Reports and Data

Trails Planning

While the core mission of the Water Conservation District is not parks and recreation, the open space owned and managed by the District in the wash area has the potential to provide the local residents with recreation amenities that are not in conflict with the primary water management purpose of the District.  Because of this the Upper Santa Ana Wash Land Management and Habitat Conservation Plan, better known as the Wash Plan includes permissive coverage for Public Access Trails.  While the Wash Plan HCP is still being finalized the District Board of Directors has supported several efforts to help the Wash Plan Task Force participants and the US Fish and Wildlife Service identify what is needed to be able to allow legal access to these 15 miles of on District, County Flood Control or Bureau of Land Management control.

An initial survey and concept plan was developed based on the Wash Plan elements by a team of intern engineers, GIS and Biology Students from UC Riverside, University of Redlands and Cal Poly Pomona in 2014. After review by planning staff from the City of Redlands and City of Highland as well as other stakeholders the Board Accepted the plan.   Conceptual Trails Plan 08 06 2015

Based on this initial study and in response to significant concerns from resource agencies in other preserves that had public recreational access, the District worked with consultants on a Trails Master Plan.  District staff and consultants refined the information in the prior study, gathered information from other preserves with public access as well as best practices in trail implementation and management.  Additional work in this plan included a more detailed description of the trails network and design guidelines as well as new chapters on Implementation and Operations and Management.  Chief among these new sections were 2 areas of effort.

Trails Master Plan November 2016

1. Implementation planning
   1. Review of governance options and considerations 
   2. Cost estimates and budgets
   3. Conditional use requirements
2. Operations
   1. Patrol needs
   2. Monitoring needs
   3. Regulatory approvals needed to open the trails
   4. Maintenance needs

Staff and Consultants incorporated comments and changes from the cities and other stakeholders to prepare the final Wash Plan Trails Master Plan.

Next Steps

We are working with the cities and others to continue planning for ultimate implemenation and incorporation into the regional trail systems.