavy lifting" work has been completed, we are now in the process of putting finishing touches on parts of it over the next several weekends. After the official map has been created we will compile a post and sign needs list, get materials ordered and installed.

Park staff is working to complete the trail head. The Park may use mechanical equipment to cut +/- 2 miles of trail in the Scrub Jay Hill area that would become part of Phase 1. Scrub Jay Hill is essentially an area clear cut for the benefit of the endangered Scrub Jay. Due to the lack of shade, trails in the Scrub Jay Hill area may be most useful during cooler weather, and maybe early morning and late afternoon during warmer weather. If volunteers can be found that don't mind working in direct and constant sunlight, the Park would prefer to have the Scrub Jay Hill trails cut by hand. Currently Phase 1 includes roughly 3 miles of on the ground single track trail.

Due to the several intentional access points and connectors, pathway selection options can lead to many different combinations and distances which will help keep a visitors experience fresh from visit to visit.

Quote:

Re: volunteering

VOLUNTEERING ON STATE PARK PROPERTY

As you probably know, folks wishing to volunteer must first submit an application and await approval which usually only takes a couple of days. An approved volunteer is essentially an unpaid State of Florida employee. Workman Comp insurance is in effect while working on Park property under the direction of Park staff … and so on. A Volunteer Manual contains all the details.

The volunteer coordinator at the Park is Laura Kruger, Park Services Specialist, "Laura.Kruger@dep.state.fl.us".
Also, Lynne Flannery is the Assistant Park Manager, can be contacted with questions or for additional Park information, and can be reached at "Lynne.Flannery@dep.state.fl.us".

Ocala Mountain Bike Association

Blue Springs State Park, Proposed Mt Bike Trail

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