On May 2, 1992, Army elements from Fort Ord along with Marines from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton participated in quelling the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The impact area is part of the Fort Ord National Monument, a near 15,000 acre federal park, more than half of the former base. East and south of this point, Fort Ord is closed to all motor traffic. Today, this 14,000-acre land is run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that offers sanctuary to 44 species of rare plants and wildlife. April's Sea Otter Classic holds many rides and races on Fort Ord. At its peak, Fort Ord spanned a total of 28,000 acres and was declared a Superfund site four years before its official closure in 1994. Congregate spaces remain closed. To learn more view our Privacy Policy, © NPL status was finalized on February 21, 1990.[5]. In 1947, Fort Ord became the home of the 4th Replacement Training Center. The Army's environmental cleanup of the former Fort Ord has been underway since the base was closed and is separated into two programs — the Soil and Groundwater Contamination Cleanup Program, and the Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) Program. Click here for a complete map of Fort Ord's trails. ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county, California State University, Monterey Bay, Fort Ord Dunes State Park and National Monument, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. Equestrians should use the entrance at Inter Garrison Rd., where parking is available for horse trailers. America's finest! There was almost no information about it online when I was researching, so I just drove to the Creekside Terrace Trailhead, … Click here for a BLM-maintained list of rare plants found at Fort Ord. Fort Ord National Monument is home to over 80 miles of trails that can be used by both hikers and equestrians. The section of the Monument open to the public has a spider web of trails and fire roads for mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking. We stopped here after leaving Marina, CA on the way home to see what this National Monument was like. 5/19/12: Today is a very happy day in Monterey County: Dedication of Fort Ord National Monument! The first buildings completed were dormitories followed by a guard house and stockade. The nearby city of Marina is developing[when?] As their title states, the trails are open to the public for hiking, biking, and other forms of exercise. The Army and EPA provide the necessary oversight on the project, referred to as FORA's Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement (ESCA). The history is detailed at. You'll ride through forests of coast live oaks. FORT ORD NATIONAL MONUMENT A rich history, diverse habitat and bountiful recreation opportunities await you at the Fort Ord National Monument. Funded in cooperation with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the communities of Pebble Beach Company, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City, Seaside, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Salinas Valley. In May 2007, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority voluntarily entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for the cleanup of 3,484 acres (1,410 ha) of Fort Ord land. The reward, however, is a spectacular view of the wildlands of Fort Ord, as well as Toro Peak and parts of the Salinas Valley. On April 20, 2012, Barack Obama signed a Presidential Proclamation establishing Fort Ord National Monument. Follow Hennekens Ranch Road until it ends (about 1.8 miles), and turn right onto Eucalyptus Road - and prepare for another steep hill! The Base Realignment and Closure Commission of 1991 recommended closing the post and moving the units stationed at Fort Ord to Fort Lewis, Washington. A small portion of the former Fort Ord still remains under U.S. Army control, originally called the Presidio of Monterey (POM) Annex. [17], Fort Ord National Monument refers to that land on the former Fort Ord that is administered by the Bureau of Land Management and is open to the general public. The Creekside Terrace Trailhead is located off of Reservation Road and the Badger Hills Trailhead is located off of Highway 68 in Salinas (across from the Toro Cafe). Follow Parker Road for just over 2/3 of a mile, and turn right on Normandy. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands, while a small portion remains an active military installation under Army control designated as the Ord Military Community. Convention & Visitors Bureau. MTB Project is built by riders like you. Fort Ord National Monument: Hiking from the Creekside Terrace Trailhead. Then, when Southeast Asia became a war zone with Vietnam (and later involving, by the 1970s, Cambodia and Laos), the United States had, at one time, 50,000 troops on the installation. Roads vary widely in difficulty. Monterey Off Road Cycling Association. FORA exercises its planning, financing, and monitoring responsibilities under state law authority to meet these objectives in the best interest of the northern Monterey Bay community. Here it is pretty remote off the 2 lane highway but there In a few days the other Axis powers of dictators Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, along with Fascist Italy of Benito Mussolini, declared and spread their war in Europe against Great Britain and France and the Low Countries to the U.S. With the end of the war with the surrenders of Germany in May and Japan in September 1945, the soon onset of a Cold War against the Soviet Union continued for the next forty some years to the early 1990s. The Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) is responsible for the oversight of Monterey Bay area economic recovery from the closure of and reuse planning of the former Fort Ord. Located on the former Fort Ord military base, this national monument, under management of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), protects 35 species of rare plants and animals along with their native coastal habitats. https://www.seemonterey.com/listings/fort-ord-national-monument/4949 During the 1950s and 1960s, Fort Ord was a staging area for units departing for war in the Korean War and later peacetime/occupation duty in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines and Thailand. The impact area is part of the Fort Ord National Monument, a near 15,000 acre federal park, more than half of the former base. It's a perfect spot to pull off, catch your breath, and admire the landscape. Flatter roads give riders a close-up view of resident wildlife, while steep and strenuous hills offer breathtaking views that extend from the cliffs and valleys of the former Fort Ord to the Salinas Valley and the Gabilan Mountains. 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