Volunteer Committee Meeting Thursday October 6, 2011

Committee: 
Volunteer
Meeting
Date: 
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 13:00 to Thu, 10/06/2011 - 15:51
Attendees: 
Dan Van Engel, Ken Malkin, Bob Jonas, Estelle Anderson, Chris Connolly, Melissa Bean, Pete Heckler, Jeremy Apgar; Chris Ingui
Status of Minutes: 
Final
Minutes: 

RJ: For future Trail Walker, thanking volunteers, suggested that we include more photos, from off trail committees as well as sawyers, trail crew, bridges we built. 

 

EA:  Should send thank you letter to each club trails chair. Melissa will provide a list of maintaining clubs along with their contact info.

 

MB:  Youth Policy:  Background checks are moving along. So far, hs done about 20 people. This check takes about one week. 

 

            She mentioned that youth make contact with TC regarding going on a crew trip.  This has to be up to the crew chief or crew leader if they wish to have youth (under 18) on their work trip. 

 

DVE to MB:  should contact crew chiefs and leaders regarding working with youth, and also advise them of need for background check per Youth Policy. 

 

Vol. Handbook:  Revisions of 7/29/11 reviewed.  Ken Malkin will fix table of contents.  Insurance page is up-to-date. Has to back to BOD for approval. 

 

JA:  Volunteer survey, is ready to go and will be on web next week.  Suggests Trail Council members be told about the survey so we can get the most responses.  He will compile survey results and present to us. 

 

RJ:  Re:  Trail Crews.  NJ Crews should be set up by abilities;  we need general ability, technical crews and bridge crews.  

 

Suggests to recognize crew people (notice them) we might offer “crew bucks” for each work trip.  They would accumulate “bucks” for some reward.   Thinks is could build commaradarie. 

 

CC:  Less work trips schedule for West Hudson; less people show up means less work trips. 

 

PH:  Talk to someone who is successful with trail crew and ask questions.

 

RJ:  There should be good publicity for projects – other than Bear Mountain.

 

DVE:  Contact maintainers and request they participate in at least one work trip per year.

 

RJ:  suggests there should be a central clearing point at Mahwah that receives work requests and sets up trips. 

 

 

 

 

Oct. 6. 2011     minutes     page 2 

 

CI:  Jolly Rovers have a mandatory 5 courses for specialty crew. Thinks training should be mandatory before some joins a crew.  

 

New crews not to be specifically regional.  Core group needs mandatory workshops, others can come in and join without needing prior workshop training. 

 

DVE:  Should be levels of training so a novice can take part without tech. training. 

 

KM:  Are we recruiting/training for leadership? 

 

CI:  Leaders are found – while working in a crew.   There presently not a crew leader training program. 

 

DVE:  What is Vol. Comm. Role in developing crew.

 

CI:  Trail University does not have an intro class for trail crew.  He is revising the TM102 (construction) class.  Vol. Comm. role – should see the ppt. and review course material for Trail Univ.  

 

PH:  mentioned National Korean weekend, there are huge groups of hikers and a possibility of recruiting for trail crews. 

 

CI:   will report back and have more discussion; what to do with other regional crews. 

 

Next meeting Nov 17 2011

 

 

By

E. Anderson