One of my projects at Laguna Refuge was restoring a scenic viewpoint at Kidney Pond. The area had been let go for some years. Trees choked the view of the pond.
During heavy rains the saturated ground had sloughed away, eroding the bank. That left a trip hazard mini ravine which blocked mower access. Grass went to seed and weeds ran amok. Good habitat for ticks and chiggers but a lousy place for visitors to enjoy seeing birds and alligators.
The backhoe was really useful. First I hauled in some dirt to fill in the ravine. The large front (loader) bucket and higher gears for road running made those trips few and fast. The machine's heavy weight made packing it down and leveling it out quick and easy. Then, having a stable work surface, it could be flipped around to use the rear (trencher) bucket. The posts weren't set in concrete so with a chain wrapped around they were easily pulled up with the machine just idling. Encroaching mesquite trees were then ripped out at the tap roots. A few more trips to the dirt pile and the stump holes were filled and the bank built back up.
While I had the machine out there I hauled additional loads of fill material. A second washout just after the viewpoint was hidden under tall weeds. That threatened to erode the road itself given a few more heavy rains. Since that was roadway for staff use only, and sometimes heavy machinery at that, I was allowed to use concrete rip-rap to reinforce the edge of the road below grade. That was covered in dirt so visitors wouldn't see anything unnatural or artificial to the extent possible. The bank itself will be revegetated with grasses to provide a root system to hold the soil but stay below eye level to avoid blocking the scenery.
While I was playing on the backhoe that day, Jeff took the composite posts and rails back to the work center and power washed them for reuse. The plan was to move the fence closer to the road. That decision was in concert with regrading the new bank to a shallower angle to help reduce future repeat erosion potential. On a later day Bill returned along with me, the ever versatile skid loader and two attachments. After using a bucket to remove the old bench it was switched to the auger for boring new fence post holes.
On this work day Bill helped first by spotting off side for alignment of the holes. Then extra hands were invaluable for setting the poles. Not only inline with each other and plumb to the world but also spaced per recycled rails. For rail heights we decided the top should be good for leaning and the bottom for placing a foot to tie laces for example. Then the post tops were trimmed consistent with each other and beveled for aesthetics. As for visitors who make the trek back there to see wildlife, at least they'll now be better able to do so.
