Forest Road 527 accesses the upper reaches of Bean Canyon from the Dolores- Norwood Road about 4 miles north of Dolores.
The area, 4 known as the Old Rust Saw Mill site, is used by ranchers, campers, ATV users, mountain bikers and hikers, but has suffered from overuse, forest officials report.
Two miles up the canyon, unauthorized ATV crossings of an ephemeral tributary to Bean Canyon will be blocked with boulders. Tree saplings will be planted, and boulders placed to help restore areas where off-road motorized travel has damaged the Bean Canyon stream.
“Motorized users will be redirected to a more stable crossing along a culvert,” said hydrologist Shawna Jensen.
Jensen and a crew will also be repairing a several head-cuts in the Bean Canyon drainage caused by vehicle crossings. The impact is causing the stream to rapidly channelize unnaturally. As water flows over the cut, it causes erosion along the surface, continuously deepening the channel.