Emery County volunteers, crews set for September trail rebuilds as state grants ease match rules

Emery County trail volunteers and county recreation staff said they will begin concentrated trail maintenance and safety work this fall after recent rains washed out sections of singletrack and trailheads.

At a committee meeting, members described two main projects in late September: two roughly 2‑mile trails that need trimming, dirt work and rock stabilization, and a larger trailhead/loop repair that organizers expect to complete with a combination of professional crews and volunteer labor over two days. Speaker 1 outlined plans for Sept. 22–23 operations involving backcountry pilots, a state crew, county staff and BLM equipment support.

Brett Stewart, who works on trails across multiple counties, told the committee a recent change in state practice will make work easier for counties and nonprofits. ‘‘With that bill that I ran, they can give 100% funding and use volunteer hours for match,’’ he said, adding that volunteer hours up to one year prior to a contract date can now be counted toward matching requirements.

Speaker 6 said the Climate Coalition has raised funds and will hire a trained trail crew to rebuild trailheads in Straight Canyon that were scraped by UDOT road work and worsened by rain. ‘‘That trail rebuild is a safety thing for us because climbers currently just dart onto the road where the trail washed away,’’ the speaker said.

Officials discussed logistics: materials and gravel deliveries are in place for at least one site, Emery Telcom and county operators have agreed to provide equipment and a skid steer, and the Colorado Trail Preservation Association is scheduled to send a trail crew to work in Emery County for multiple weeks under a recent grant award.

County and state representatives emphasized assessing sites before mobilizing heavy equipment to avoid wasted time and to identify parking, staging and tool needs. Committee members also raised public‑safety concerns after a rider struck a cut barricade on Trail 29 and required stitches; members said barricades were reinforced with concrete and rebar following the incident.

The committee noted the broader funding context: a recent statewide grant cycle awarded approximately $1.7 million in total; Emery County received smaller allocations that will fund local crew work and staging areas. Committee members encouraged eligible local entities to apply for OHP/OHV funding and to coordinate volunteer hours to maximize grant program match and reduce county cash outlay.

The committee scheduled follow‑up site assessments prior to major work and confirmed multi‑agency participation for the September projects.