COMMISSION

Back Field Obstacle Hill Climb Restoration
The Back Field Hill Climb was a location where visitors
formed a volunteer hill climb that traveled up to the
hilltop to Back Field trail. The site was located in the
park’s Adobe property, which is comprised of a clay
soil type throughout with outcroppings of sandstone in
various locations. The vegetation communities present
on these sandstone outcrops consist of low chaparral
plant species. This particular hill climb was located on
sandstone outcrops. The hill climb’s tread became rutted
over time due to the frequency in its use and eventually
covered a wide swath of the hillside. The hill climb was a popular attraction because the
small mound-like features that formed throughout the
tread added an additional challenge, along with its
placement with other similar hills and climbs. The site
became a big scar in the hillside that continued to widen
as vegetation became scant and no longer acted as a
barrier.
The site was identified for restoration because there
Black Field Hill Climb after restoration
Black Field Hill Climb before restoration
were similar features within close proximity and it would
take time for a chaparral plant community to establish.
In order to bring the hill back to grade, heavy equipment operators recontoured the hillside
and replaced soil captured from a sediment retention basin downslope in the watershed.
Once all soil movement activities were completed, sediment control fiber rolls were placed
along the contour and the site was revegetated using native chaparral plants grown in the
park’s native plant nursery.
Olive Orchard Culvert Removal Project
In Hollister Hills SVRA’s Lower Ranch, the soil substrate is comprised of highly erodible,
gully-prone granite material created by millennia of tectonic action. During the early 1900s,
wide firebreak roads were constructed in the area and culverts were installed to convey
water wherever the road crossed drainages. The resulting approach to managing water
actually caused it to back up in the culverts and act like a high-pressure hose, blowing out
and eroding the mountain. These culverts not only created a substantial erosional feature in
the landscape, but were also a primary sediment producer to the park’s creek.
Hollister Hills SVRA developed an adaptive management approach to identify and replace
all of the culverts along the Olive Orchard Return that caused erosion. After identifying the
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California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission