Minutes 4/7/2005

New York – New Jersey Trail Conference
Trails Council
April 7, 2005

1. Trails Council Chair Pete Heckler called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. at the Trail Conference office in Mahwah, N.J. Present were: Pete Heckler - Chair, Larry Wheelock - Trails Director, John Blenninger, Bob Boysen, Larry Braun, Jim Canfield, Daniel D. Chazin, Chris Connolly, Ellen Cronan, David Day, Jack Driller, Josh Erdsneker, Bill Fisher, Suzan Gordon, Bob Jonas, Pete Kohlberger, Martin Last, John Moran, Sandy Parr, Monica Resor, Ike Siskind, June Slade, Pete Tilgner, Denise Vitale, Eddie Walsh, Jr. and Bob Ward.

2. Minutes. The minutes of the Trails Council meeting of February 3, 2005 were approved, with Larry Wheelock noting that the correct figure for the estimated cost of the trail work on Bear Mountain should be $1,100,000.

3. Announcements. The following announcements were made:

a. Parking for Wildcat Mountain Trail. Pete Heckler announced that the parking lot for the Wildcat Mountain Trail at the northwest corner of the intersection of Routes 17 and 17A has been temporarily closed, and that a temporary hiker parking area has been opened at the southwest corner of this intersection.

b. Spring Trail Maintenance Workshops. Larry Wheelock announced that the spring workshops, which will be held on two successive weekends in April at the office of the Newark Watershed, have already been closed due to very high registrations, and commented that we need to start planning for the fall workshops. It was suggested that the next workshops be held in a central location. It was agreed that this matter would be discussed further at the next Trails Council meeting.

c. Volunteer Accident Coverage. Josh Erdsneker stated that our existing volunteer accident insurance policy provides insurance coverage only for those who have previously registered with the Trail Conference as performing specified tasks for the Conference. Thus, he explained, if friends or relatives come along on a trail maintenance trip, they would not be covered unless their names were previously sent to the Trail Conference and recorded in our database as trail maintainers. He noted, however, that if the maintenance is being done by a club, and the people involved are registered with the club, they would be covered by our insurance. He also pointed out that if there is a one-time trail-related event sponsored by the Trail Conference, and all participants sign in on a registration sheet prior to doing any work, they would be covered. It was also noted that if any participant is under the age of 16, written parental permission must be obtained.

d. Volunteer T-Shirts. Josh Erdsneker noted that attractive yellow Trail Conference T-shirts are available in several sizes for all trail maintainers.

e. EMS Discounts. Josh Erdsneker reported that we are looking to create a new relationship with EMS whereby Trail Conference members would receive a 10% discount at all EMS stores.

4. New Trail Projects Coordinator. Larry Wheelock introduced Eddie Walsh, Jr., who was recently hired as the Conference’s Trail Projects Coordinator. Eddie Walsh noted that, to date, most of his work has involved the Wappingers Falls Greenway project.

5. Stillman/Highlands Trail Relocation. Larry Braun outlined to the Trails Council a proposed relocation of the Stillman Trail going up Butter Hill, explaining that it would provide a more gentle route up Butter Hill. He also explained that the old Stillman Trail route going to the “flagpole” parking lot on Route 9W is proposed to be reblazed orange and designated as the Butter Hill Trail. These trail changes were unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

6. Gertrude’s Nose Trail Relocation. Larry Braun explained to the Trails Council a proposed minor relocation of a section of the Gertrude’s Nose Trail in Minnewaska State Park. He noted that this relocation will eliminate a steep, badly-eroded section of this trail, substituting a new section with rock steps and sidehilling. He noted that the work would be done on six work days under the leadership of Denise Vitale, following which the new trail would be opened, and the old trail route would be closed and rehabilitated. This relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

7. Proposed ADA Rules for Trail Construction. Larry Wheelock explained that while the proposed rules that we are asked to comment on directly affect only lands under the jurisdiction of the United States Forest Service, it is likely that they will be adopted by the Access Board and become applicable to all trails throughout the country. He noted that the Appalachian Trail Conference will be submitting comments on our behalf, and encouraged anyone with comments on the proposed rules to contact Walt Daniels. Larry Wheelock pointed out that the proposed rules do contain many exceptions, and that many, but not all, of the concerns raised by ATC in response to an earlier draft have been dealt with in the current draft.

8. Highlands Trail East of Hudson. Larry Wheelock reported that efforts are being made to extend the Highlands Trail east of the Hudson, from Breakneck Ridge to the Connecticut state line. He noted that we are looking for volunteers to scout out proposed routes for this trail, much of which traverses lands owned by the state, counties or municipalities, and some of which is New York City watershed land.

Larry Braun reported that a new trail is being built down the east side of Storm King Mountain that will extend the Highlands Trail down to the Hudson River, and noted that Scenic Hudson will be constructing a parking lot on Route 218 that can be used to access this new trail.

9. Maps in “Trail News” Column of Trail Walker. John Blenninger expressed concern that a color map that had been submitted to the Trail Walker to show the recent changes involving the Nurian Trail was not printed. Larry Wheelock explained that the color map was not reproduceable, and that a black-and-white map was subsequently submitted and should appear in the next issue of the Trail Walker. He stated that he now understands that maps for the Trail Walker must be submitted in black-and-white, and will be doing so from now on. After discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council wishes to stress the importance of including in the Trail Walker maps of all important trail relocations.

10. Relocation of Wyanokie Circular Trail in Norvin Green State Forest. Bob Jonas outlined to the Trails Council his proposal to relocate a short section of the Wyanokie Circular Trail going up to Wyanokie High Point. He explained that the existing alignment is unsatisfactory and that the short relocation that he has proposed would result in a better route for the trail. This relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

11. Relocation of Ringwood-Ramapo Trail in Ringwood State Park. John Moran explained that Gene Giordano has proposed a relocation of an 0.2-mile section of the Ringwood-Ramapo Trail in Ringwood State Park. He noted that the area in question is very wet and involves a stream crossing, and stated that the proposal was to construct a new bridge across the stream and co-align a short section of the Ringwood-Ramapo Trail with the Cupsaw Brook Trail. This relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

12. Realignment of Connector Trail and Extension of Sapphire Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Peter Tilgner explained that, for environmental reasons, a relocation of the Connector Trail between the Appalachian Trail and the Indian Hill Loop Trail has been proposed. He noted that the proposal was to reroute the Connector Trail to the west, so that it would connect directly to the Sapphire Trail without requiring a jog onto the A.T., and that the entire connecting route would be redesignated as an extension of the Sapphire Trail. Pete Heckler pointed out that our original proposal for the Connector Trail was for it to cross the A.T. directly, but that, at the time, this proposal was objected to by the Appalachian Trail Conference. This relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

13. Multi-Use Trails – Can We All Learn to Play Together? Ellen Cronan introduced this discussion by pointing out that New Jersey has been rated 50 (out of 50 states) in terms of its suitability for mountain biking, and noted that one of the reasons given for this rating was the hostility of other user groups to bikes on trails. She stated that this was not a desirable situation, and that the Trail Conference should work more closely with mountain bike groups in trying to address their concerns. Pete Heckler commented that he agreed that we should take a more congenial and possibly cooperative attitude towards mountain bikers, rather than responding to their proposals in a confrontational manner. David Day stated that he regularly reads mountain bike publications and has noted that mountain bikers are becoming more mature. Bob Jonas suggested that bikers could use power line corridors for bike trails.

Larry Wheelock commented that two recent Forest Service studies have reached the conclusion that hikers do as much damage to trails as mountain bikes (with horses doing the most damage). It was noted, however, that the study did not take into account that bikers will generally cover more mileage than hikers, and that the study was conducted in arid climates that might not be comparable to the conditions existing in our area. Larry Wheelock distributed copies of the article describing these studies to members of the Trails Council. In response, Larry Braun commented that bikes create a continuous track, while hikers affect only the smaller area where their feet make contact with the ground.

Denise Vitale stated that we should work with the International Mountain Biking Association to create additional bike trails, thereby providing bikers with an alternative to riding their bikes on hiking trails. Jack Driller suggested that the Trails Council take a position in favor of separate-use trails, and that we should work with responsible mountain bike groups to advance their goals in an appropriate manner. Larry Wheelock commented that, in most cases, park managements will not support new trail networks, so that if bike trails are to be established, we might have to relinquish some of our foot trails.

14. Speakers’ Bureau. Jack Driller proposed that we establish a speakers’ bureau to promote the Trail Conference to clubs and other interested groups. He asked that anyone interested contact him.

15. The meeting was adjourned at 8:33 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Daniel D. Chazin
Secretary

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