Dave Basaraba has taken the snowmobile to its' spring through fall storage cave and thus winter is officially over in South Star, for ski purposes anyway. The amazing storm we had just after the snowmobile left, provided the small crowd of skiers who turned up, a wonderful opportunity to try un-groomed powder. That snow now has a hefty crust on it and is hardening up, so if you continue to ski, please do so carefully. Snowshoeing conditions are still excellent. It's important to remember that South Star is a year round trail system, so this is the time to dust off your bike and hiking shoes. South Star remains non-motorized but once trail grooming is over, dogs are welcome on all trails. Please keep your dogs under control - there have been some unfortunate incidents and it ruins a good walk to have your dog involved in a scrap with other dogs. Horses are also now welcome on the trails. This winter, several horses rode up Easy Street and the Dog Trail, which was frustrating for the groomers and very difficult for skiers as the droppings make the tracks unsafe and hard to restore to good condition.
Al Freeze and Don Cain have finished their work, felling the pine that are dead and hazardous. They removed 220 trees and left the remains on the forest floor to rot. The Pine Beetle carries the Blue Stain Fungus, with which it inoculates the trees. The fungus accelerates the rotting process so we should see some rapid decomposition over the next few years. We also expect to see considerable tree death over the next decade due to Pine Beetle, however, if the trees are not a hazard to our trails or structures, then they will be left to fall and contribute to the humus.
