Minutes 8/3/2006

DRAFT Minutes
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Trails Council
August 3, 2006

     1.  Trails Council Chair Pete Heckler called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. at the Trail Conference office in Mahwah, N.J.  Present were: Pete Heckler - Chair, Ed Goodell - Executive Director, Larry Wheelock - Trails Director, Heidi Adami - Volunteer Coordinator, Catherine Gemmell - Information Manager, Estelle Anderson, Larry Braun, Jim Canfield, Daniel D. Chazin, Ellen Cronan, Jane Daniels, Walt Daniels, Monica Day, Bill Fisher, Jakob Franke, Jim Gebhard, Joe Gindoff, Pete Heckler, Bob Jonas, Christina King, Mike Knutson, Peter Kohlberger, Ron Luna, John Mack, John Moran, Natalie Nass, Glenn Oleksak, Sandy Parr, Manny Silberberg, Ike Siskind, June Slade, Brian Sniatkowski and Bob Ward.     

     2.  Introductions.  Pete Heckler announced that Jim Gebhard has replaced Larry Braun as Trails Chair for West Hudson Trails North.  Everyone was asked to introduce themselves.  Pete Heckler also noted that he had distributed to everyone present a copy of an editorial in the American Hiker, in which the President of the American Hiking Society talked about forming alliances with other outdoor organizations.

     3.  Announcements.  Larry Wheelock announced that he is working on updating our expense guidelines.  He also noted that our database has been updated to facilitate enrollment for workshops.

     4.  Minutes.  The minutes of the Trails Council meeting of June 1, 2006 were approved, with the corrections that Josie Gray and Ike Siskind were present at that meeting and should be added to the list of attendance.

     5.  Pierson Ridge Trail.  John Moran explained that the Pierson Ridge Trail in Ringwood State Park has appeared on our North Jersey Trails map for many years but has never been officially adopted by the Trail Conference.  He noted that this trail has been maintained by Gene Giordano.  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Pierson Ridge Trail be adopted by the Conference.

     6.  Monks Trail.  John Moran explained a proposal to extend the Monks Trail in Long Pond Ironworks State Park by one mile in order to complete a loop.  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council approve this extension of the Monks Trail.

     7.  Hoeferlin Memorial Trail.  John Moran explained a proposal to relocate a short section of the Hoeferlin Memorial Trail in Ramapo Mountain State Forest, just south of Route 287, by removing it from an eroded, rocky woods road.  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council approve this relocation of the Hoeferlin Memorial Trail.

     8.  Stonetown Circular Trail.  John Moran explained a proposal to relocate about two miles of the Stonetown Circular Trail (co-aligned with the Highlands Trail) by eliminating a roadwalk and a walk under power lines in favor of a footpath through the woods that would approach the Monksville Reservoir.  He noted that this reroute would be in Long Pond Ironworks State Park and on lands of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, and that the park has not yet approved the relocation (although we expect approval soon).  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council approve this relocation of the Stonetown Circular Trail.

     9.  Oscawana Park.  Jane Daniels proposed that the Trail Conference adopt about three miles of trails in Oscawana Park, near the Hudson River in the Town of Cortlandt, which is owned by the County of Westchester but leased to the town.  She explained that the trails are currently unmarked, but that they are scheduled to be marked once a biodiversity study of the park is completed.  Jane Daniels pointed out that the Trail Conference would not be adopting these trails until they are marked.  She also noted that the Town of Cortlandt has requested the Trail Conference to adopt these trails.  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council recommend to the Board that the Trail Conference adopt the trails in Oscawana Park in the Town of Cortlandt.

     10.  Wawayanda State Park (Terrace Pond).  John Mack reported that the park has requested that a section of the Terrace Pond North Trail at the north end of Terrace Pond be deblazed, due to the great difficulty of maintaining this section, which crosses a very wet area.  He noted that the deblazing of this trail section would make it impossible to complete a loop around the pond on a marked and maintained trail, and explained that the remainder of the trail around Terrace Pond would be redesignated as part of the Terrace Pond North Trail.  Daniel Chazin commented that the Terrace Pond area is one of the jewels of our trail system, and he expressed the hope that this trail section could be restored at some future date if funding for the construction of an appropriate crossing of the wet area became available. 

     John Mack also showed the Trails Council the route of a proposed relocation that has been proposed for a section of the Terrace Pond North Trail north of Terrace Pond that currently runs along a very steep and unattractive section of a gas pipeline.  He noted that this proposed reroute has been presented to the park, but has not yet received official approval.  After a brief discussion, it was moved, seconded and unanimously carried that the Trails Council approve this proposed relocation of the Terrace Pond North Trail, subject to the approval of the park.

     11.  Wallkill Valley Loop.  Mike Knutson of the Student Conservation Association explained to the Trails Council a proposal to create the Wallkill Valley Loop by combining existing sections of the Appalachian Trail, Shawangunk Ridge Trail, Long Path and Highlands Trail.  He explained that this would create a long-distance trail that would be about 116 miles long, and would also enhance understanding of the area from a landscape perspective and highlight the involvement of the Student Conservation Association and the Trail Conference.  He stated that there would not be any new or “overlay” blazing for the Wallkill Valley Loop.

     Mike Knutson expressed the hope that a page on the Wallkill Valley Loop – including basic data on the trail, and a trail guide - would be hosted at the Trail Conference’s website.  Finally, he proposed that a kick-off event be held in September to publicize the trail to the media.  This would involve a relay hike by SCA interns and an official dedication of the trail.

     Mike Knutson commented on some problems that he has encountered, including the roadwalks along the route of the Long Path, the limited availability of overnight camping and parking, and the poor blazing of a section of the Long Path near Woodcock Mountain Road.  He noted that some of the roadwalks might be covered by bike.  He also raised the issue that the proposed name – Wallkill Valley Loop – might be too similar to that of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.  Finally, Mike Knutson questioned where an appropriate kick-off event could be held.  It was proposed that the OSI parking area at the north end of Schunemunk Mountain, just west of the Moodna Viaduct, or the nearby Hil-Mar Resort, might be an appropriate location.

     Ed Goodell encouraged Mike Knutson to work with him in planning this event.  Walt Daniels pointed out that this loop was conceived a number of years ago in a National Park Service study which led to the creation of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail. 

     12.  Geocaching Organizations.  Brian Sniatkowski explained that geocaching involves using GPS receivers to find hidden caches with identified GPS coordinates, and he discussed some misconceptions regarding the environmental impact of geocaching.  In particular, he pointed out that caches are not buried in the ground and that most are visited relatively infrequently.  He noted that geocaching attracts a wide variety of people, and showed samples of containers used to store the caches and explained their contents.  He continued by reviewing the various benefits of geocaching and the policies towards geocaching that have been adopted by different park systems.

     Extensive discussion ensued, during which several concerns regarding geocaching were voiced.  The Trails Council thanked Brian Sniatkowski for his presentation.

     13.  Trail Maintenance Reports.  There was a brief discussion regarding the revised dates for the submission of trail maintenance reports.

     14.  Recognition of Trail Maintainers.  Heidi Adami explained that it has been proposed to expand the variety of patches awarded to trail maintainers and other volunteers to recognize their service to the Trail Conference.  She also noted that special awards would be presented to long-term Trail Conference volunteers.

     15.  Annual Meeting.  Jane Daniels announced that the Trail Conference Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at Croton Point Park in Westchester County.  She noted that the park was accessible by public transportation (with a 2.5-mile walk from the station) and featured a large dining hall that was suitable for our meeting.

     16.  Plan and Budget.  Larry Wheelock stated that he had no report to present at the present time.

     17.  Conservation and Advocacy Report.  Pete Heckler noted that Bill O’Hearn had distributed a written report to the Trails Council.

     18.  Overlay on Long-Distance Trails.  Jane Daniels noted that special permission is required before another trail can be co-blazed on the route of the Appalachian Trail.  She noted that the proposed Great Eastern Trail would like to use a portion of the Long Path, and suggested that the Trail Conference formulate a policy to deal with such requests.  Sandy Parr commented that all requests should be contingent on the use of the co-aligned trail being limited to hiking.  The comment was also made that we need to ensure that we don’t have multiple co-alignment of trails, resulting in a plethora of confusing blazes.  It was agreed that our long-distance trail committees would be asked to make recommendations with regard to co-aligned long-distance trails.  It was also pointed out that the proposed Wallkill Valley Loop does not present the same issue, as there is no proposal to blaze the route of that trail with special markers.

     19.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 p.m.

                                       Respectfully submitted,

                                      Daniel D. Chazin
                                      Secretary

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