A California national park is urging hikers to stay off illegal trails because they risk stepping on grenades and land mines.
The Bureau of Land Management warned visitors to Fort Ord National Monument to follow designated trails for their own safety.
The park is a former US military base that was in operation from 1917 to 1994 and many areas of the facility were used for munitions training.
It means visitors could be at risk of encountering “munitions and explosives of concern,” including “artillery shells, rockets, hand grenades, practice landmines, pyrotechnics, bombs, demolition materials and other items,” according to the project. Ford Cleaning Ord.
But despite this, unauthorized trails and jumps have been popping up west of Barloy Canyon Road recently, exposing hikers to “unexploded ordnance hazards,” Fort Ord National Monument Manager Eric Morgan warned.
Fort Ord National Monument Park urges hikers to stay off illegal trails because they risk stepping on grenades and land mines.
The park is a former US military base used for training with munitions, many of which have been removed and detonated (pictured), although some still remain.
Unauthorized trails and jumps have been popping up west of Barloy Canyon Road, exposing hikers to “unexploded ordnance hazards.”
He added that off-road hiking or biking also “destroys endangered plants and wildlife habitat, and is expensive to remediate.”
Fort Ord National Monument encompasses more than 14,000 acres offering 86 miles of rugged trails near Monterey Bay.
The park is overseen by the BLM and the U.S. military, who have warned of penalties for those who don’t comply.
‘Violations of Army property rules and restrictions are subject to sanctions. Visitors who comply with posted restrictions and stay on designated roads and trails will be safe from munitions hazards,’ said Joelle Lobo, U.S. Army Base Closure and Realignment Environmental Coordinator.
In 1993, archival research was conducted to locate areas at Fort Ord where military munitions may have been used.
Visual inspections conducted since 1993 indicated that approximately 12,000 acres were known or suspected to have been used for such training.
In the first phase, at least 29 sites were identified, which in the second phase were prepared to discover more.
Areas range in size from less than one acre to more than 1,000 acres, although most areas are less than 200 acres.
In 1993, archival research was conducted to locate areas at Fort Ord where military munitions may have been used.
So far, more than 79,000 ammunition or explosives of concern have been removed, equivalent to more than 413 tons.
All identified sites have been investigated and, if necessary, removal actions were carried out to minimize the safety risk of explosives to the public, according to park officials.
So far, more than 79,000 ammunition or explosives of concern have been removed, equivalent to more than 413 tons.
In 1996, the Army transferred 7,205 acres to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the former Fort Ord to manage as a habitat reserve.
The property, which includes 86 miles of trails, is widely used by local residents and tourists for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
On April 20, 2012, the President designated these lands (as well as lands pending transfer to the BLM as a habitat preserve) as Fort Ord National Monument.