Carvins Cove Trail Plan - Roanoke

Carvins Cove Natural Preserve
2010 Trails Management Plan
to the powers that be trail maintenance needs (downed trees, etc.)? Maybe a website with a
forum or at least an email contact could increase communication.
Trail management: Not sure exactly what you mean. I would advocate getting input from a
wide variety of sources, which the city seems to be doing now, rather than making decisions
within silos and then wondering why people think they're bad decisions, as the city used to do.
Continue as present.
It is time to apply alternate days/alternate trails for horses & mt. bikers -seriously -At Tsali this
allows everyone to enjoy the trail without disruption to their ride.
Amazing work has been done.
No, you're doing a great job Brian!
From the little bit I know the trails are being managed excellently currently, with only room for
small improvements. I would love to see more events being held, cookouts, parties, bike
demos.
I believe the trails should be managed by the users under the guidance of the Parks and
Recreation Department. There are many motivated users that are now maintaining trails, I think
that additional people would be willing help in the effort if presented in the right way.
8. Should the trails be closed for weather conditions where use would damage the trails?
Education about using trails in different weather conditions would be a help. To have a trail
conditions page of a website. Most of the trail issues are occuring on the newer trail that hasn't
had adequate time to "break in." Users need to know that they can ruin or erode newly
constructed trail very easily in wet weather. There are some trails at the Cove that are not
effected by weather. These should be highlighted in some way.
Different trails drain\dry at different rates, so how would weather closures be communicated
and managed? The areas on the lower trails that seem to get damaged the most are perpetually
wet areas that I don't think closures would help. All in all, I don't think weather closures would
have any real benefits other than frustrate users.
I am not as familiar with the Cove and the trail system as many others are but in just my short
time out there helping to assess the trails it is obvious to me that some if not all the trails need
to be closed when the ground is wet. The damage I saw from bicycles and horses on wet trails
was significant. I don't know how this would be enforced but hopefully, over time, the culture
would change so that users were in the mind set of protecting this resource rather than
using/abusing it.
I wouldn't bother trying to close trails due to weather consitions--less government is better on
this issue, and bad weather already has a dampening effect (pun intended) on the amount of
trail use. Any damage done is negligible compared to the bureaucratic nightmare of trying
closures.
I think this should be handled by suggestion, rather than strict ruling.
Yes, no riding the single tracks within 24 hours of precipitation.
Appendix D - 7