2023 Recap Infographic.pdf

Did you know that CITRA has officially adopted the trails leading to Loon Lake? We spend a lot of hours clearing the trails, so they are passable to all user groups, hikers, mountain bikers, horsemen, and dirt bikers. 

Each year, the weekend after the road is plowed open we organize a large group effort to get the trails opened up for the season.  This year we are hosting the event on Saturday, June 10th. 

This is a great opportunity to give back to the community. We will be meeting at the Ruby Meadows Campground at 9:00am with a rider's meeting at 9:30. From there we will break into groups and head out on the trails. 

All rider abilities are welcome to join! Please reach out if you have any questions. citraidaho@gmail.com 

Hello CITRA members,

Summer is upon us and we hope everyone has been busy clearing trails and enjoying spring in the mountains! 

Please come join us for a membership meeting on July 11^th at Mile High Power Sports from 6:30-8:00.

The club will provide burgers and dogs, bring a side dish to share and your favorite beverage to enjoy.

The CITRA board will update everyone on what’s happening with local land management issues and ongoing plans for development of kids/family programs, mechanic clinics, events and progress that’s been made in getting this club organized in its first 2 years. A lot has happened since we organized and we’re excited to tell you about some special projects on the horizon.

We’ll also be looking for feedback from YOU about what you think the club should be focusing on, where you’d like to see us grow and topics we may not be aware of.

The more members we have, the stronger our voice, Please bring a friend and spread the word to anyone that might be interested in what we’re all about!

Email heather@mccalldp.com or text to 208-315-0835 with any questions and to RSVP.

Greetings Motorheads,

It seems riding season is upon us again. Time to put on some new tires and sharpen your chain saws.  So far this spring we’ve had a day ride in Hells Canyon as well as a great week in Utah. Our next scheduled event is our annual Memorial Day Krassel work weekend. We’ll plan to base out of the Buckhorn Bar Campground arriving Thursday evening on May 24^th and driving home the afternoon of the 28^th.

We also have a date with members of CIMBA on Saturday May 26^th to work on Cow Creek. This trail is loved by everyone and is in dire need of some major brushing as well as dirt work. Otherwise, we’ll be chasing the snow line on other trails on the North end of the South Fork. Feel free to join us for the entire weekend or drive down for a day.

More immediately, Brian King of TVTMA is hosting a Krassel work weekend this Friday evening through Sunday (May 18-20). Some of us plan to join them and will be based at the Poverty Flat Campground. These guys do a ton of work in the Krassel so let’s show them our support by pitching in. Quite a bit of work has already been done including opening the Krassel Knob trail by a group led by Dave Woods from Boise.

Recently a number of members of CITRA, CIMBA, and the Backcountry Horsemen attended a chain saw certification course hosted by the Payette National Forest. It was a great class and we now have several members certified for bucking, limbing , and felling. This will enable us to participate in USFS sanctioned projects that benefit all of us. We have a couple of projects on the horizon including a new Jenkins Crossing bridge and some re routing on the Jackson Creek Trail. When we participate in projects such as these under a USFS volunteer agreement, we will be covered by their insurance, as well as providing labor that helps the Forest Service obtain funding for projects such as these.

Please keep an eye on our web site www.citra.rocks as our trail maintenance section evolves. It includes a main page that will show trail maintenance efforts updated on a weekly basis. Eventually, members will be able to click on a trail on the main page and get a comprehensive description of each motorized trail including how to get there, distance, elevation change, photos, and a map.

Another bit of exciting news is the introduction of a live map created by several members of the Payette Nat. Forest. This map show trails (both motorized and non motorized) and also shows maintenance status. Check it out by clicking here.

If you haven’t already done so, please visit our website and make sure your membership is up to date. We need your support now more than ever. We still have a few glitches in the membership area but we’re working on it and please let us know if you have issues with memberships.

Thanks and hope to see you on the South Fork,

Steve Lacey

The Treasure Valley Trail Machine Association (TVTMA) is hosting its annual Blacks Creek Work Weekend this coming weekend April 7-8. They are under contract with the forest service to maintain trails in the Blacks Creek area.  TVTMA members help us a lot with trails on the Payette and the Boise so let’s show them our support by helping them with Blacks Creek. Please click on their event link www.tvtma.org/event-2799742  for more info.

Just a reminder about a couple of upcoming events...

This Saturday is our annual Hells Canyon Ride. We plan to start riding at 11:00am which means you should probably leave McCall around 8:30am. For those who haven’t been, there it’s an old jeep road that sort of parallels the Snake River for about 15 miles making it a 30 mile round trip. The ride is really fun. Scenery is amazing. Dual Sport bikes are fine but I’d say it’s an advanced dual sport ride.

Directions: Continue north on the highway from Riggins and turn left just before Whitebird. Cross the Salmon River and follow the signs over Deer Creek Summit to Pittsburgh Landing. Just before you reach the campground and the boat ramp look for us in a grassy area on the right. If you get there late you’ll see two trail signs. Follow the right or Eastern trail.

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Reminder number two is regarding our Forest Service chain saw training. Those of you who have responded please disregard and those of you who haven’t please pay attention! I need a head count and I also need to know if any of you have had previous Forest Service training. I also need to know if any of you have current first aid cards. Susan Jenkins is trying to set up a first aid course as we’ll need it for our saw certificates. The training will be Friday Apr. 20^th through hopefully Sat. Apr. 21^st . There is a chance that it will run into Sunday morning but it’s doubtful. Location is TBD. I’ll keep you posted.

SIGN UP FOR TRAINING

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Also I’d like to announce that one of our young members, Porter Hamblin, took a third place in the Oreana 100 Race last Saturday! Porter is an amazing rider and this was his first race ever. I for one am really proud of him. Make sure you pat him on the back on Saturday.

Thanks and hope to see you on Saturday,

Steve Lacey

Dear Members,

For some time now we’ve been discussing options for chain saw training for our members as well as other volunteer organizations like CIMBA and The Back Country Horsemen group. We need Forest Service sanctioned chain saw training so that we can participate in the Forest Service volunteer program and work on projects that benefit all of us. As an official volunteer organization we’ll not only be able to take advantage of their insurance program but we’ll be able to offer our services with regard to trail projects that wouldn’t get done otherwise. We’ve all seen what dwindling budgets have done to trail maintenance and we know that the future of trail maintenance is in the hands of volunteer organizations such as ours. Some National Forests are requiring anyone carrying a chain saw to be certified. Fortunately, the Payette isn’t one of them but as they say “The Day Ain’t Over Yet”.

Please consider attending this training and helping CITRA become legitimized trail maintenance partners. A lot of you have promised me you’ll participate in this so it’s time to step up to the plate. The training will take place on April 20, 21, and possibly roll into part of the 22^nd depending on overall skill level of the group. The location will be announced at a later date. We will ask that you bring a saw. If you don’t have one let me know and we’ll find you one.

I’ll keep you updated as we finalize details but for now I need a head count in the next few days. Please respond via email cloudhidden2@hotmail.com 

Thanks, Steve Lacey

As I put some gas in the dirt bike this past weekend and drove to the desert I was reminded that it’s time to inform the membership as to what your executive board has been up to these past few months.  We took a couple of months off due to busy schedules and just started meeting again in January.

Website

One of the main topics of conversation has been polishing the web site.  We’ve hired a web designer to whip it into shape and she’s off to a great start. We’ve got big plans for ideas to be implemented in the next couple of months.

Scott Keithly has agreed to manage the membership which means updating renewals, etc., so expect to see renewal notices soon. As always, you’ll be able to renew online as well as creating and updating your profiles.

Another idea we’re all very excited about is a trail status page which will include current trail conditions for every trail on the Payette open to motorcycles. We will ask members to report on conditions and work they’ve accomplished on a weekly basis and we hope to have new information posted by Wed. of each week so that folks can use the information to make weekend plans. 

Jared Hendee is setting up an online store for club bling including t shirts, hoodies, caps, decals, mugs, and maybe even CITRA bike graphics kits. 

Johanna Defoort is creating a photo archive of club events etc., and will be looking for your favorite photos.  We’ll also have a “Yard Sale” page to list all of the used bikes and equipment cluttering up your garage.

Another item of interest will be a discussion forum where members can discuss anything from trail related questions to tires to jetting. The trail status pages as well as the forums will be “members only” areas as we feel that anyone that uses them should be contributing to the cause. 

We are also working on an idea for a kids program which could include sponsorship in the form of money, equipment, or training, for kids that want to ride or race but have limited resources. 

We’ll also include a calendar of events, news related to local land use issues, and links to relevant organizations as well as our sponsors.  Please check it out as it evolves and feel free to make comments and suggestions.  www.citra.rocks

Lands Management

With regard to Lands Management, we continue to participate on several fronts including The Land Allocation Branch of the Payette Forest Coalition where we are charged with reviewing current designations and making recommendations to the PFC which will be carried forward to the Payette Nat. Forest. We are involved in the South Fork Restoration and access management plan and hope to help shape our future on the Krassel. We’re committed to helping the Payette Nat. Forest with several projects this year including a brand new bridge over French Creek at Jenkins Crossing as well as the first phase of a trail improvement project on some of the wet portions of the Jackson Creek Trail.

We’re in the process of setting dates for a chain saw certification class to be held some time in April and we encourage anyone who carries a saw to attend. This certification will ultimately legitimize our efforts and make it possible to partner with the forest service under their volunteer program so that we can participate in projects sanctioned by the forest service and also be covered by their insurance. We’re very excited about this partnership and feel certain that it will help insure that our trails are maintained and that we continue to have a welcomed presence on the forest landscape.

Upcoming Events

In the upcoming events deptartment we’re planning another Hells Canyon ride on March 10^th. This is an advanced dual sport or fairly easy dirt bike ride of about 30 miles based at Pittsburg Landing. Last year we probably had 30 or so people and we all had a blast.

Next on the calendar is a desert trip to a place called Chimney Rock or Woodside, north of Green River, UT on the edge of the San Rafael Swell. This is a great place to get out in the desert while avoiding the crowds of Moab. The riding runs the gamut from nice dirt roads to extremely technical single track. There’s something for everyone and we plan to be there from Mar 24-31.

Next is our 2^nd annual South Fork Salmon weekend where we work on our favorite trails and then ride them. Those dates are May 25-28. Watch for these dates and more details on the web site.

It’s been a great year for the club and I’ve only scratched the surface in terms of all of the good things we’ve been a part of. I hope to see you all at our upcoming events and I hope that we can count on your continued support. The future of our beloved sport is truly in the hands of you and organizations like CITRA.

 

Steve Lacey
President
Central Idaho Trail Riders Alliance