5:45 Networking and dinner
6:15 Meeting
- Introductions
- Additions to the agenda
- Approve minutes
- Announcements
- Breakneck Ridge - Hank Osborn
6:25 Reports from Headquarters
- Policy Council - Walt Daniels - Trail Management Guide
- Publications - Westchester Map
- Supervisors Workshop - My Dashboard
6:45 Reports from the Region
- Trail Updates and accompllishments
- Rose Bonanno - new trails in Levy Preserve in Lewisboro
- Upcoming workshops - who is giving what where
- Tabling events in 2018
- Clearwater Festival - June 16, 17 Croton Point Park
7: 00 Presentation: Linda Rohleder and Eric Stone: Invasives for Maintainers. For the last five years, the Trail Conference has a program about invasive plant species. Led by Linda Rohleder, she has sent volunteers out to survey trails and report back about the extent of a select group of invasive plant species. But doing something about these invaders needs not only other trained volunteers but also maintainers. Learn about the impacts of some of the most common invasive plant species and what maintainers can do to manage them. Linda is the Trail Conference's Director of Land Stewardship and Eric is the Invasives Program Educator.
8:00 Round Robin Brain Dump - A chance to share what you do to train and supervise your maintainers.
8:45 Adjourn
Marilyn Blaho, Kurt Beil, Rose Bonanno, Jane Daniels, Walt Daniels, Bob Gurian, Jim Haggett, Geoff Hamilton, Tim Harvell, Mary Hilley, Gary Haugland, Carolyn Hoffman, Pete Horree, Hank Osborn, Michael Pashley, Martha Rabson, Ron Rosen, George Scott, Andrew Sierup, Surekha Soni, Connie Stern, Fred Stern, Eric Stone
Minutes from EH--RTC meeting 4/9/2018
5:45 pm Networking and dinner
6:15 p.m. Meeting
Introductions of those attending were made.
Minutes of the Feb. 12 meeting were approved.
Announcements
Jane noted that the week of April 15 is National Volunteer Week and supervisors should take the opportunity to thank their volunteers.
Jane expressed thanks to Hank for his ongoing assistance to the EH-RTC by presenting him with a set of wool juggling balls, with which he did.
Report from Headquarters
Walt Daniels reported that the Policy Council's draft of the Trail Management Guide is on the web, It isnot officially open for comments, but you should read it. Bob Gurian is the EHRTC member of the Policy Council. and is working on the next edition of the Trail Maintenance Manual. The current one is the 2013 edition.
Westchester Map Set is being worked on
My Dashboard on TC website is open and gives access to personal data and, importantly, maintainer resources section gives volunteer trail work report forms and information how-tos. Your job level will open to whatever level forms you can access. Also available on mobile phones.
Report from the Region
Hank Osborn reports that volunteers are in place for the TC tabling event at the Clearwater Festival, June 17-18 and that tickets for volunteers have been donated. Hank will send more details to volunteers as date approaches.
Geoff Hamilton, Conservation Corp manager, added that Clearwater is funding for one Conservation Corp member.
Trail Maintenance 101 workshops will be on April 28 at Teatown, May 12 at Fahnestock.
Trail Update
George Scott, Lewisboro Chief Trails Steward, presented a description of recent trail additions in Lewisboro. Leon Levy Preserve, rt. 123, currently has five miles of trails and in development across rt. 123 is another property that is being cleared, with new trails and meadows underway. George is hopeful that by 2020, these trails will connect to those of the Westchester Land Trust if certain easements are approved.
Geoff Hamilton also reported that the Welch Education Center in Harriman has a volunteer program for July 22 and Camp Olympus will offer a first aid course and other events.
New tee shirts are on the way at the end of April, this time a beautiful teal color.
Featured Presentation
Eric Stone, TC Invasive Species Educator and Volunteer Coordinator, presented the group with current facts about environmental harm invasive species inflict on native plants in our area. Japanese barberry, for example, is not only invasive, it houses huge populations of ticks. Oriental bittersweet is causing 10 per cent of our tree mortality. He emphasized the importance of maintainers enrolling in the Invasive Species for Trail Maintainers Workshop, April 29 at Headquarters in Mahwah. Training for surveyors to identify locations of invasives will take place in Millbrook NY at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Dutchess County, on June 15, 9 a.m. through 4p.m. Until the mobil app for survey reports is fixed, surveyors will need to use paper to report.
Round RobinJane began a spirited discussion by asking: What Do You Do to Help Your Maintainers? She started out by the meeting was a discussion of what supervisors can do for maintainers and what maintainers would like or what they do to enhance hikers experience. She showed the goody bag she has started handing out at supervisors training. Others mentioned that they write notes right on maps as you think of them, have maps to hand out to hikers who look lost and if you are stepping down as maintainer, invite a likely replacement to hike and show how irresistible trail maintaining can be.
At the end of the meeting, Jane asked everyone to state what they were going to do with what they learned. Here is a short list of what people said they would do:
- Take an invasives course
- Bring maps to give out to hikers (looking into improving instructions on how to download and make a pdf.)
- Learn to use My Dashboard (reminder to register on the website and if you don't have your role listed, contact Hank [email protected] to have your status changed)
- Use notepad or email yourself to record what you have done on a work trip. the low tech means of recording is a notebook
- Take my new maintainers out to introduce them to their trail(s)
- Develop a goody bag to have when I go out to maintain
- Secure a folded up trash bags with a rubber band and bring with you.
There was a request to have a rack cards, which are out of stock and a request has already been made to be reprinted.
Future Meetings
Meeting dates will now be on third Monday of the meeting month.
June 18 meeting will be a Safety discussion, with many areas of importance to all. Details will follow.
September weekend meeting will be a EHRTC picnic, details to follow.
December meeting will be on Dec. 17.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Submitted by
Marilyn Balho