A California Conservation Corps crew clearing hiking trails along the Uvas Creek Tuesday stumbled on evidence that kids who had built an illegal labyrinth of dirt bicycle jumps in the protected creek a few years ago preserve are at it again.
In 2013, the city destroyed a sprawling system of banked bike jumps and mounds at two sites along the creek, hidden from view in thick vegetation between Miller Crossing at Christmas Hill Park and the Santa Teresa bridge just south of Third Street.
The habitat repair project cost taxpayers about $30,000, according to city parks and landscape supervisor Bill Headley.
What has now shown up along the east bank of the creek preserve is about one-tenth of what was destroyed when the city discovered the elaborate system of dirt works three years ago, he said.
“The jumps were incredible,” Headley said. “We guessed the kids moved close to 150 yards” of dirt, all with hand tools.
At that time, the restoration project required permits from the California Fish and Wildlife Department to do the work in the protected habitat.
Heavy equipment had to be brought to the creek banks to move and level tons of earth, followed by habitat restoration efforts.
CCC work in the preserve was being overseen by Jim Trujillo of the city parks and landscaping staff, whose district includes the preserve and Christmas Hill Park and all that goes on in those areas, from the garlic festival to the recent Relay for Life.
Although CCC supervisor Janet Wohlgemuth indicated at the project site Tuesday morning that some trail work would be done to eliminate a small, banked path created by the dirt bike enthusiasts, her nine-member crew’s primary goal was to clear low hanging branches and limbs along the narrow, twisting dirt hiking paths along the waterway’s eastern bank.
The site of the CCC’s work is just upstream from Miller Crossing, roughly due east of Solorsano Middle School and a short walk from the Uvas Creek Levee Trail.
“They’re just doing basic trail maintenance,” said Headley, adding when that job’s done the crew will begin similar work along the trails at Christmas Hill Park, site of the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. The three-day event kicks off on Friday, July 29.
“We are thrilled to have them,” Headley said of the CCC workers. “They come fully trained usually with all the tools and equipment they need, and have actually evolved to become part of the federal jobs corps program.”
Under the program, young adults are hired for two-year stints of mostly manual labor assisting in a variety of conservation-related projects throughout the state.
In Gilroy, the crews from the CCC’s Monterey regional office have also cleared creek channels.
Headley said the city will go back into the creek preserve again, possibly as early as this fall, to knock down the newer dirt jumps, mounds and path banking built by the youngsters.
And like last time, a permit from the state will be required, he said.
As for the perpetrators, Headley said, “We are just dealing with a limited number of individuals.”
He urged anyone who sees youngsters with shovels making the jumps to contact the city right away at (408) 846-0350 or (408) 846-0460.
