Volunteer Profiles - Meet the Quail Hollow Trail Crew

As our community has faced so many challenges these past few months, many folks have taken to hiking and strolling along our local mountain trails, such as those at Quail Hollow Ranch, to retreat and rejuvenate.

Thanks to a small group of volunteers who dedicate time each week to maintaining these trails, hikers and equestrians are able to enjoy the peaceful serenity of Quail Hollow Ranch and feel safe while doing so.

Quail Hollow Ranch County Park has more than 5 miles of hiking and equestrian trails. These trails take you through redwoods, chaparral, sandhills parkland, and a variety of other habitats. The rocky and sandy earth make upkeep and construction of the trails a strenuous job. With the increased volume of visitors, the trails at the park need more maintenance to make sure that all visitors are safe.

This group of essential volunteers is special because they take pride in their performance and operate as a team. Each Tuesday they meet at 9 o’clock at the park to work on or scout new projects, clear brush, dig trenches, build up deteriorating parts of trails, and much more. They also act as ambassadors to the park and share knowledge with all who encounter them.

The park’s newest and most scenic trail was envisioned by Al Keuter. Al worked tirelessly to cut the beginnings of the trail. He was joined later by Tim Jolly and together the two of them did 90% of the work with nothing but hand tools. Jon Hudson came in towards the end and helped to really finesse some of the more difficult terrain, and began to beautify and get the trail ready for the public.

Meet The Crew:

Al Keuter has been known as the lead for the trail crew. Al records all the hours and acts as the main liaison between the park and the trail crew. Not only does he work on the crew, but he has consulted with parks maintenance on a variety of projects throughout the years. Al has been volunteering with the county since 2002.

Tim Jolly is the trail “engineer” He started working with Al and the trail crew in 2007. Tim retired from a 29 year position with the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Resource. He came to the Santa Cruz area to be close to family and started as a Docent at Quail Hollow.

Jon Hudson has been part of the Quail Hollow Ranch trail crew since 2014. He is gifted in plant ID and trail maintenance and engineering. Jon also stands about a head taller than the other members of the trail crew and his height advantage helps to reveal troublesome overhanging branches that others generally miss.

Tom Davey is a longtime Sierra Club member with a very worthy attitude toward conservation and nature. Tom volunteers for other groups within Quail Hollow Ranch and his extensive knowledge of our trail system and bird species makes him an integral part of our trail crew.

Lee Summer was park interpreter at Quail Hollow Ranch for over 15 years. Since retirement, she has been volunteering in a variety of different ways. Lee knows the park better than anyone and is an incredible asset to the team. Lee is an amazing naturalist and understands completely the ins and outs of volunteering for a Government organization and engaging with the public. This relationship is nuanced, and her expertise is intrinsic to the success of this team.

Jim Bahn not only works on the trail crew but takes care of projects around the park on his own as well. When Jim first began in May of 2019, he made it a priority to update the trail map and make it more user friendly. He spent solo time hiking all the trails, getting acquainted and measuring mileage and elevation gain for all our trails.

With the combined talents of these amazing volunteers, the trails at Quail Hollow Ranch are in good hands.