State Parks' work on El Dorado Hills trail sparks resident concern

Active construction equipment on a popular hiking and equestrian trail in El Dorado Hills has kicked up a cloud of concern from area residents who have been in opposition to a proposed change in use (CIU) of the trail to allow mountain biking in the future. The trail in question is an 11-mile trail that stretches from Brown's Ravine near Folsom Lake Marina into the Salmon Falls area of El Dorado Hills. Currently the trail's designated use is that of foot traffic and equestrians. El Dorado Hills resident Mike Finta has been an outspoken opponent of the proposed CIU. Over the last two months, Finta has reached out to state parks for answers, but reports he has had little response in regard to the recent construction activity that he says violates a 2012 agreement between the United States Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation and the state of California. "Environmental documentation is needed if a maintenance or other project includes one or more of the following: Ground disturbance, change in capacity, change in purpose, new construction," Finta wrote in his recent complaint to state parks. "No such environmental documentation has been prepared by or submitted by Folsom Lake State Parks to the State CEQA ClearingHouse, even though the Browns Ravine Trail Change-In-Use Project involves all 4 of the above specified activities." Residents and recreationists both spoke up in the matter as cyclists want the changes in use to take place, while some residents and trail users oppose it, citing safety as their biggest concern. Park officials then opened up an opportunity for the public to submit their comments or suggestions after they held a virtual public meeting about moving ahead with the project. "What is so very disturbing is that the proposed modifications are already underway, before State Parks has even responded to public comments about the project, or announced any decision to proceed with the project," Finta said. The Folsom Telegraph reached out to Folsom Lake State Parks in search of answers regarding the current construction activity and the status of the public input on the project. Richard Preston-LeMay is the Folsom Sector Superintendent of California State Parks, Gold Fields District. Preston-LeMay responded and referred the inquiry to Adeline Yee, public information officer for California State Parks.Yee shared that officials received more than 700 comments on the Brown's Ravine Trail CIU proposal, from "a variety of individuals and stakeholders," that are still being reviewed. "The input is mixed, as you might imagine, between those fully in support of the change in use and those who oppose it," said Yee."Currently, Gold Fields District staff is in the process of compiling the comments, drafting a summary and producing master responses to the comments.' According to Yee, the district expects to have the summary process completed and will make all of the information public later this month on its official website. "At the same time, the department's natural and cultural resources staff are conducting their California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the proposed trail modifications necessary to implement the change in use," said Yee. "We expect the cultural review to be completed in the next two weeks and the natural resources review to be completed in early May." Following the natural resources review, Yee explained that the "District Superintendent will carefully review and consider all of the comments and other information and will then make a decision to approve or deny the change in use." Yee added that they will be sending their CEQA package for the proposed modifications to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for review and completion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), because the trail is also on Bureau of Reclamation property. "This will need to be completed prior to implementing the trail modifications if the change in use is approved. We do not have a definitive time frame for the NEPA process, but this generally takes several months to complete," said Yee. With all of the steps required prior to any change of use of the trail that are expected to take weeks or months, residents are asking why there is already construction activity on the trail. Yee confirmed it is "routine maintenance." "The work that is currently being conducted on the Browns Ravine Trail is part of our routine and deferred trail maintenance that our district trail crew has been performing on several trails throughout the district," said Yee. "This 'trio' maintenance work includes: (1) brushing the trail back to its original construction limits; (2) removing slough and berm built up on the trail tread; and (3) reshaping the trail tread to its designed standard and construction specifications." Finta also sent documents and a request to Tina Somenek, Realty Specialist for the Central California Area Office Bureau of Reclamation to address the concerns. "Any attempt by State Parks to claim this is merely 'trail maintenance' is beyond misrepresentation, it is downright fraud, considering no such trail grading, widening or construction work has occurred on the Browns Ravine Trail in the past 30 years," stated Finta in the written complaint. According to Yee, the current construction is permitted under a CEQA exemption and the state has followed the proper protocol. "Trail maintenance is one of the activities included in the Department's list of categorical exemptions under CEQA. The District has filed a specific Notice of Exemption for this type of work at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area," said Yee. "The specific trail reconstruction, reroutes or other trail modifications necessary to implement the change in use on the Brown's Ravine Trail will not take place until the change in use is approved, and CEQA and NEPA environmental reviews are completed for those trail modifications." Somenek was unavailable for comment in regard to the matter. She did, however, share in previous correspondence that State Parks can manage the area, with the exception of a major project, under an agreement in place. "Reclamation and State Parks already have an agreement where State Parks administer, operate and maintain the land and lake at Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma, and Auburn Dam and Reservoir," said Somenek." If State Parks decide to approve any projects, that would trigger Reclamation to complete a NEPA only." Finta cites the activity is beyond a level of routine maintenance in his opinion. "This work is major construction and trail modifications, with brush and trees being cut and debris piles accumulated in various places. With significant grading and earthwork being done using a tracked, motorized trail grader, this work is not merely trail maintenance," said Finta. According to Yee, if the change in use does get approval after review of the public comments, construction or improvements will likely not be underway until the end of 2022 or into 2023. "If approved, we do not anticipate any trail work being initiated for the change in use until late 2022 or spring of 2023," Yee said.