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BLM buys forestland as an addition to a Jacksonville trail system By PAUL FATTIG JACKSONVILLE -- The Bureau of Land Management has purchased nearly 27 acres of private land it plans to tie into a local trail system. The land contains a half-mile of trail that will be linked to the Jacksonville Woodlands Historic Natural Park and Trail System. That system, maintained by the Jacksonville Woodlands Association which includes the BLM as a member, already has six miles of trail. The land was purchased for $95,000 from California resident Helen Frontino, who owned it with her late husband, Frank. "The whole intent was for inclusion in the woodlands," explained Teresa Gallagher-Hill, a BLM employee who worked on the project. "It will be managed as part of that. "It's a nice walking trail, one that goes through a beautiful riparian area," she added. The acquisition is exactly what the trail system needed, observed Larry Smith, a longtime teacher at Jacksonville Elementary School who has led the effort to preserve the woodlands around the historic town. "This preserves close to 1,000 feet of Jackson Creek," Smith said, noting that it also links two parcels of BLM property in the trail system. In addition to preserving historic values, including the property in the system also helps preserve the rare Gentner's fritillaries, a distinctive red, bell-shaped flower found only in a small pocket of Southern Oregon, Smith said. "It adds a tremendous protected area for the fritillaries," he said, adding, "I counted over 40 growing in that area this spring." The trail also preserves the Petard mining ditch, which had been used from about 1865 until sometime in the early 1930s, he said. However, the half-mile of trail needs to be opened up a bit, he said. "The trail is basically there," he said. "We just need to get it `brushed.' But it follows the ditch so it's an absolutely level trail." The association will apply for grants to do the trail work, he said. Until last month's purchase, the half-mile of trail in the property adjacent to Highway 238 had not been accessible to the public. The property, covering 26.87 acres, also includes part of the Rich Gulch site, one of the best-preserved areas of mining activity in the historic town. Evidence of the hydraulic mining operation, which involved using huge nozzles called "giants" that washed away whole hillsides, can still be seen. Rich Gulch still contains milk quartz, the same stone that miners looked for when they prospected for gold. There are also piles of gravel and boulders left over from the mining days. Formed in 1989, the association is in partnership with the BLM, the city of Jacksonville, the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy and Jackson County Parks and Recreation. Associated members include the Forest Service, the National Park Service, Southern Oregon Historical Society, Southern Oregon University, Jacksonville Elementary School, Siskiyou Native Plant Society, Friends of Jacksonville, Britt Festivals and several local service clubs. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA