Dutchess County/Putnam County AT Management Committee

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

Minutes of 163rd Meeting

Monday, June 4, 2001 7:00 PM East Fishkill Library

Attendance: Ron Rosen (Chair), Jane Geisler, Jim Haggett, Fred Gerty, Sarah Ohliger (Americorps/Dutchess Land Conservancy), Frank Dogil, Salley Decker, Alyssa Silberstein (Americorps/Public Lands Corps)+asst. (Americorps/Public Land Corps), Walt Daniels, Mike Arthur, Gerry Richardson, Ron Samuelson (East Hudson Trails Chair) (count=13).

The meeting was brought to order about 7:08 PM by Chairperson Ron Rosen.

The following "For Your Action" (FYA) items were circulated:

Goshen Boy Scout troop looking for project (8-12 youth, ages 14-18, up to 8 hours, prefer on AT); please review Trail Maintainer patch list (5 year)—list due to NYNJTC by June 30th!; Outreach Grant application packet; Grants-to-Clubs application packet; Appointment/Vacancy Form [NYNJTC—review and comment on procedure and form itself—give any comments to Walt Daniels].

The following "For Your Information" (FYI) items were circulated:

AMC CT chapter trails committee minutes (May 1, 2001); Southern Dutchess News (5/16/2001) police report: marijuana found on youth at RPH cabin; East Hudson Trail Crew work schedule; ATC Position Announcement for New England Region Associate Representative; Environmental Review master list from Don Owen, NPS AT Park Office; Fire threat article (Middletown Times Herald-Record); Email from Sanne Larsen (Leaving the area, doing through hike); NY Times article on Bill Golden; AMC CT chapter trails committee minutes (April 3, 2001); NY PCA "Greenspace" newsletter; May 9th Water Samples (Wiley, Stewart, RPH all negative!).

1. The minutes of the 162nd meeting, April 23, 2001, were approved as distributed.

1A.The following meeting dates were selected for the remainder of the year (all meetings except the picnic will be held at the East Fishkill Community Library):

The picnic meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, has been RESCHEDULED for Monday, July 9. It will be held at the Pelton Pond Picnic Area on Route 301 in Fahnestock Park, and will be held jointly with the East Hudson Trails Committee. This meeting is open to ALL DPATMC and East Hudson volunteers (maintainers, monitors, caretakers, etc.) AND their families. Supervisors should personally invite their volunteers, and Walt Daniels will send out a postcard. The potluck picnic will start around 6PM, but please arrive between 5:00 and 5:30 if possible. Please contact Ron Samuelson (Rsamuelson@vassar.edu) or (845) 437-5903 (daytime number) to confirm the number of people coming and your contribution to the potluck.

DPATMC meetings at East Fishkill Library, 7:00PM:

Monday, Aug. 27, Monday, Oct. 15, and Monday, Nov. 26

2. Meeting Centerpiece: Coordination with East Hudson Trails Committee—Ron Rosen introduced Ron Samuelson, who has recently accepted the position of chair of the East Hudson Trails Committee. Ron has recently moved to Vassar College and previously worked for Scenic Hudson for about three years. Ron indicated that he looks forward to cooperative efforts between the two committees, noting that their physical jurisdiction overlaps. He wants to encourage joint efforts to deal with issues related to multiple uses of Trails, ATV problems, etc. He feels that the shared knowledge of the two sets of volunteers will enhance the results of both groups, and hopes to emphasize opportunities for the East Hudson Trail Crew as well. He met recently with Ron Rosen, and both Rons indicated that they want to undertake more public outreach programs, possibly also involving joint efforts. The East Hudson Committee maintains about 100 miles of trails and has two supervisors and about 50 maintainers. He looks forward to meeting more of the volunteers at the Picnic meeting next month.

2A. During a short break, Ron Rosen distributed some of the new keys and locks recently provided by ATC to the appropriate supervisors. The supervisors are expected to install the locks, distribute the keys, obtain signatures on the key cards, and return the cards to Ron Rosen ASAP.

3. Other business, short updates, etc.:

1. Acquisitions and Survey, (incl. Graymoor, Schaghticoke access parcels): Ron circulated maps and legal descriptions he has received from NPS for the new maintainer-monitor access on Schaghticoke Mountain. One map and accompanying paperwork included parcels 265-34, 35, 36, and 37 which have been acquired in fee. The other set describes two rights-of-way that start where the old AT left East Mountain Road and follow the south fork of the road onto the existing corridor, parcels 265-38 and 39. These ROW acquisitions, taken together, provide a 10’ wide rough-road access to the corridor. We will need to determine what work needs to be done in the field to reduce the ATV use in the area. These acquisitions give us control (in theory at least) that should reduce ATV opportunities. We may need to install a gate at the top of the ROW just inside the fee corridor.
2. DOT (Taconic/Miller Hill Road crossing) project update (Jim Haggett): Nothing has changed since last report; DOT had agreed to changes to reduce the grade and erosion problems on the trail segment from Miller Hill Road to the new bridge. It has been three months since the meeting with DOT with no action yet. Jim noted that about 90% of the plant material used for landscaping has survived.
3. Bulletin Board inventory and review update. Walt has not been able to produce a list of the present board sites. To facilitate action, we produced a list from the committee’s collective memory (see end of these minutes). We estimated that we need 24 sets of materials. Gerry and Walt will report sizes of the boards in their areas (the boards were installed in two groups—Gerry will size one group and Walt will size the other). Walt has requested new NYNJTC decals for the "Welcome to AT Lands" signs, and these should be available soon from Susan Daniels at ATC. Also, there is a new "Leave No Trace" sign available that should be part of the bulletin board set if the layout has room for it.
4. Cell tower update. Jim Haggett called Dave Reus at ATC – apparently this site is very closed to an FCC-defined zone boundary, and some of our suggested alternate options may be outside the zone that Voice Stream is licensed to serve. Also, Voice Stream has passed our alternative recommendations to their engineering staff for review. Dave Reus located a 200-foot tower in the FCC database that should be on a nearby hill. George Muller checked in the field, and this tower simply is not there.
5. Summer work project plans, including Graymoor relocation and YRDC/PLC plans. Walt Daniels scheduled a Graymoor relocation for Tuesday, June 12, meeting at 9:30 AM at the red shed on Graymoor’s entrance road. Rain date is Thursday, June14th, which could also be used for an additional work day if needed. There are about 100 yards of brambles and some multiflora rose. The construction needs some steps and a small rock bridge. Walt can use 4 or 5 volunteers; Alyssa agreed that the YRDC crew would be able to assist. Speaking of YRDC plans, there is an apparent hold on repainting the NY boundary, as the NPS is reviewing the survey work done by Mounts in the 1980’s to determine if having major parts of it resurveyed may be warranted. In the meantime, the PLC crew needs alternate work sites. Mike Arthur suggested that a possible site would be Dennis Kloepping’s section, which is in need of additional maintenance work. There is also a little bit of the Schaghticoke boundary that still needs repainting.
6. Results of Nuclear Lake Subcommittee meeting, held on May 21: The meeting was attended by Fred Gerty, Gerry Richardson, Mike Arthur, Walt Daniels, and Ron Rosen. Fred Gerty had created a draft for the Nuclear Lake Caretaker position description. The group modified Fred’s draft, and Ron will submit it to the NPS.
7. Outreach and Greenway grants for Brochure reprinting: Jane Daniels has spearheaded an effort to develop a pair of grants (each using the other for matching funds), that would [among other items] fund the next reprint of the DPATMC brochure, planned to be available in 2003. It was suggested that this version include trail miles between selected points, similar to the data on the CT AT brochure.
8. Results of Monitor Training 5/5/2001: The training was run by Chris Florack of ATC, assisted by his assistant Brian, Alyssa Silberstein, and Ron Rosen. Trainees included Trail Conference members from New Jersey (including Larry Wheelock) who will be instituting a monitoring program in New Jersey. We had at least two candidates for monitor in our area. Mike Arthur will "claim" Greg Heneka, and Jim Haggett will try to recruit the other candidate, XXXX.

4. Reports: Area Supervisors Summaries:
1. Jane Geisler reported that the work on Mitzvah Day, April 29th, was scaled down due to low planned attendance [only two signed up for the project]– the work completed including moving a small amount of the Swamp River old puncheon lumber and cleanup of the old decking from the Duell Hollow bridge site. George Muller cancelled his trip and helped out also, (and brought his truck!) and Ron Rosen assisted for part of the day also. Jane indicated that she fielded a question about using the fire ring at the Hemlock Springs campsite. As the question came during the recent draught, she advised the party to not have an open fire and to use stoves instead. Jane also has left a message with the Kings (Hoyt Road area) concerning the planned relocation (short version) there and has not heard back from them. She noted that the Metro North Railroad has been installing stone gabons on their bridge over Hiller Brook adjoining the trail at Route 22 to limit erosion of the banks. Jane inquired about handicapped access issues at Nuclear Lake (using the road to the dam is just an idea right now, not a firm proposal).
2. Frank Dogil had nothing new to report.
3. Mike Arthur indicated that several people have used the Nuclear Lake Loop, which does need some additional work (half blazed so far, some sidehill, etc.) He has made some progress working with the Eagle Scout candidate on his Eagle project at Telephone Pioneers shelter, but the work schedule has not been confirmed. Mike mentioned that the new house on Depot Hill Road is very visible from the Trail (and very close to it).
4. Jim Haggett reported that the RPH garage has been removed as part of the structures demolition contract. Also, George’s Mitzvah Day project to complete the small relocation just north of Hortontown Road didn’t happen – George did the relo by himself at another time. Jim noted that the RPH shelter has had no vandalism this year. He also reported on deer stands and ATV evidence near Long Hill Road. He asked if there were any plants to monitor the tract that is the remainder of NPS tract 271-20; this parcel is owned by ATC. Ron noted that ATC acquired this tract around 1990 since it was landlocked and neither of the landowners between the parcel and Hosner Mountain Road were willing to provide a ROW to the owner. This parcel has not been surveyed, so monitoring could be a problem; some of its boundaries are definable from the NPS survey for 271-20 and Route 84’s boundary line. We need to contact the ATC land trust to determine what monitoring can and should be done, and if ATC intends to turn the tract over to NPS in the long run. Jim mentioned that Tim Messerich and friends want to work on the bridge behind the RPH shelter. Concern was expressed that treated lumber would be inappropriate for wood in contact with the stream, and it was suggested that a manufacturer of one of the plastic wood substitutes may make its product available to ATC for free or low cost.
5. Walt Daniels recently realized that he needs to arrange for the privy at the ball field at Graymoor; during the ceremonies marking the new corridor closing he determined that Graymoor has not provided an alternate facility. Walt did not ask Father Fred about the possibility of using the old Friary for overnight hikers.

5. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:00 PM.

Submitted by Walt Daniels with post-processing assistance by Ron Rosen.