Dutchess County/Putnam County AT Management Committee

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

Announcement & Agenda for 163rd Meeting

August 27, 2001  7:00 PM East Fishkill Library

REMINDERS &  MISC ITEMS.!

MEETING SCHEDULE for remainder of this year:

• Monday, Oct. 27, 2001 (EF Library)
• Monday, Nov. 26, 2001 (EF Library)

ATC Mid-Atlantic Meeting planned date is October 20, 2001, at Boiling Springs.

0. FYI and FYA items will circulate (see other side)

1. Review and approval of minutes of the 163^rd  and 164th meetings, June 4 and July 9, 2001.

2.  Meeting Centerpiece: Getting our Trail Assessment & Management Plan Update  Project finished

3.  Other business, short updates, etc.:

A. Acquisitions and Survey, (incl. Schaghticoke access parcels)

B. DOT project update  (Jim Haggett)

C. Bulletin Board inventory and review update

D. Cell tower update, if any

E. Nuclear Lake Wetland Issues (see NOTE 2)

F. Telephone Line at Dover Oak Tree (see NOTE 3)

G. No Hunting Sign installation (PLC/YRDC)

H. Field placement of new keys and locks

I.  Other items?

3. Reports (please keep them short! or skip if nothing new to report!)

A. Area Supervisors Summaries: Jane Geisler, Frank Dogil, Mike Arthur, Jim Haggett, Walt Daniels

 B. Other reports

4. Other communications & announcements as time remains

5. Adjourn (shoot for 9:30 PM)

Information, Comments, & Notes

1. All Committee members, please attend this meeting; or please call the Chairman (Ron Rosen: 845/454-4936 (be persistent) or 454-1721 (leave a message if not in) if you CANNOT attend.
2. Ron received a call from John Benson, reporter for the Pawling News-Chronicle, who had determined that the NY State DOT has removed the beaver dam at the culverts under Route 55 near the Nuclear Lake entrance (presumably to protect the bridge/culvert foundation), and as a result the large swamp west of the Robsons’ house has been largely drained. This swamp is home to various Great Blue Heron nests, Otters, and other wildlife, and Mr. Benson would like to enlist our support in preventing the draining of this swamp in the future. He is willing to visit the site with anyone interested, and would like us to consider alternatives to full draining of the swamp in the future. He has spoken with Don Owen at the NPS AT Park Office, and Don indicated that he will follow our lead. Don did say that he is aware of a device which can be installed in a beaver dam which prevents flooding above a fixed drain level, and makes it fruitless for the beavers to build a dam higher (the water will drain to a fixed level anyway). At this meeting we can discuss the option of employing such a device and initiating efforts with the DOT to make sure they do not fully remove the beaver dams in the future.
3. Ron received a call from a regular hiker in the West Dover Road area informing us that Verizon (formerly New York Telephone) has been installing new phone poles and lines on West Dover Road and has been building northward from the  Deerfield Ponds area to the vicinity of the “Dover Oak,” the largest blazed tree on the entire AT. On Friday, August 17^th, we made contact with Verizon engineers who agreed to make sure the new line will not interfere with the crown of the tree now or in the foreseeable future (probably by moving planned poles to the west side of the road). One pole was planned to go about 100’ north of the tree on the east side of the road, and will probably be moved to the west side, as well as a pole opposite the tree already planned for the west side, and one south of the site that will be moved to the west side. The call was timely, as the field crew was installing poles in the immediate vicinity that day! By this meeting date, we hope to have the problem fully resolved!

FYA items:

• ATC Draft Policies on (1) Ridgeline and Mountaintop Development and (2) Advertising in the AT Corridor  (add any comments  on the copy itself, and indicate your initials by them).
• Review NYNJTC list of Maintainer Vacancies (note any corrections on the form); also see attached copies of Paint Standards and the Instructions and Processing for the Appointment/Vacancy form.

FYI items:

• NYNJTC 8/2001 Leadership Mailing List
• Millbrook Garden Club Conservation Cmte. Program 9/23/01—panel on Alternate & Renewable Energy Sources
• Text for AT entry in Telephone Book information  and public service pages.
• Fall 2001 DCC courses on Pesticide Applicator’s certification
• Scenic Hudson Great River Sweep appreciation certificates