Bandit Cleanup
“Bandit Trail” refers to any trail that has been built without permission by the land owner, and beleive it or not the majority of South Austin Trail Network is unsactioned bandit single track. Of the 140 miles that make up the system, very few of those are approved. Regardless of whether or not the corridor exists within an HOA greenbelt or public parkland, maintenance is required, and as a community we have volunteered ourselves for this unofficial upkeep. One example was the recent winter storm cleanup which brought numerous large trees down across Central Texas.
And now once again we are taking initiative with a recent cleanup at a jump zone called “Little Bowieville” between the Veloway and Bowie HS. This spot is popular with high school students who skip class and leave their trash behind, and flash flooding also pushes debris into this valley, so we reached out to the FFA Farm at Bowie HS and secured permission to pull trash out of Bowieville and use the farm dumpster for disposal!
It is always possible that unsanctioned trail eventually ends up being approved and made legal, and actively engaging the community for workdays and cleanups is a great way to show those concerned that we are a positive force and a beneficial resource.
Thank you and shout out to Greg S (both of you), Isaac, Brian, Ben, Brooks, Tate and Lucas, for volunteering for this cleanup, and special thank you to Cristian for your help securing the permission!
