ExtremeTerrain "Clean Trail" Grant Revs Up Friends' Public Lands Day 2021 Project

Thanks to a grant from automobile customizer ExtremeTerrain, Friends of the Desert Mountains is gearing up for an excellent trail restoration project for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

When the founders of ExtremeTerrain, a company specializing in custom built and modified Jeeps and trucks, realized their impact on the land, the founders resolved to dedicate a portion of their profits for trail remediation. ExtremeTerrain respects the integrity of the landscape, and strives to leave the trails “better than we found them.” According to their website, ExtremeTerrain acknowledges that “When we wrap our aftermarket wheels in big, honkin’ 33+ inch off-road tires, or drag our skid plates on some righteous rocks, the terrain can get chewed up.”

ExtremeTerrain’s Clean Trails Initiative Grant to Friends for $250 will be used to replace damaged picks and shovels, the tools of the trade for Friends’ Trail Stewards. Led by volunteer Gordon Fidler, the crew of Stewards help maintain over 310 miles of Coachella Valley trails, the majority of which are in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. Fidler says, “We appreciate the support from our fellow outdoor enthusiasts in keeping trails and public lands safe and accessible. These funds will definitely take our National Public Lands Day project up a notch!”

Friends thanks ExtremeTerrain for the grant, and especially for bringing awareness to the damage irresponsible off-roading can cause to our precious natural resources and habitat.