McMurtry

[YZF571]

I just thought I would let everyone know what fine shape the McMurtry trails are in right now. In spite of the project (clearing land) that is ongoing on the Red Trail, the entire place is in really nice shape and is a lot of fun to ride. Whoever maintains the trails there has done a lot of work in the recent past and it sure shows. The new sections on the Eastern side on the lake (South East trail I'll say) are really nice, it flows so well and is great to ride at this time of the year. It is fast and there are just enough leaves, hucks, decents and off chambers to make for a fun and interesting ride!

[stevespidey1953]

Go by yourself, go with a group, go with aliens...it's all good. i went a couple weekends ago by myself and rode 3 of the 4 trails and had a solo blast. Except for the NW trail, they're pretty self-explanatory so pretty hard to get lost.

[oefwebguy]

Anybody know if McMurtry will be rideable tomorrow?

[98Homegrown]

On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 10:27 PM, Dennis Mayberry
<dennis@mayberryonline.net>wrote:

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Everyone,****

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It has been a hectic few days dealing with the damage to the trails out at
Lake McMurtry.  I thought I’d take a minute and bring those whom are
interested up to date.****

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First of all, here is what’s going on out at the lake.  Red Rock Energy is
planning to drill for oil on the west side of Lake McMurtry.  In preparation
to do so, they have deals in place with the city for certain resources and
were granted access to do land surveys and seismic data collection.  The
city did not grant Dawson Geotechnical, a sub-contractor, any permit to
unconditional access to the land.  The type of destruction and method of
egress was not clearly conveyed to the city prior to the destruction of the
property and trails. ****

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Today, Scott Stoodley and I met with the project manager from Dawson
Geotechnical, along with the city attorney and the city’s external services
director. We took them out to see first-hand the damage that had been done
to the trails, wooded areas, and creek beds.  To say the least, nobody from
the city was happy about what they saw.  We spent a good part of the
afternoon walking the swaths of destruction so that everyone understood the
extent of the damage.  We also spent time discussing how to repair some of
the damage and what could be done.****

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To start with, Dawson Geotechnical will be clearing our trails of the
debris – raking, moving down trees, blocking sight lines down the swaths of
destruction, etc.  This is just to get the trail useable again, and once it
is done we’ll have further discussions on what to do next.  Also, Dawson
Geotechnical will perform extensive work to prevent erosion in the ravines
and creek beds where swaths were cut.  In these areas the soil was
pulverized and the channels were full of debris.****

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The work will take the remainder of this week and probably into next week.
They are working on the SE (red) trail first and working their way around
the lake.  By Thursday afternoon the SE trail should be clear for biking and
hiking once again.  I ask that everyone be mindful of what is taking place
out there and be careful.  Also understand that the city is working with the
Friends of Lake McMurtry, the Red Dirt Pedalers, and the rest of the
community to provide a great place for us to ride and hike.  I know the city
attorney and the external services director, and I believe they have the
trails best interest in mind.****

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If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the trails, please
direct them to me or Scott Stoodley.  The city employees have their hands
full dealing with the drilling company and the sub-contractors right now.*
***

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Together we can overcome this thrashing of our trails.  But we have to keep
cool and work with the people who are willing to