+Waterboy Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 It is a great time to be out on the trails. Yesterday we were hiking the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania and saw a considerable amount of damage. This past winter has left most trails in the Northeast in need of maintenance. I would like to urge all trail using geocachers to volunteer for maintenance with some local club that performs maintenance. For those in the Delaware Valley (eastern PA and western NJ), if you would like to help with maintenance please check this website DVAMC. Request geocachers involved with other clubs performing maintenance list their websites. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 The New York/NJ Trail Conference is looking for maintainers. Their last newsletter mentioned they had 60 some openings. Contact their website if you are interested in helping. I placed my first few caches along the trails I maintained. Those caches are still very special to me, because they bring people to "my" trail; people who probably wouldn't have ventured there otherwise. It's not a lot of work. You are asked to visit your trail section at least twice a year, clip overgrowth, control erosion, pick up litter and report major problems to the TC. "An appeaser is one who keeps feeding a crocodile-hoping it will eat him last" -Winston Churchill Quote Link to comment
+bigcall Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 Volunteers of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club do a lot trail maintenance in and around the DC Metro area as well as along the AT. I know they could always use a hand. I just recently signed on as an overseer for a 1.5 mile section of one of our local trails. We took out several bags of trash, repaired a bridge and cleaned out and fixed up several water bars today. Lots of fun - my way of contributing back to the trails!!! Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges -- Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go! - Rudyard Kipling "The Explorer" Quote Link to comment
+MissJenn Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 This is a good thread! There are certainly many such volunteer organizations that do clean ups and we geocachers could simply join them on one or two of their pre-determined days. This may be a bit simpler than organizing an entire day exclusively for geocahers, although the multiple, coordinated CITO efforts are also way exciting (just a bit more work, though)! In Berks County, Pennsylvania, Blue Marsh Lake has many opportunities, among them: Take Pride in Blue Marsh Trails and Boundary Line Park Improvement Habitat Resource Management Education Programs Volunteer Project Day more info on the TAKE PRIDE IN BLUE MARSH program: This program is usually held on the third Saturday in April. Some of the organizations that participate in this event include various chapters of the Family Campers and Recreation Vehicles, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Brownies, civic, boating, and conservation organizations. Individuals and families are also encouraged to participate. Projects include park beautification, trail maintenance, litter pickup, tree seedling planting and assembly of picnic tables. Take Pride in Blue Marsh has received awards both on the State and National level. ----- You must be present to win. [This message was edited by MissJenn on March 29, 2003 at 08:21 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+MissJenn Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 test ----- You must be present to win. Quote Link to comment
+Faderaven Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 All the good positions are already filled on that site! I was actually looking for something a little closer to home and found this in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 Help! I've just been appointed Trails Supervisor for Ramapo Mountain State Forest. Because of the added responsibility, I'd like to drop one trail that I maintain; specifically the Cannonball Trail north of Skyline Drive. I don't want to leave the area without a maintainer, so I thought I'd ask here if anybody is interested taking over for me. It's the area where my Matapin Rock, Cannonball II and the NY/NJ Metro Area Picnic caches are hidden. Of course you have to be a NY/NJ Trail Conference member, which costs about $25 a year. The membership also brings you a 10% discount at Campmor, Ramsey Outdoor and a number of other retailers. I pay for my membership several times over each year with the discount. Being a maintainer is not a major committment. You simply have to visit your section at least twice a year. You clip overgrowth, refresh blazes if necessary, remove litter, do some erosion control and report major problems to your supervisor (I guess that's me now).It's also great fun for families. Training is available, if you desire. If you are interested in taking over this section of trail, please contact me. "You can only protect your liberties in this world, by protecting the other man's freedom. "You can only be free if I am" -Clarence Darrow [This message was edited by BrianSnat on April 10, 2003 at 07:57 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+jonboy Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 If you don't want to commit to maintaining a trail section or want to learn more about trail maintenance, go out with one of the local trail crews. Also, you will find that there are local parks with trails not maintained by any of the trail umbrella groups, that would be all to happy to have volunteer trail maintainers. My wife and I knew of a pretty local park, Muscoot Farm in Westchester County, with a nice trail system that badly needed work. We approached the park supervisor, and before we knew it, we were maintaining all the trails in our favorite local park. Quote Link to comment
+Waterboy Posted April 11, 2003 Author Share Posted April 11, 2003 Brian, Congratulations on your new position of Trail Supervisor. (If sympathy is more appropriate we will send that also.) Quote Link to comment
+Mxyzptlk Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 I signed up for the Maintenance '101' class offered by the NY/NJ Trail Conference on May 10th. Are any other geocachers going to be in attendance? Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I was considering going. Although I've been a maintainer for almost 10 years, I've never been to the class. Supposedly it's manditory, but I've somehow flown under the radar screen. "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln Quote Link to comment
+lostinjersey Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 If the NY/NJ Trail conference covers the new trailm system that will exist in Overpeck park in bewrgen county (once its fully built that is) then I think I will gladly volunterr to cover a section of it. they just did the groundbreaking on the NW section, 46 acres which has been virtually untouched for 30 years. I was there today & helped cart out 3 refridgerators, circa 1960's. there was also a 1940's pickup truck back there too which they supposedly will leave for "historic reasons". www.gpswnj.com Quote Link to comment
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