Local group helps clean up biking trails after Helene
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - If you mountain bike around the CSRA, you know about SORBA — the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.
They have a chapter in the CSRA that helps maintain many of our public trails.
We caught up with them on Wednesday to see how progress is going post-Helene.
SORBA CSRA has been working tirelessly since Helene to get our trail systems back up and running.
“So far, we’ve cleared 13 miles of trails. Roughly 1,300 trees off our trail systems. I think we are up to 1,500 volunteer hours which is just phenomenal,” said SORBA CSRA President Jake Veriato.
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Volunteers with SORBA have been clearing trails from Augusta to Hickory Knobb State Park.
This week, they are focusing on the Fork Area Trail System.
“This is the first day we are allowed to cut on the FATS trail system and its limited scope. We don’t have free reign, and we are focusing on access points,” said Veriato.
SORBA works alongside the land managers of the trail system, like the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“If the CSRA wasn’t here, the forest service doesn’t have the manpower to do this. I mean they have bigger fish to fry. And we want to ride bikes so we will take on the responsibility to make it work and that’s what we are doing today,” said Stan Crane, president of SORBA NE Georgia.
Nonprofits work to regroup after Helene
Local non-profit organizations are left figuring out what’s next after having to cancel large fundraisers because of Hurricane Helene.
The sentinel satellite captured the destruction of Helene in part of McCormick County where FATS is located.
The before and after show that tree loss was substantial.
“This is phenomenal. I just don’t think people understand what happened here,” said Crane.
Even though the task is large, SORBA believes in its efforts.
“These trails are for everybody hikers, trail runners, bird watchers, mountain bikers. We are mainly a trail advocacy group and we would love to have volunteers,” said
Visit SORBA CSRA’s website to donate or sign up to volunteer.
They also have a fundraiser going on this weekend.
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