Back Meadow Trail Improvement Project

Back Meadow Trail Improvement Project

The purposes of the proposed project are to provide a sustainable trail system venue for interscholastic cross-country and mountain bike events for Marin County’s middle school and high school students and to improve access for rangers and emergency responders on foot or using small all-terrain vehicles to the Back Meadow area of Stafford Lake Park and the existing Disc Golf Course. Back Meadow Trail: The proposed Back Meadow Trail segment would extend from the existing Terwilliger Trail and provide a natural surfaced hiking and cycling path through the disc golf course area. The trail length would be 2 miles, it would vary in width from 2-feet to 6-feet, with an average gradient of 4 percent. The Back Meadow Trail would provide one-way travel for cyclists. Trail design elements would include climbing turns, insloped turns, chicanes, and rock gardens. The Back Meadow Trail would cross one ephemeral stream utilizing a bridge, one run-out gully from a hillslope debris slide in a colluvial hollow utilizing a puncheon, and would traverse a low-gradient convex hillslope between two isolated hillside seeps utilizing an elevated boardwalk. These structural trail elements would all be top-of-bank to top-of-bank and would not affect the ephemeral stream, gully, or hillside seeps. No trees or sensitive vegetation would be removed. For these reasons, no regulatory permit authorizations are required. The existing disc golf course layout would be slightly reconfigured to improve integration of the course with the trail, including relocation of some disc golf targets (baskets), removing one tee, and adding two additional tees to direct disc flights (throws) away from the trail corridor. These changes would improve disc golf course playability, improve user safety, and lessen the chances for conflict between trail users and disc golfers. New signage would be installed at each trailhead and trail intersection to indicate use and direction of travel where applicable. Bridge Crossing: The proposed bridge would be located above the 100-year flood elevation spanning above both banks of the ephemeral stream. It would be 16-feet in length, 6-feet in width, and 4-feet in height with steel girder structural framing and wood decking, constructed based on engineering plans developed for Marin County Parks. Concrete foundations would be set beyond the top of the stream banks and the bridge would be bolted to the concrete foundation. Cut and fill volumes for the bridge foundations would balance in that the soil excavated for the footings would be replaced by concrete, and the excavated soil would be off-hauled and utilized on other parts of the trail. All excavation associated with the bridge foundations would occur beyond the top of bank and outside the stream channel. Puncheon Crossing: The proposed puncheon crossing the run-out gully from a hillslope debris slide would be constructed using a steel girder structural framing and wood decking, would be 8-feet in length, 6-feet in width, and would have a maximum of 30-inches vertical drop from the puncheon deck to the ground, measured at the gully thalweg, therefore a bull rail or kick-plate would be installed along the puncheon edges rather than a railing system. Boardwalk: The proposed boardwalk would cross two isolated hillside seeps located on a low-gradient convex hillslope. It would be 50-feet in length and 6-feet in width, constructed of steel framing and redwood decking. The boardwalk would be affixed to diamond pier foundations or similar to elevate the boardwalk above the ground surface. Diamond pier foundation units are relatively simple to install, require no excavation, and no additional concrete. Setting: Stafford Lake Park encompasses 139 acres of land on the western shores of Stafford Lake, a drinking water reservoir managed by North Marin Water District near the City of Novato. The land for the park was acquired by the County in 1971. The Park provides picnic areas, playgrounds, a bike park, event areas, shore fishing opportunities, walking trails and a disc golf course. Plant and wildlife surveys have been completed in the project area. Vegetation in the project area includes a diverse mix of alliances, with Umbellularia californica being the most abundant forest and woodland plant community. Quercus lobata and Quercus agrifolia alliance forest and woodland plant communities are also present. Grassland communities include Avena ssp. Bromus spp. and Lolium perenne Semi-Natural Alliances, and Festuca arundinacea Association. The proposed project would not remove or otherwise damage trees and avoids impacts to swaths of mature native bunchgrasses. No special status wildlife species occur in the project area. Isolated fragrant fritillary (fritillaria liliacea) and bristly Leptosiphon (Leptosiphon aureus) populations around the existing disc golf course were identified and subsequently fenced off. The proposed project was specifically designed to avoid known populations of Fritillaria. Marin County Parks is using this project as an opportunity to reduce impacts to the species by rerouting trails, relocating disc golf infrastructure, and building exclusionary fencing. Leptosiphon prefers disturbed, compacted soil and appears to rely on steady foot traffic to maintain ideal habitat conditions. Visitor use of the proposed project may influence the distribution and abundance of Leptosiphon in the project area. Marin County Parks would continue to monitor populations of Fritillaria and Leptosiphon and implement adaptive management measures, if needed, to avoid declines in these plant populations. Neither of these species are protected under the California or Federal Endangered Species Act, however they are considered a California Rare Plant. Construction: Project implementation is planned for 2025 as soon as soil moisture conditions allow and after pre-construction surveys determined that sensitive species are not present in the project area. Construction would occur Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and would require approximately six months. Construction related to water crossings and earthwork requiring use of equipment would be limited to the dry season, generally between May and October. Equipment would include trail dozers, mini-excavators, loaders, compactors, cement mixers, rubber track carriers, generators, ATVs, jackhammers, power saws, and other hand tools. Access to the project site for construction equipment would be through the main gate at Stafford Lake Park at Novato Boulevard. Construction staging areas would be restricted to existing Stafford Lake Park property and would avoid impacts on sensitive natural resources including sensitive habitats, plant, or animal species. During construction, trails within the project area would be closed for recreation for safety purposes. Emergency access would be maintained during construction. Operation and Maintenance: After project construction, recreation on the Back Meadow Trail would follow the proposed designated uses. Trail use is expected to increase as the trail would be more comprehensive and accommodating to multiple user groups. The increase in use is anticipated to be locally driven by Marin County residents. The Back Meadow Trail would be maintained by Stafford Lake Park staff. As the trail is sustainably designed, the level of maintenance is expected to be low. Regular maintenance would include brushing of the trail corridor, maintaining trail surface and drainage and clearing fallen trees and trail obstructions as needed.

Novato

Marin

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Marin