Minutes 6/1/2006

DRAFT Minutes
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Trails Council
June 1, 2006

Present: Estelle Anderson, Jill Arbuckle, John Blenninger, Bob Boysen, Jim Canfield (presiding), Chris Connolly, Ellen Cronan, Walt Daniels, Jane Daniels, Monica Day, David Day, Jack Driller, Joe Gindoff, John Grob, Gary Haugland, Pete Heckler, Bob Jonas, Mark Liss, Ron Luna, John Moran, Sandy Parr, Mannie Silberberg, Brian Sniatkowski, Bob Ward

Staff: Maureen Edelson, Bill O'Hearn, Larry Wheelock

Called to order at 6:30 by Jim Canfield, acting as chair.

Corrections to the April 6, 2006 minutes: Daniel Van Engel was "acting as chair", not Chair. Sandy Parr indicated that we should see what was corrected in the minutes. Bob Ward seconded the motion. Minutes were approved as corrected

Changes to the Agenda;

Walt Daniels added to discussion: geocaching clubs as members

Introductions:

Bill O’Hearn, Conservation Director, introduced himself and gave a little information on his background, particularly his experiences working on Sterling Forest and buying land in NJ

for the Passaic River Coalition.  He added that he is looked forward to learning about buying open space in NY State, and had already been on a tour of our properties along the SRT. 

Larry Wheelock introduced Heidi Adami, Volunteer Coordinator, who was not present. She will be working on recruiting volunteers for the Bear Mountain Project and the USDA tracking invasives project.

Announcements

Jane Daniels gave the publications report for Daniel Chazin, publications committee chair. The new digital West Hudson map set and the new edition of the analog South Taconics map are now in stock. Current editions of all ten of our map sets are in stock. The new digital North Jersey map set is being worked on. John Mack is in charge of the project.  Walt Daniels mentioned that the AT guide for New York and New Jersey is practically out of print. Because of time constraints when the 14th edition was revised, no one in the Trail Conference AT community reviewed the unidirectional revisions. There are an overwhelming number of errors that should not have happened. Anyone in the AT community is asked to get corrections to Daniel by June 10.

No report was available for advocacy

Bill O'Hearn gave a report for Conservation. In addition to his comments when introducing himself, Bill mostly took questions about the Green Acres program and Garden State Preservation Trust funds available this year and next, land prices, parcel priorities, etc.

Larry Wheelock reported on the USDA tracking invasive project being done in conjunction with Rutgers University. Trails and woods roads in Harriman Park between the Thruway, Route 106, Arden Valley Road and Seven Lakes Drive are being flagged with 4 x 6 inch flags. In the next step, volunteers are noting invasive species and noting their location with a GPS. The flags will be up for a couple of weeks and then taken down. Posted signs explain the project. It will also be done in Ramapo Reservation, Ramapo Mountain State Forest and Ringwood State Park. Volunteers are also marking the location with a biodegradable spray paint. This portion of the study is establishing a baseline as to where they are; in three years, a second visit will record to what extent the invasives have spread.  Maintainers are to wait until July to maintain.

Larry reminded everyone that the reporting schedule dates are June 30, July 15, and August 1 for maintainers, supervisors, and trails chairs to report. Larry has copies of the revised form and it can be downloaded from the web. Larry also noted that he has sent to supervisors the list of maintainers. Comments were made about the data not being up to date and that people were receiving the lists with names they had already corrected. Jack Driller mentioned hiring someone specifically to the task. Ellen Cronan suggested documenting the process so that a volunteer could do it.

The two maintaining workshops held this fall are both on October 14. The one in Port Jervis will be at the Port Jervis Library and the one in Westchester will be at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Jakob Franke and John Magerlein respectively are the presenters. Both workshops are viewed as recruiting tools. November 11-12 will be Trail Layout and Design. An online registration process is up and running.

Trail Approvals

Jane Daniels asked that the 40 miles of trails at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation (Westchester County Park, NY) be approved pending finding a trail supervisor. She had received approval from the board in April pending approval from Trails Council, but in the meantime the supervisor had to resign for personal reasons. She is working with the park manager to find his replacement. The approximately 40 miles of trails are on trails and woods roads. The trails will be blazed with tag blazes. There is little trail crew work to be done.  The park has asked that maintainers phone or check into the park office before working on trails. They will supply a t-shirt. The park staff will work with power equipment. Jane will be sending a letter of understanding. All are in favor

Jane Daniels requested that the 1.5 mile, yellow blazed Pelton Pond Nature Trail be adopted. It circles Pelton Pond in Fahnestock State Park.   All are in favor

Joe Gindoff filling in for Liz Gonzalez asked that the trails (except for the Siwanoy Trail) in Pelham Bay Park to be Trail Conference maintained trails. Friends of Pelham Bay Park are the maintaining organization. Currently they are working on the Theodore Kazimiroff Nature Trail (1.5 miles) on Hunters Island. Liz is also working with the equestrians to manage the equestrian trails. The Park is accessible by public transportation, but charges for vehicle parking. There is an oral agreement with the city to maintain the trails. Sandy Parr made a motion to recommend to the board that the trail system be added. Pete Heckler seconded. All are in favor.

Bob Jonas presented a reroute of the Wyanokie Crest Trail in Norvin Green S. P. that had been completed with Passaic County community service volunteers. The reroute removed the trail from a boulder field with potholes and a section heavily overgrown with poison ivy. The ¾ mile section was done in three hours. Bob was reminded to let John Mack know so that it can be GPSed for the new North Jersey map set. Pete Heckler made a motion to accept the reroute. Sandy Parr seconded. All in favor

Pete Tilgner requested that the seven mile trail system at the Tenafly Nature Center/Lost Brook Preserve be adopted. An MOU has been signed. There is a connection on Route 9W to the Long Path. Sandy Parr made a motion to recommend to the board that the trail system be added. Pete Heckler seconded. All are in favor.

2007 Plan and Budget

Larry Wheelock reminded the Trails Council, that planning for the next fiscal year is underway.  He would like a wish list from chairs and ideas to go after restricted funds for projects. He asked that chairs get back to him by the end of June. He will be sending information to chairs on how to manage expenses, that is, who is reimbursed for what items.

Bob Ward at Liz Gonzalez’s request asked about creation of a series of patches for supervisors and chairs. The spirited discussion had comments about whether they were needed at all. The difference of opinion varied from don’t waste your money to yes, they are a form of advertising the Trail Conference.  Having a rocker on the membership patch was deemed a possibility. The discussion dissolved into a debate about the maintainer patches not being handed out in a timely fashion, followed by a request for more recognitions and that caps and T-shirts were useful. Consensus was a rational system for distribution items was necessary. Having a supervisor hand out a patch was debated. Although no conclusion was reached as to how to distribute the patches, what was clear was it needed to be done. One suggestion was to have the supervisor give a new maintainer a T-shirt, patch, maintainer’s manual and a copy of the maintenance form as a welcome kit. Recognition for those working on Bear Mountain was mentioned as part of the discussion. The question of Trail Crew patches was raised and where was the design?

Larry Wheelock reported that the agreement with NYC DEP is being worked on. Their legal language does not take into account an organization, which provides service. He reminded folks that even though the DEP newsletter makes it look as if it is a done deal, there are things that need clarifying. Chris Connolly has set up an MOU committee and they are the ones drafting the MOU.

Jane Daniels pointed out that the Trails Council Chair is supposed to be a board member. We have not had a chair for the last 4 meetings and have had used rotating chairs. John Moran acts as the Board liaison. Joe Gindoff will be chairing the meeting in August. Pete Heckler offered to chair Trails Council beginning in October for the next year. Subsequently Pete found out that he would be away for the October meeting.

Discussion

Larry Wheelock reminded everyone that removing flagging tape from a site after a project is completed is part of completing the job, even though there is biodegradable flagging tape.

Walt Daniels brought up the question that no geocaching and orienteering clubs are members of the Trail Conference. Is that because no one has approached them? Did anyone have objections to extending invitations to those groups to become members? Gary Haugland felt we needed organizations committed to trails. Pete Heckler mentioned Stella Green does geocaching and he will contact her for coming to the next meeting. Ellen Cronan moved and Pete Heckler seconded that we send membership inquiries out to several groups to find if they are interested. All but Gary Haugland were in favor.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:57.

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