Dirt Magic

On this episode of Dirt Magic we take a virtual stroll through a historic recreation area, the Lakes Basin, located in the Plumas National Forest of Northern California. With over 20 small lakes, impressive peaks, 30+ miles of trails, waterfalls, picturesque campgrounds and historic lodges, the Lakes Basin Recreation Area is a crown jewel in the Plumas National Forest. And now it is ever more important to talk about keeping these epic trails open for all of us to enjoy.

Joining me on this episode of Dirt Magic are three historical figures themselves.  They are purveyors of fine singletrack and have decades of experience when it comes to building and maintaining trails. Please welcome SBTS Executive Director Greg WIlliams, SBTS Master of All Trades Marc Cosbey and SBTS Pro Trail Crew Boss, Henry O’Donnell.

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Dirt Magic Trails Report - January 30th, 2025

Plumas County, CA

Dirt Magic-The Podcast

On this episode of Dirt Magic,  we invite the SBTS pro trail crew in for a casual conversation about digging in the dirt, high flying river jumps and exploding trees, yep, exploding trees. The SBTS pro trail crew creates the most public interface of the stewardship and is literally where the dollars meet the dirt. Since the birth of the stewardship, the pro trail crew has built over 215 miles of brand new trail, maintained over 2,700 miles of trail and helped manage over 9,300 volunteers. Bottom line, the dirtier this crew gets, the more fun we all have on the trails. 

We begin with a stroll down the history lane of the trail crew with SBTS executive director, Greg Williams. After that it’s a potpourri of good times, great work and getting dirty with SBTS Trail Crew Boss, Henry O’Donnell and SBTS pro crew trail members Zach Poh, Andrew Burger, Josh Kluger, Evan Olsen and Dominique (Dom) Cavilia. And a forewarning: trying to wrangle this crew onto one live recording session was like wrangling cats in a bathtub. Some are in the studio and others are out in remote land and having to use old technology, basically a soup can and string line. 

Thanks for listening and enjoy the episode. - Martin Scheel

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Dirt Magic Trails Report - November 14th, 2024 - Old Man Winter has arrived!

Yuba Expedition's Winter Hours

Regional Road Conditions - potential snow closures

Dirt Magic-The Podcast

On this episode of Dirt Magic we will be discussing forest stewardship and how looking to the past may help protect the future of our forested public lands.

Our guests today have a combined dossier of experience that would rival any renowned institution of learning. 

Together they are a visionary that collected the right ingredients to create a 20 plus year trail stewardship organization, a self-funded professional mountain bike adventurer who for over 25 years has dabbled in forestry & fire to pay for his bikes and parts, and a registered professional forester with decades of experience in resource management, fire ecology, environmental policy and still had time to author more than 20 scientific papers.  You might call this group the “Dream Team” of our forested public lands. 

Introducing SBTS executive director Greg Williams, firefighter and registered professional forester Stew McMorrow and Co-director of the Natural Hazards Team and Operations Manager at Spatial Informatics Group Jason Moghaddas. 

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Our show today features a panel discussion from the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force regional meeting in South Lake Tahoe. The meeting was attended by 800 in-person and virtual guests. 

SBTS’ Michelle Abramson was a featured speaker on the Focus on Recreation panel, discussing how SBTS is promoting recreation and rural economic stimulation through our Connected Communities project. 

She also addressed the challenges with the post-wildfire recovery process, from restoring the trails to restoring communities, and how trails can bring back an economic resource in small communities, as well as future protection and resilience through the SBTS Fire Hardened Trails Prescription Program. 

You will also hear from Stew McMorrow, with Cal Fire and SBTS executive board member, about Fire Hardened Trails. And stay tuned for an upcoming episode as Stew joins  SBTS Executive Director Greg Williams, taking a deeper dive into how the SBTS is working on our Fire Hardened Trail Prescription Program.

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

This Episode focuses on the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship's mission to produce world class events. A brief history of how it all began, where we’ve been and where we are going. We will also discuss an upcoming event in Quincy, CA and a grand purple homecoming in 2025. Our guests today consist of a seasoned event producer, manager, director and a rookie that has made his way to big leagues. Introducing SBTS executive director Greg Williams and SBTS events director Kyle Stone.

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Our guests today could be labeled as prospectors of Dirt Magic. From digging deep into virtual trails to digging dirt on the trails and exploring a bit deeper to search for that ever elusive vein of gold.  Maybe not gold in its traditional sense, but just as valuable nonetheless. They have a plan. It could even be called a master plan.  And after a long day of prospecting and planning, these two good people of the SBTS take the time to educate folks on how to survive an encounter with quick sand. Yep, quick sand. 

I would like to introduce SBTS Director of Grant  Management , Michelle Abramson & SBTS Charitable Giving Coordinator Gina Achilles. 

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel

Garen Becker hails from a town where you used to be able to attend college naked, which brings a whole new meaning to Banana Slugs. He is making a name for himself as theTrail  Bear Whisperer, not to be confused with the cocaine bear. And while he prefers veterinarians and trail side medics for his many suture procedures, he still isn’t afraid to shred the Downieville Trail system on two wheels. Calling him a partner or sponsor would be a disservice, as his DNA bleeds Downieville and SBTS, both literally and figuratively. He attempted a side career in cart racing, but quickly found out that mixing it up with your host was not a good track decision. All kidding aside, Garen is a super rad dude and family member of the DVC and SBTS. This, is Garen’s Classic story.

Dirt Magic-The Podcast, Hosted by Martin Scheel