Welcome Trail Use Guidelines Emma Long Motorcross Park

1. WelcomeTrail Use GuidelinesEmma Long Motorcross Park Stay on the trail. Off-trail riding creates unauthorized trails that endanger our privilege to ride here. Never alter the trail or cut vegetation. If a section is to hard for you to ride, walk it or practice it until you can ride it. Leave no trace. If you pack it in, pack it out-or even better, pack out more than you carried in. Yield to motorcycles, they have the right of way at all times. Yield to faster riders passing you. Ride softly. Avoid skidding—locking up the brakes ruts the trail and indicates a lack of riding control. Don’t widen the trail by riding over vegetation. Plan ahead. Carry plenty of water and drink it. Wear a helmet. Please remember that we are visitors here. It is the home of many animal and plant species that we must respect and protect if we are to be allowed to continue riding here. Riding here is a privilege, not a right.

2. READ ME NOW. No cutting of trees or branches. No riding off the designated trails. Behave as if your continued use of this area depends upon it. --It does--

3. Emma Long Metro Park is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). The BCP is a system of parks and preserves which protect seven endangered species in the Austin area. Allowable activities and public access vary among the individual tracts in the system. These wooded hills and ravines provide excellent habitat for Austin’s most famous endangered spices the Golden-cheeked Warbler. Because this songbird nests only in the mature Oak-juniper woodlands of Central Texas, each is a native Texan!

4. Golden-cheeked warblers are small, endangered songbirds that nest and raise their young nowhere else in the world except in the Ashe juniper-oak woodlands of central Texas.  This is the only species of bird for which one can say that every individual is a native Texan.

5. fledgling golden-cheeked warblers bathing Male golden-cheeked warblers return to Texas in early March and females arrive about a week later. Females build their nests with strips of bark from trees native to Texas called Ashe juniper (also called “cedars”).  • During April, most females will be incubating eggs, then in May and June parents are busily feeding hungry young birds.  Though they normally nest high in the trees, both parents and young are found on and near the ground for food, water, or nesting materials. Throughout this time both adults and young are vulnerable.  The parents, trying to find more food than usual so they can feed their family, may be less aware of predators. Also, the chicks are very vulnerable to predators when they are in the nest and for several days after they leave it before they learn to fly well.  In July, the warblers begin to migrate south, and by early August most are gone. Their food is scarce here in the winter so they migrate to southern Mexico and northern Central America during the winter to survive. Our native Texans faithfully return each spring to begin their next (or first!) breeding season. Photo by: John Ingram

7. Trail Etiquette Tips Ride on open trails only. Leave no trace, carry out trash. Control your bicycle at all times. Be friendly and yield to hikers. Never damage plants or scare wildlife. Plan ahead; be prepared for emergencies. Exercise good judgment and act in a responsible manner. Always exercise due care and caution. Call 911 to report emergencies. Call 311 to report hazardous trail conditions.

8. Trail Etiquette User Guidelines for Multi‐use Trails Trails have become very popular resulting in sometime congested and potentially hazardous situations. Regardless of whether you are bicycling, walking, jogging, or skating, if you follow the same set of rules as everyone else, your trip will be safer and more enjoyable. The City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department has developed “Trail Etiquette” to promote responsible and courteous conduct on multi‐user trails. Please help make the multi‐use trails safe for everyone by using the following guidelines: Be Courteous and Have Regard for Other Trail Users‐ All trail users, including bicyclists, joggers, walkers, wheelchairs, skateboarders, and skaters, should be respectful of and show courtesy to other users regardless of their mode, speed or level of skill. Every user shall exercise due care and caution to avoid colliding with any other trail user. Leave No Trace‐ Be sensitive to the trail beneath you. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones. When the trail is soft, consider other riding options. This also means staying on existing trails and not creating new ones. Don't cut switchbacks. Make sure to pack out what you packed in. DO NOT LITTER! Using a Trail‐ Every person using a trail shall stay as near to the right side of the trail as is safe, except when preparing to make or making a turning movement or while overtaking and passing another user moving in the same direction. Headphones‐ Users of the trail should use caution when wearing and listening to headphones. Be alert! Don't Block the Trail‐ When in a group or with your pets; use no more than half the trail so as not to block the flow of other users. When stopping, move off of the trail. Beware of others approaching you from behind and make sure they know you are pulling over. Give Audible Warning BEFORE Passing‐ Bicyclists should yield to all other trail users. Do your utmost to let your fellow trail users know you're coming by using a friendly greeting, bell or horn before passing. Give the person you are passing time to respond. Watch for their reaction. So that you can hear these signals, use caution when wearing headphones. Be Respectful of Private Property‐ Trails are open to the public. Do not trespass on private land, as sometimes the side of the trail is on private property. Please respect all property rights. Stay on Designated Trails‐ Trails are designed for safety and function. If your speed or style endangers other users, check for alternative routes better suited to your needs. Selecting the right location is safer and more enjoyable for all concerned. Dogs‐ Whether the trail is a designated off‐leash area or not, the owner/handler is responsible for their dog. Mutt Mitt bags and trash cans are available at the trail. The owner/handler must pick up and properly dispose their dog’s waste in one of the trash cans. Remember to SCOOP THE POOP!