January-March, 2008
The Magazine of the NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATION
Volume 27, No. 1
2007 State of the Trail Page 13 Non-Native Invasive Species Page 8 NCTA’S Founders Circle Page 7
“What I Have Learned About Trails and a Little About Those Who Taught Me”
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TRAIL HEAD
DAVE CORNELL
President
learning to respect the trail. It is a whole different thing. I would love to have the North Country Trail Association acquire a permanent home. I would fight to have a wall in that structure dedicated to those who went before us. On that wall I would make sure there was a plaque that reads, “Bill Menke, he taught the teachers, who taught the teachers, who taught the teachers, who taught us to love the Trail.” Could there be a higher calling than teaching the teachers? So that you do not go away with the thought that Bill can walk on water I must tell a couple of stories. We were hiking in the Adirondacks on a route that Bill has laid out, which I hope will someday be the route the NCT follows, when we got lost. Yes lost, not just a little lost, but totally unequivocally lost. We pitched our tents and cooked supper. Bill then started walking in ever widening circles in effort to find a lake that we knew was nearby. He found it and when he returned to camp announced, “I told you we weren’t lost.”
The very next day we came to a river with a rope stretching to the far side where a boat was located. The river was high and cold (I won’t trouble you with a description of the black-fly population). One of us was going to get wet while fetching the boat. Arguments were put forth as to who should undertake this endeavor. I won out and Bill went to get the boat. In my mind’s eye there will always be the indelible image of Bill hanging on to the rope with his rear end in the freezing water. Here’s to my friend, my hiking partner and a great teacher, Bill Menke. Clare Cain
y hiking experiences can be divided into two time spheres: (1) before Bill Menke and (2) after Bill Menke. Before Bill my experiences on the trail were idyllic. Communing with nature, thinking deep thoughts and shedding the cares accumulated in our hurley-burley world. After Bill Menke, I became a part time amateur trail evaluator. My exposure to Bill has ruined me. Now I am powerless to stop myself from taking notice of the grade, watching the tread width, judging the quality of blazing and trying to see if there isn’t a better route. I first met Bill when he was a National Park Service employee and I was a new NCTA Board member. Later, like many others, I took a trail building course from Bill. I learned the basics of trail design, trail building and trail maintenance. I also learned to cherish the opportunity of walking over a section of land and laying out the path of a new trail. Ask any Chapter President and they will tell you that all hands will turn out to help lay out a new section of trail. Why? They have a sense of how important this endeavor is. Why? Because they learned it from Bill. The truth is that lots of people could and have taught others to build good trails. The difference with Bill is that he does it in such a way that his students can’t help themselves from
Bill Menke explains blazing techniques to a work crew.
North Country Trail Association The North Country Trail Association develops, maintains, preserves and promotes the North Country National Scenic Trail through a trail-wide coalition of volunteers and partners. Our vision for the North Country National Scenic Trail is that of a premier footpath of national significance, offering a superb experience for hikers in a permanently protected corridor, traversing and interpreting the richly diverse environmental, cultural, and historic features of the northern United States.
Come Visit Us! The Lowell office is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. 229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 Phone (866) HikeNCT • 616-897-5987 • Fax (616) 897-6605 www.northcountrytrail.org
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The North Star
January–March 8
A Glance Inside
Staff Andrew Bashaw, Regional Trail Coordinator Ohio/Pennsylvania andrewbashaw@northcountrytrail.org
Clare Cain, Director of Trail Management clarecain@northcountrytrail.org
Matt Davis, Regional Trail Coordinator Minnesota/North Dakota davis@northcountrytrail.org
Jill DeCator, Administrative Assistant jdecator@northcountrytrail.org
Bruce Matthews, Executive Director bmatthews@northcountrytrail.org
Bill Menke, Regional Trail Coordinator Great Lakes bill_menke@partner.nps.gov
Matt Rowbotham, GIS/IT Specialist mattrowbotham@northcountrytrail.org
Chequamegon Chapter’s Ed Ronkowski obviously loves his time on the North Country Trail. Look Inside for more photos and Chapter accomplishments in the 2007 State of the Trail.
National Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2008 Mary Coffin, VP East, New York Rep., (315)687-3589 · mcoffin1@twcny.rr.com
Garry Dill, At Large Rep.,
(614)451-0223 · gdill@columbus.rr.com
Alicia Hoffarth, North Dakota Rep., (701)490-3889 · cahoffarth@hotmail.com
Terry Serres, At Large Rep.,
(612)414-4116 · serrest@comcast.net
Terms Expiring 2009 Sarah Julien, Secretary, At Large Rep., (616)676-0172 · sajulien@comcast.net
Christopher Klein, VP West, Minnesota Rep., (320)766-9635 · klein11@midwestinfo.com
Al Larmann, At Large Rep.,
(315)697-3387 · AFLarmann@msn.com
Terms Expiring 2010 Dave Cornell, President, At Large Rep., (239)561-6512 · onestep@mei.net
Joyce Appel, Pennsylvania Rep.,
(724)526-5407 · joyceappel@windstream.net
Lyle Bialk, Lower Michigan Rep.,
(810)679-2401 · lylebialk@sbcglobal.net
Carl Boesel Ohio Rep.,
(740)385-0074 · gboesel@hocking.net
Bobby Koepplin, VP Finance, At Large Rep., (701)845-2935 · bkoepplin@kwh.com
Articles Volunteer Adventures....................4 “Only Sixty-five Years Ago”..........5 New Administrative Assistant Jill DeCator!..................................6 The Founders Circle.....................7 Non-Native Invasive Species.........8 In Memory of Jim Burow.............9 Sakakawea Festival!.......................9 Avoiding Our Two Left Feet.......10 Certification Updates..................11 2007 State of the Trail................13
Columns Trailhead.......................................2 Matthews’ Meanders.....................4 Going for the Gold.....................11 On the Trail................................12
Departments Who’s Who Along the North Country Trail.............................22
About the Cover
Boy Scouts and their parents work together on a Clausen Springs Eagle Scout project in Clausen Springs Recreation Area in North Dakota. Photo by Becky Heise.
Gaylord Yost Great Lakes Rep., (414)354-8987 · gaylyost@aol.com
Len Price, At Large Rep.,
(651)267-9900 · len.price@conservationcorps.org
Jim Hudson, At Large Rep.,
(905)527-7111 · jdhudson@msn.com
Larry Hawkins, At Large Rep.,
(269)945-5398 · hawkeyemd@cablespeed.com
Jack Cohen, At Large Rep.,
(724)234-5398 · JCohen@zoominternet.net
North Star Staff
Irene Szabo, Editor Aaron Phipps, Art Director The North Star, Winter Issue, Vol. 27, Issue 1, is published by the North Country Trail Association, a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, 229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331. The North Star is published quarterly for promotional and educational purposes and as a benefit of membership in the Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the North Country Trail Association.
January–March 8
The North Star
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MATTHEWS’
B
y now members have received the letter and the background information on the membership dues increase, approved by the Board in December and effective March 1. Raising dues is never popular, likely one reason why it hasn’t happened in the last 8 years, even as expenses have spiraled upward. Here’s a chart illustrating where NCTA’s revenues come from, and another showing how they’re allocated: What’s been the impact of the dues announcement? The buzz around the Trail community has been mixed since the dues increase was announced. Predictably there are those who feel the increase is too much, unaffordable, out of line and a disincentive to join. They wonder what more they’re getting for the jump in dues. Others counter with the premise that “it’s not what you get; it’s what you get to be part of.” Some have compared the cost of NCTA membership favorably with that of dinner and a movie for two. What’s clear is that value is in the eye of the beholder. Equally clear is that, regardless of dues, NCTA must create greater value in membership, in belonging to and being associated with the North Country Trail. We will do this through more effective member services, better communication and outreach and greater visibility in Trail communities. We have much to accomplish yet in this regard, but we do look forward to demonstrating greater value in NCTA membership … and with greater value will come
MEANDERS BRUCE MATTHEWS
increased membership. You’ll note that, even with the increase, member dues account for only 17% of NCTA’s budget. We’ve set a goal of greater diversification in revenues, with significantly more private and corporate donations. A precursor for effective fund-raising is a solid, committed membership base. We can sell the promise of the North Country Trail and this incredibly cool connection with the NCTA a lot better when we show a membership that’s demonstrably committed to, for example, spending a penny a mile to belong to it. We can already talk about sweat equity with the 31% increase in volunteer hours last year. We can also talk about a significant increase in donations in 2007, doubled over 2006! And membership is up more than 7%. So we’re on our way, my friends. We are embarked on a journey together to put the North Country National Scenic Trail on the ground, and in the hearts and minds of our citizens, especially those in our seven-state region. More than just sharing an inspiring vision and a way to give something back, our involvement in moving forward this vision of the Trail is driven by a common conviction that this is much larger than any of us individually, and worthy of our best efforts. The tide is turning and momentum is starting to build. I’m grateful to be sharing this journey with you and look forward to notable achievements in 2008!
Discover A New Section of the North Country Trail This Season!
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May 3-8 May 19-23 June 5-10 Aug 2-7 Sept 2-7 Sept 22-27 Sept 25-30
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The North Star
Pike Lake State Park, OH Sheyenne National Grasslands, ND Brule River State Forest, WI DeRuyter State Forest, NY Allegheny National Forest, PA Paul Bunyan State Forest, MN L’Anse, MI
January–March 8
his year the NCTA and the National Park Service are sponsoring seven “volunteer adventures” on the Trail in beautiful north country settings. Join trail friends, area volunteers and NCTA staff in the field to build and rehab sections of the North Country Trail. No previous experience is needed; we provide the tools, the food, and the experts. You bring your healthy attitude and old work boots and we’ll build the Trail together! These projects are suitable for all abilities and are family friendly. Come out and enjoy the backwoods, put your tool to the ground, and help us build the dream of the North Country Trail! For additional information and to register, visit www.northcountrytrail.org or call 1-866-445-3628!
“Only Sixty-five Years Ago...” Irene Szabo
D
uring my typical winter-time twitchy frustration at having no Useful and Productive activity to do outside (it’s a great burden being raised Protestant), I turned this winter to resurrection of a three-mile loop I built some years ago through my neighbors’ woods (yes, with permission, silly you) so that I could have a nice place to take a dog walk, a trail through some drop-dead gorgeous full-growth hemlock and white pine, on a route that would avoid the mistreated ATV and horse tracks nearby. Finger Lakes Trail work elsewhere usually means that this trail gets left behind, and I’ll admit that some parts of it haven’t seen my attention in over two years. If it weren’t for my good trail memory, there are many places where the path could not have been found, due only to tons of fallen branch litter obscuring the cleared tread. What stuns me about this quick trail disappearance most of all is that I am simultaneously reading a collection of articles about life during World War II, where I’m learning a lot about how radically my parents’ lives were altered just before I was born. One has heard that the Appalachian Trail, for instance, got virtually no maintenance for at least four years, and I can believe it. Tires and gasoline were tightly rationed, so even if there were able-bodied people left at home, they probably could not get to the trail at all. Here in upstate New York, most of us trail stewards drive at least an hour to get to our sections, while some North Country Trail chapter members will drive more like four hours to get to theirs! Gas prices now are painful enough, but what if we couldn’t even buy ANY beyond our ration coupons? Or replace tires? If we went to the trail at all, we would simply have to make a week of it, and get
everything done for the entire season in one dedicated trip. That is not, of course, how good maintenance works, since every trail deserves two or three clean-ups per year. Nor would we be able to fire up chain saws or run mowers down the trail in weedy old field sections. The implications for the quality of trails are scary, especially since hiking usage would be down, too.
One Rochester, New York, hiking club responsible for a segment of the Finger Lakes Trail has been in existence since 1928, and prides itself on hosting a hike somewhere every Sunday, no matter the weather, holidays, or World Wars. I remember reading in their fiftieth anniversary booklet that older members could recall taking the trolley to the end of the line during the 1940’s, which got them to the countryside outside Rochester, and just walking where they could before they had to take another trolley back. Sometimes this Genesee Valley Hiking Club also mustered forces to help pick crops, since helpful hands were in short supply!
Meat, coffee, and sugar were rationed, too, so ingenuity provided some odd snacks for thousands of traveling Army recruits. A phenomenon that arose primarily in the midwest and west was a scattering of so-called canteens for giving soldiers a dollop of home during their train journeys to distant bases or ports. Local volunteers met troop trains and managed to give every soldier a cup of coffee, and a sandwich, cookie, or piece of fruit during the few minutes it took to give the steam locomotive more coal and water. Women young and old, all of them in dresses and the younger set sporting ankle socks and saddle shoes, managed to scrape together enough food to make all these offerings. Because most of the small town depots where canteens arose had surrounding farms to supply eggs and apples, there was heavy reliance on home-made mayonnaise, egg salad, and “bologna salad” sandwiches. (I don’t want to know.) There were two such railroadstation canteens in Pennsylvania, one in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a record twelve in Ohio, plus another thirty scattered westward. Even the oldest parts of the North Country Trail’s footpath ancestors were begun in 1962, so fortunately avoided the drastic measures affecting everybody during World War II, but it gives me pause to contemplate how recently life was so different...and how easily our relatively well-supplied lives could change again.
January–March 8
The North Star
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NCTA Welcomes New Administrative Assistant, Jill DeCator! he Association recently hired Jill DeCator to take over office administrative duties in our Lowell headquarters. Jill has lived in the Lowell area for the past 14 years but she says “although I saw the NCTA storefront years ago, I never really knew what the North Country Trail Association was all about.” Jill adds that she had been looking for a position in the non-profit arena and “wanted to work for something worthwhile. This position fit that description, and it fit me.” Jill grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved to Michigan 16 years ago. She fell in love with the land, the rivers and lakes, all the unspoiled natural space. “My husband and I really enjoy the outdoors. In our “pre-kids” days, we did a lot of weekend trips: fishing, morel hunting, enjoying nature. My husband does a lot of hunting and fishing. I don’t like to hunt, but I enjoy
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The North Star
January–March 8
Clare Cain
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fishing … if it’s not too much work. He’s diehard, but you won’t see me out on the ice, sitting on a bucket in the cold.” Jill and her husband have been married for 9 years and she has 2 teenage stepdaughters, 2 daughters (ages 8 and 6), and a son, age 4. They live on a very peaceful 280 acres of woods, farmland and a small, no wake lake. Jill says, “ We love watching the deer, turkey, sandhill cranes and other wildlife. I really enjoy raising my kids, and strive to teach them to value nature and outdoor activities over television and video games. We spend quite a bit of time in the summer out at Lake Michigan.” Jill describes her initial focus at the Association as “learning as much as I can about the organization, and what I can do in my role to further the mission and vision of the North Country Trail Association. Since serving our members will be my primary function, I will concentrate on keeping data up-to-date and accurate, and making sure members get what they need in a timely manner. I may not have all the answers, but I will find them!” We’re excited to have Jill as a member of our NCTA team!
MEMBERSHIP FORM As a North Country Trail Association member, you'll receive these benefits: • A subscription to North Star magazine, which is issued four times per year. • The opportunity to join a local Chapter (if we have one near you) at no extra charge. As a Chapter member, you'll also receive information about local activities including hikes, public events, and opportunities to volunteer for the Trail. Visit our Chapter Pages for more about NCTA’s local Chapters. • A 10% discount on all items you purchase from our Trail Shop. • The satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to one of the greatest recreational legacies our generation ever could create for the future.
At What Level Would You Like to Join? ___ $46 Individual (a penny per mile!) ___ $60 Household ___ $75 Trail Leader ___ $100 Path Finder ___ $1,000 Lifetime ___ $23 Introductory/Sponsored Please enter sponsor’s name on the following line.
____________________________________________________
___ $10 Full-time Student
Please list your school below, and attach a copy of current student ID.
__________________________ ___ $45 Agency/Organization ___ $150 Business
To begin, or renew your membership, complete this form and send it with your payment to: 229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331
Chapter Preference__________ ___________________________
Daytime Phone (Area Code First, Extension at End)
Name (Please Print) Address City
State
Skills to Volunteer
E-mail Address
ZIP
The Founders Circle NCTA Board Announces the Creation of The Founders Circle Bobby Koepplin
Board Development Chairman
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he Board of Directors has accepted the challenge of leading fund raising efforts in order to improve the quality and services of the trail. The Founders Circle has been created to help further the NCTA Board’s vision of completing the mission to strategically market, plan, build and maintain the longest National Scenic Trail in America. Membership includes a two tier, annual financial commitment as Trail Blazer ($1,000 or more per year) or Trail Builder ($500 up to $999 per year). Members of The Founders Circle will be recognized at the annual conference, in NCTA publications and other ways as appropriate.
Those parties whose contributions are received by August 1, 2008, will be considered as The Founders Circle “Charter Members.” The Founders Circle members will be invited to serve in a volunteer Advisory capacity to the NCTA Board of Directors to guide and assist the Board in the mission to grow and enhance the longest National Scenic Trail in America. If you have any questions or would like to join The Founders Circle to advance the North Country Trail, contact Bobby Koepplin, Development Chairman, at (701)845-2251 work, (701)840-0250 cell or e-mail bkoepplin@kwh.com.
January–March 8
The North Star
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Non-Native Invasive Species (NNIS) Deborah LeBlanc Hiawatha NF West Unit Plant Ecologist
T
he National Invasive Species Council defines “invasive species” as a species that is non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health.
Extremely prolific, garlic mustard produces a basal rosette the first year, followed by the flower stalk its second season. As each plant reaches full height of 3 feet or more, it will potentially produce thousands of seeds.
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January–March 8
In the United States, expenses associated with ecological damage and control of invasive species is estimated at $137 billion per year (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources). In addition, approximately 42% of our federally listed endangered or threatened species are at risk due to invasive species impacts to rare plants habitats. NNIS in many cases are species which have spread from human settings such as gardens or agricultural areas. Because non-native invasive species lack natural control measures they have the ability to spread rapidly from human settings and aggressively invade natural habitats. Thus NNIS introduction in natural habitats have the potential to out-compete native plants causing ecological alterations such as habitat degradation which in turn impacts biodiversity. On the Hiawatha National Forest (HNF), invasive species management is focused at NNIS sites where populations are either still considered small or manageable, new invader species locations such as “garlic mustard,” (pictured at left) within timber sales where equipment cleaning is required or at high recreational use sites, such as Grand Island National Recreation Area and points of entry into our Wilderness areas. HNF NNIS management success is directly linked to the native plant volunteers who donate a few days each summer in order to participate in our planned NNIS pulls. In 2007 volunteers manually treated approximately 69 acres on Grand Island, 2.5 acres near Five Mile Point and just over 5 acres in the Au Train area. NNIS sites in the Au Train area included a small portion of the North Country Trail. The NCT site is for garlic mustard removal.
Because garlic mustard produces thousands of seeds per plant, seed is banked in the surrounding upper soil layer thus requiring at least seven years or more of planned pulls in order to eventually remove all seed from the soil. Monitoring is conducted annually at occurrence sites in order to help evaluate effective treatment timing. NNIS can impact not only native plant communities and disrupt ecosystems but can also impact recreational activities such as hiking, boating and fishing experiences. In order to reduce the threat of NNIS along trail systems it is recommended to install “boot scrapers” and locate them at trail heads or points of entry. Boot cleaning stations are simply constructed and are a proactive approach in NNIS management. Being proactive about NNIS can in the long run help reduce their spread and negative impacts on ecosystems as well as recreational activities. The Hiawatha NF has also been active with NNIS educational programs, working with The Nature Conservancy and the Marquette Conservation District, while Michigan Natural Features Inventory has hosted invasive species workshops. The Forest will host at least one NNIS workshop late February or early March of 2008 and is participating in the formation of the Upper Peninsula Invasive Species Council. The Forest has planned garlic mustard pulls for 2008 scheduled for June 10th – 12th in the Au Train (including an area adjacent to North Country Trail). Grand Island NNIS pulls are planned for July 22nd – 24th & 29th – 31st. Volunteers are needed for these events and if you are interested in participating or learning more about invasive species please call Deb at (906) 387-2512. For more information on NNIS visit The Nature Conservancy website at www.nature.org (which is one of the best NNIS sites available to the public).
In Memory of Jim Burow Gaylord Yost NCTA Board Member
L
ong time Heritage Chapter President and cofounder Jim Burow, 72, passed away at home February 5th. He had been in ill health for a number of years but still maintained his interest in the Chapter and its activities. Jim and Pete Budde decided to form the chapter at a combined Ice Age Foundation and North Country Trail Association membership meeting in the early 90’s at Sarona, Wisconsin. He led and worked tirelessly with Chapter volunteers building, maintaining, and promoting the Trail, even long after his health started to fail. He and his wife Gloria would turn out at summer events to cook at the evening social hour. Jim also served as a Board member for the Association. Jim retired from the Wisconsin Gas Company in Milwaukee and worked for Sherper’s, Inc., a local outdoor gear firm. He will be missed by all who worked with him through his years with the Chapter.
Jim Burow received the NCTA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005.
SAKAKAWEA FESTIVAL! National Trails Day Event at the Western Terminus of Our Trail Clare Cain
Sakakawea State Park Manager John Tunge is ready to host NCT members at the first western terminus Trail Fest!
I
nterested in learning more about Lewis & Clark and the Trail that bears their name? Or natural and cultural history of the Lake Sakakawea area, or recreational opportunities in central North Dakota (which includes the western terminus of the North Country Trail)? Mark your calendar to attend the Sakakawea Trail Fest at Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota on June 7th! This all-day family friendly event will be sponsored by the North Country Trail Association, the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, and Scheels All Sports. The event will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the National Trails System at the spot where Lewis & Clark meet the North Country. More information may be obtained by contacting Lake Sakakawea State Park at (701) 487-3315 or via email at lssp@ state.nd.us or Matthew Davis, NCTA Regional Trail Coordinator.
January–March 8
The North Star
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Avoiding Our Two Left Feet Mary Kunzler-Larmann
In a CNY Chapter newsletter, trail builder and landowner negotiator Mary Kunzler-Larmann wrote a wonderful piece of advice to both hikers and trail workers, aiming to keep us from stumbling into social gaffes that alienate our neighbors and permitting landowners. We all would do well to heed her advice. (Editor) New Surroundings In this rural valley where we are building new trail on a state-owned railbed, the old rail corridor bisects active farmland. The trail and trailhead parking areas are visible from, and often close to, homes and farm buildings. No longer will we be hidden in the seclusion of the woods! While the corridor is public land, in some instances the trail passes literally in a front or back yard. Our challenge is to make the trail as non-intrusive as possible to our rural neighbors and we must make ourselves aware of their perspectives. A great deal of work needs to be done in developing parking areas and signage to direct the behavior of trail users. At the same time, we, as trail workers, will be most visible to local residents and what we do will “set the tone” for their expectations and impressions of the trail and the hikers who will follow us. Trail Neighbors….Potential Partners? I have met many of the adjacent landowners along the route and am making it my mission to talk to all of them. It has become clear that we need an understanding of the history of the valley…that the farms were there before the railroad, and that when the railroad was developed, “deals” for the purchase or “taking” of the land differed with each landowner….and, when the railroad ceased operations in 1967, the corridor was disposed of in varying ways as well. The result now is that the long neglected trail corridor cuts through family homesteads, separating farm buildings from fields, passing close to residences, and sometimes crossing roads at less than optimum locations. This is also a landscape in transition: large, modern farming operations shoulder up to smaller, struggling farms and new housing construction, some of it fairly “upscale.” The latter portends rising taxes and pressures, real or imagined, of “new” people moving into the area who may have different values. A New Trail Runs Through It Regarding a new trail in the valley, here are some of the concerns I have already heard from our trail neighbors: illegal or unsafe parking on roads, parking in private driveways, using private driveways to access the trail, trespass onto private land, littering, concerns about the safety of their children, and being prevented from their own traditional uses of the former rail corridor. In summary: not much optimism and many concerns! We must work proactively to make these landowners our supporters and not our adversaries.
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January–March 8
We need to be especially mindful of the effects of our own actions, whether working on or hiking the trail. I offer the following comments: Rural Parking Protocols & Safe Practice •Highway Law: All vehicle wheels must be completely off the pavement. •Safety: Preserve good sight distance—do not park in a dip in the road, just over a hill, or on a curve. •Good Manners: Parking in front of or close to a house or farm buildings is viewed as poor manners and perhaps suspicious. Take care not to block a farm lane or access to a field. Remember that our rural roads, especially town and county roads, were built during the days of the wagon & horse, NOT the automobile. In fact, if you look at a county or NY state map from the mid-1800’s, you will find that most of today’s roads existed then! In the last 150 years, nearly all that still carry traffic have been widened and paved. But improvements haven’t kept up with ever-increasing vehicle size and driving speeds. Today large milk tanker trucks, fertilizer, grain, and log trucks, and very large farm equipment may be encountered on these roads. These vehicles often need the entire width of pavement (or more!) on their side of the road. There is no room for them to “move over” if you, or your vehicle, are partly on the pavement or too close to it. Add to this the high volume of traffic, often SUVs or large pickup trucks, traveling at very high speeds even on these country roads, and you have a dangerous mix! Today both the speed and volume of traffic are far in excess of what road design accomodates. If you have a door open into traffic, putting on your gear or getting equipment out of your vehicle, you can be killed or cause a serious accident. Think before you park! Park where there is good sight distance, well off the pavement, and move to the passenger side or rear of your car to change footwear or unload gear. Just apply good common sense. It is not proper to park in front of a house in the country, especially not at the edge of a lawn. Unlike most urban streets, there is no curb. A strange car, parked close to a lawn or house is viewed as an intrusion and possibly suspicious. You may be asked to move and, in any case, it will adversely affect how many country residents view our organization and hikers in general. We need also to be aware of farm lanes and tracks (they may be faint) that indicate where a farmer is accessing a field adjacent to the road. If a hiker has left a car blocking field access, going off for a short time or the day, this can cause serious complications. The farmer cannot finish the chores or fieldwork intended, and may not even be able to turn large equipment around! Farming is a very hard life, and country people will show little patience with those who are unthinking. Please be aware of your surroundings at all times and considerate of our trail neighbors.
Certification Updates Ken Howell
The NPS has certified additional trail segments in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Dakota. In New York 1 mile between the west boundary of DeRuyter State Forest and East Lake Road qualifies. This pleasant walk across private property provides a connection between the State Forest and Highland 2 Forest County Park. Also 2.4 miles of certified trail have been added from the east Boundary of Morgan Hill State Forest across to Shackham Road.
“Let’s Be Careful Out There.” I GOING FOR
’d hoped to come up with a song title or phrase for this quarter’s article, but this seemed to be more appropriate. So even if you don’t remember the Desk Sergeant on “Hill Street Blues” sending the officers out at the end of roll call with this advice, I want to impress this point on everyone. Let’s be careful out there. Safety is an important part of what we do. That means that we need to work safely when we build or maintain the trail, but also that we need to look at the trail with an eye toward safety whenever we are out. This year the National Park Service North Country NST office is emphasizing safety for trail users and volunteers.
We have also certified two segments of urban trail. 3.8 miles in Green County, Ohio, follow the Wright Brothers Huffman Prairie Bikeway, while the other segment is a .9 mile urban trail along the waterfront in Marquette, Michigan. In Wisconsin we have certified .4 miles of trail in Brule River State Forest near County Rd. P. In North Dakota we have added .8 miles of trail on private property beginning at the boat landing just east of 114th Ave. SE to the Corps of Engineers Office at Baldhill Dam.
The NPS will be developing job hazard analyses (JHA) for a number of other activities besides chainsaw operations, and will be sharing them with volunteers and NCTA staff. A JHA will define the required protective equipment for the task at hand. The reasoning behind additional JHAs is that there are a number of tools and activities that are used to build or maintain trail that are inherently dangerous. If we can’t do a job safely we should not do it.
THE GOLD
FRED SZARKA National Park Service
National Park Service to Provide Protective Equipment We will be providing more personal protective equipment (PPE) in the form of such things as Chainsaw chaps and Sawyers’ hardhats for certified sawyers. Operators of DR Mowers and other motorized tools should have hearing protection. In addition, we will make available hardhats and other PPE for all volunteers. Each chapter should have at least one field first aid kit, and that kit should be regularly inspected and restocked as needed. If you have a question about what the office will be able to provide, give me a call or email. Remember that no amount of PPE will do any good if it is not used properly. NPS Will Provide For Safety Training For several years the NPS has funded training for Chainsaw operators and required that sawyers have that training in order to use a chainsaw on the trail. We have also funded reimbursement for First Aid and CPR courses required for Sawyer Certification and for any other volunteer who will take First Aid/CPR training for trail activities, including work projects, organized hikes and other outings. We will continue to provide for this training. Hiking the North Country Trail should be a pleasurable experience. As trail builders and maintainers we set out to have trail that is pleasantly graded, well marked, free of deadfalls, and cleared of encroaching briars, branches, and other vegetation. That also makes using the trail safer. I want to charge every hiker, volunteer, and staff member to keep safety in mind and be careful out there.
January–March 8
The North Star
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Looking for Adventure? T
On the
his new year there are many exciting things planned for the trail season! We have three major projects with Clare Cain that will be initiated this year. First we plan to get our Trail Project Management model off the ground to assist in project funding and prioritization. We also aim to increase trail adoption to ensure that the Trail is receiving regular quality maintenance. The Association has also decided to initiate a series of Volunteer Adventures this season, an “in house” volunteer vacation program. These programs and initiatives are outlined below. If you have any questions feel free to email me at clarecain@northcountrytrail.org. We’re all looking forward to another great season on the Trail! Come out and join us!
TRAIL
Clare Cain
One of our main goals with TPM is to connect important segments of existing trail together in light of development threats or unique opportunities. Rather than chasing after each small opportunity, we will be able to convey to our federal, state, community, and private landowning partners what we intend to accomplish, keep track of our volunteers’ accomplishments, and plan years into the future to allow volunteers to do what they love best. Successful management philosophy dictates however that we need to be proactive in our use of limited financial resources and labor. The TPM is a system that has been adopted from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). So while the NCTA is in its infancy of getting this program off the ground, regional staff will begin working with chapters to identify and prioritize projects this winter and spring. In 2008 we hope to make headway with our chapters in PA, OH, the UP, WI, MN & ND. In 2009 we hope to tackle the lower peninsula of Michigan and New York as well. If you have questions about this new trail management project model, please feel free to contact me and I can provide you with more in-depth details.
Increasing Our Trail Adopter Army
NCTA volunteers and staff worked together on a trails training trip in Minnesota last summer.
Trail Project Management (TPM)
Maybe you’ve heard the new acronym floating around and you’ve wondered just what Trail Project Management (TPM) is? TPM is an initiative that is being spearheaded by the Association’s trail management and cartography staff. The idea is to use our Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities to identify trail projects and geographically link all related project information to that project. Cost predictions, labor, landowner permissions, photos, structure plans, work timetables and funding possibilities can all be linked to a dot on the map. What is the benefit of this approach to trail management? Due to our trail’s great length and because we generally have more projects underway in a given season than any one person can keep track of, this system will create a workable plan based on volunteer knowledge. It is essentially ground-up planning adding all the technical advantages of GIS along the way.
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The North Star
January–March 8
Increasing trail adoption in 2008 is one of the Association’s new strategic goals to improve trail maintenance. Trail adopters are the Association’s eyes and ears on the Trail. Adopters perform routine trail maintenance, the “bread and butter” of trail upkeep. They cut back brush, remove downed tree limbs, pick up litter, maintain signs and structures, re-paint trail blazes, inquire about local opportunities for new trail connections, and identify projects in their section that may require the might of a larger crew. Trail adopters perform a vital role in the upkeep of the Trail: simply put, the Trail would not be hike-able without them! If you are interested in joining our “army” of trail adopters and can commit to stewardship responsibilities please contact your local chapter or affiliate for specific details.
NCTA’s Volunteer Adventures
In 2008, pending National Park Service Challenge Cost Share funding, the Association will host a Volunteer Adventure (VA) in every state through which the Trail passes. These “vacations” are intended to invite more fun loving and hearty trail folk out to join larger work parties on the Trail. The VA will be one-week in length and will require advance sign-up. Each VA will offer a mid-week fun event (area hike or trip to a local cultural/historic site) and food will be provided. Join us for nights by the campfire, days of dirty work in the woods, and new-found fellowship on the Trail. Help us in creating the legacy of the North Country Trail! You can also sign-up on line at www.northcountrytrail.org. Feel free to email me directly with any questions.
2007
Completed boardwalk in Sheyenne River State Forest.
E
very year this issue of The North Star shares submissions from groups who tend the many sections of this long trail. Each chapter or affiliate is invited to send in a summary of their proud accomplishments from last year and plans for the future. Read on, and perhaps you’ll find a great idea to “steal” for YOUR trail neighborhood.
Sheyenne River Valley Chapter NORTH DAKOTA - We completed 2.7 miles in the Sheyenne State Forest from the existing Oak Ridge Trail loop to a new trail head, to two primitive back country campsites, and the only registered waterfall in the state of North Dakota. Several board walks were installed to make a creek crossing pleasant. A $10,000 project to erect a kiosk at the new trail head was accomplished in conjunction with the restoration of a historic bridge accessing the
State Forest from the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway. The kiosk includes history of the bridge and the State Forest, and info on the NCT and trail amenities within the park. A major accomplishment last year was the purchase of 6 miles of abandoned railroad bed from Burlington Northern Santa Fe, accomplished with a combination of National Recreational Trails Funds, National Park Service Challenge Cost Share and private money provided by the Scenic Byway,
our Chapter, and Garrison Diversion Recreation Funds. This purchase allowed us to start converting a segment of the rail bed into a hiking trail which we are calling the Ladies Line Trail segment. Under the leadership of a local Boy Scout working toward Eagle, the 6 mile section was cleared of railroad debris and a new 1.8 segment of
January–March 8
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Bobby Koepplin
State of the Trail
2007 State of the Trail
Itasca Moraine Chapter MINNESOTA - Due to a legislative
mandate for all new trails over ten miles to undergo an environmental review (EAW) by the MN DNR, we had to flag new trail in late winter, 4 GPS it, and then wait for the EAW process to unfold, hoping that we could build at least some new trail. While still waiting in August, the Itasca Moraine and Laurentian Lakes Chapters hosted the NCTA Annual Conference at Bemidji. Since we had the spring and sum-
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Matt Davis
trail was developed around the lake at Clausen Springs Recreation Area on the western end of the purchased rail bed. Approximately 242 hours were donated by Boy Scout volunteers and another 136 hours by our chapter members. Joint meetings with the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway were held along the proposed trail route at Valley City, Kathryn, Fort Ransom and Lisbon to inform the public and landowners about the NCT, future plans for the route, and to identify prospective landowners willing to sign permanent easements for trail crossing their land. The remaining proposed trail route is under private ownership. One of the more exciting prospects for the coming year is that our chapter, with the help of Matt Davis and Jerry Warner, is planning a new chapter to develop and maintain trail segments in the area between the Sheyenne National Grassland and Fort Ransom State Park. This would encompass approximately 28 miles of new trail between the Sheyenne River Valley and Grasslands Chapters. We are planning another six miles along abandoned railroad bed on the opposite side of Clausen Springs Recreational Area—a county park offering camping, hiking, fishing and boating opportunities—to meet our recently completed loop around the lake. —Becky Heise
Volunteer Jerry Trout rests with the Minnesota Conservation Corps trail crew after a long day of work.
mer to not build trail, we maintained trail, both for the annual conference and for the rest of our growing twentyfour mile segment, and took time for a few hikes as well. With the support of an NCTA field grant, members of the Laurentian Lakes and Itasca Moraine Chapters installed a trailhead kiosk, built by Harvey Johnson. In early July a Student Conservation Association (SCA) crew camped near that kiosk, painted it, and improved an old trail around Nelson Lake. The SCA crew was made available to us by a grant obtained by Matt Davis, our NCTA Regional Trail Coordinator. One of our goals was to place routered signs along the trail. Another was to print our own chapter brochure. Board member Phoebe Alden volunteered to make both. With materials paid for by an NCTA field grant, signs were placed indicating lake names and mileages. With printing paid for by the same field grant, and design by Matt Davis and Phoebe, a chapter brochure was born. One of the best features of this brochure is a color map provided digitally by the NCTA’s GIS/IT Specialist, Matt Rowbotham. During the annual conference, a plaque was dedicated to the memory of Rod MacRae, long time NCTA member, trail builder and planner in Minnesota. Thanks go especially to Beth Trout who chaired the local planning for the conference (no small feat), Ray Vlasak, and Florence Hedeen who envisioned and pursued the new NCT ballad by Charlie Maguire.
January–March 8
Later in August, the offspring of another Matt Davis inspiration, the “First Annual NCT Fest” was held at Itasca State Park with the Laurentian Lakes, Itasca Moraine, and the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter of ND cooperating to publicize the trail and attract new members. Informative programs followed by hikes ended at a shelter where hikers were welcomed by “Northwinds Crossing” playing Celtic music. Then all feasted on brauts and beans, much of it purchased using a Scheels’ grant. This effort was not only fun for all, but yielded several new members on the spot and gave everyone something to talk about. When the EAW was finally complete (remember the EAW?), and we were given permission to build trail, it was already mid-October. Fortunately, the Minnesota Conservation Corps had kept some open time on their schedule for our traditional fall trail building push. And push we did. With some locals working with MCC crews each day, 2.7 certifiable miles were built, along with another mile not yet connected. Here again we utilized grants and matching dollars from our county, the NCTA, and the National Park Service for a Federal Highway RTP grant. Thanks especially to our Hubbard County Land Commissioner, Bob Hoffman, and the County Board of Commissioners. As I put this together, I realized that there was a message to be emphasized. Go for the grants! They really do help. —Carter Hedeen
2007 State of the Trail Vickie Swenk
Sterling Taylor
Volunteers proudly show off the new Durfee Creek bridge on the Superior Hiking Trail.
Superior Hiking Trail Association MINNESOTA - We completed
the 39-mile section of trail through the city of Duluth and celebrated the end of that sixyear project 4 on National Trails Day with a day of hikes and food. We started construction of the last 35-mile segment of the trail between Two Harbors and Duluth and completed about 7, with 75 volunteers contributing over 1,100 hours. In 2008 we hope to complete 8 more miles. 2007 was a trying year, with two campfire bans due to high fire danger, a low water advisory that lasted for 10 weeks, and then a deluge of rain in October that knocked out bridges and moved boardwalk. In addition to general maintenance, volunteers helped with an emergency bridge replacement on the Split Rock River and replaced an aging bridge on Durfee Creek. SHTA offered eight public hikes during 2007 led by volunteers. In addition, the entire Trail has now been completely paint blazed. —Gayle Coyer, Executive Director
Chequamegon Chapter WISCONSIN - Trail adoption of
every segment has made a major difference in our trail maintenance success. We are still playing a game of “catch-up” due to the past method of holding only group trail maintenance days for 61.4 miles of trail in the Chequamegon National Forest, where some sections had actually closed in on themselves! We owe our chapter’s trail adopters a very big thank you. The NCT in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness was finally fully maintained on September 8 when the most westerly section was completed. In addition, the Rainbow Lake Wilderness was also fully maintained this year. Keeping up with falling trees has been a challenge in both of these wilderness areas where chainsaws cannot be used. One of our more unusual accomplishments this year was the building of a rustic log bridge in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness to replace one removed when the area was designated wilderness. This allowed the re-establishment of the original NCT around Porcupine Lake and was featured in the last issue. The Chapter participated in three outreach events this year. Three hikes were held with the public invited, including June 2nd, when the Chequamegon and Brule-St. Croix Chapters celebrated National Trails Day jointly by offering three possible hikes and a picnic lunch. These events were publicized in area
Chequemegon Chapter’s new Vice Chairperson and Quartermaster, Mike Trieschmann.
newspapers: once again, the Daily Press and the County Journal donated many ads and other forms of publicity that have greatly increased an awareness of the NCT in our area. Our members have witnessed more trail use this year than ever before. In addition to the wonderful number of our members and supporters who received awards at last summer’s annual conference, we also awarded a volunteer with the chapter’s “2007 VIP Chapter Volunteer Award” for the first time this year. The deserving recipient was Bob Erickson who received a pair of Fiskar Loppers and a framed certificate at a Chapter meeting. New officers Ed Ronkowski (treasurer/grant writer) and Mike Trieschmann (Vice President) both tend sections of trail, too. Ed has applied for a Challenge Cost Share for replacing unsafe old puncheon in the Chequamegon NF and has even planned the project.
January–March 8
—Marty Swank
The North Star
15
2007 State of the Trail
chapter had two major accomplishments this year. We printed our first chapter brochure, which we distribute to local agencies, businesses, and individuals. We also rebuilt the Oren Krumm Shelter on the NCT in Baraga County. The original shelter burned in the Baraga Bump forest fire in late April. Recognition should go to Ted Soldan, Chapter VP, who was invaluable with both preparation of our chapter brochure and with shelter rebuilding efforts. We also thank the Conservation Fund and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board, who were instrumental in preserving the corridor of the NCT along the Sturgeon River in the Tibbets Falls / Oren Krumm Shelter area. The Trust for Public Land, U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, and Representative Bart Stupak gave critical support to guarantee that 1800 acres of private land within Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness will become public land, to be managed by the Ottawa National Forest. A side trail from the NCT leads into that wilderness. —Doug Welker
NCT Hikers Chapter UPPER MICHIGAN - The
NCTH Chapter set a goal to GPS all 120+ miles of the NCT that we maintain. With the relatively light snow cover in the early winter, the adventure began immediately on January 6, 2007, when a group of 10 hikers and Babe, the Setter, set out to GPS the first segment. Other outings took place as the year progressed with various members participating but four members were the stalwart GPS-ers, or the Four Musketeers as they dubbed themselves --- Marge Forslin, Lorana Jinkerson, Bill Joswiak and Cliff Stammer. They hiked or snow shoed all winter long and into the spring, finally completing the mission in later summer. Marge took the data and developed maps of many segments with the remaining ones still “a work in progress.” The maps show access points from roads, parking areas, mileage and GPS coordinates along the
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Lorana Jinkerson
Peter Wolfe Chapter UPPER MICHIGAN - Our
The North Country Trail Hikers Chapter gear up for a winter hike on the Trail.
trail. Lorana then developed a webpage for each segment where the map and complete driving directions as well as pictures are provided for the user. See our website, www.northcountrytrail. org/nct/TrailSections.htm for the finished products. We received NPS Challenge Cost Share funding for urban signs to place at all street crossings within the City of Marquette where the NCT shares the Marquette City bike path along Lake Superior. In 2008 those signs as well as 3 to 4 interpretive signs including a map of the NCT will be erected. The Trail Crew and adopters walked and maintained all 120+ miles this year and overall felt the trail was in good shape by the fall. However, after a few strong wind storms in the fall, additional walks alerted us to downfalls that needed attention. An attempt was made to clear those out but the winter weather came before that work was completed. It is on our list for early spring. Finally, Jan Lindstrom-Wester put together two First Aid Kits for members to use when doing trail maintenance. One kit is a fanny pack with items that might be needed for brief hikes and limited trail work. The other is a larger kit for large group hikes and chain-saw work. —Lorana Jinkerson
January–March 8
Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore UPPER MICHIGAN - The
chapter got a real taste of trail building when Clare Cain, Bill Menke, and members from the Chief Noonday, Tittabawassee, and Grand Marais chapters joined us for a week in August. The seventeen-person work crew built three 16-foot bridges and rerouted a third of a mile that once contained two dangerously steep climbs. More work remains to be done in this area south of the mouth of the Two-Hearted River, and chapter members look forward to its continuation in 2008. The chapter enjoyed increased participation in its hikes, which are held the second Saturday of each month. Many joined us as the result of an article that appeared in one of the three local newspapers. Meta Geyer has been feeding the local media with information on chapter events. Kay Kujawa and Marilyn Chadwick coordinated and planned the hikes, which satisfy hikers with a wide range of ability. The Chapter observed National Public Lands Day in October with a cookout by the new bridge crossing Silver Creek near Brevort Lake. Justin Carrick of the US Forest Service supervised the bridge construction; it replaces an older one which was growing unsafe. Stan and Kay Kujawa worked with the USFS in establishing a parking area where the trail crosses M-123 near Kenneth. The Michigan Department of Transportation does not allow trail signs where parking is not available. Since
2007 State of the Trail Peg Myers
there is now a parking lot, the next step is to place a road sign at the crossing. Karen Sandberg, who has served as chapter secretary for the past four years, is retiring her pad and pen. Roger Morrison, after serving as chapter president the past three years, is moving to chapter secretary. Kirt Stage-Harvey is once again taking on the role of chapter president while Kay Kujawa, 2007 NCTA Outreach Award recipient, is filling the vice-president’s position. Stan Kujawa is taking on the treasurer’s job The Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery and East Jordan Cub Scout Pack 17.
Hiawatha Shore to Shore chapter members work on a new bridge.
while Marilyn Chadwick has been keeping our tools sharp as Tool Coordinator. Roger Blanchard, Adopt-A-Section Coordinator, has been able to fill all sections with adopters while Don Sandberg keeps our website up to date. —Roger Morrison
Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery LOWER MICHIGAN -
Supporting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service efforts to restore native lake trout in the Upper Great Lakes is not the only focus of the Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery. Area stewardship is a top priority and partnering with the NCTA fits that bill perfectly. We have been an NCTA Affiliate for two years and look forward to another year maintaining our adopted trail section in the Jordan Valley. A highlight each spring is teaming with East Jordan Cub Scout Pack 17 for the Earth Day trail cleanup.
Last September the Friends Group constructed a pavilion near the hatchery rearing ponds for use by hatchery visitors, backpackers and hikers. If you’re hiking the Jordan River Pathway/NCT please plan a rest stop with us. A short distance from the trail, the hatchery provides parking, restrooms, water, hot chocolate and trail maps 24 hours/day. What projects are percolating? The Friends Group is currently mulling over the possibility of constructing a backcountry campsite on hatchery lands. The word “shelter” has come up, Adirondack style, (input from Jerry Allen, TBW Chapter!) so stay tuned! — Peg Myers
Tittabawasee Chapter LOWER MICHIGAN - Our
“state” can best be described as progressing. We have been actively seeking to reroute trail that is currently on roads or on motorized 2-track trail. Thanks to some private land owners who generously permitted the trail, it looks like our chapter will have more trail work to do than we have workers to do it! Clare Cain assures me that there are people out there who will help. It reminds me of the movie line, “If you build it they will come.” So we are going ahead with
the planning and hope to get a good start on trail building on NATIONAL TRAILS DAY which is June 7. If you are out there, please come. In the best projects department, our resident inventor Vern Killinger built a device to haul carsonite markers and the heavy installation driver along a trail to where it is needed. He used a fold up golf cart and replaced the bag with a 3 1/2 foot section of 12 inch PVC pipe. When it is all fastened securely, it travels down the trail quite nicely. It will occasionally tip over on very uneven ground, but that is a small thing compared to carrying the heavy equipment by hand. —Cora Killinger
Grand Traverse Hiking Club LOWER MICHIGAN - In 2007,
the GTHC was given an unusual reprieve from new trail construction: approval for new trail was delayed due to the Michigan budget crisis, so we intensified maintenance along our 90 miles. The adopters kept the trails hikeable, and some small trail crew projects were realized. Betsy Duede reports that adopters logged a total of 465 hours. This is a record for us and speaks well for the condition of the trails. Among our accomplishments this year: new signage was installed, blazes were painted for spur trails, plus we built a short boardwalk, and improved tread. A barricade was installed where ATVs had damaged the hill, causing erosion into creeks.
January–March 8
The North Star
17
2007 State of the Trail Probably the most important trail project in which we have been involved is the Calhoun County Trails Alliance. The Chief Noonday Chapter has been active with this program for a number of years, establishing a Greenway and multiple use trail along the Kalamazoo River from Battle Creek south to the village of Homer. We raised the seed money for a feasibility study through NPS funding for the Phase I portion. Members of our chapter, Tom Garnett and Ron Sootsman, have worked hard Chief Noonday Chapter this year breathing life into this program, LOWER MICHIGAN - To gathering the stake holders and moving coincide with the publication of the new forward. Michigan map, working with Tiffany The Chief Noonday Chapter has Stram, we revised the road walk from long dedicated itself to getting the word the city of Marshall south to parallel the out to the public about the NCT as well proposed route for the new Kalamazoo as supporting other trail organizations River Greenway. In June we blazed the in our communities. Several members route, taking time to talk to many resihave pitched our trail during programs dents who were excited to think they are on local cable TV, and ten volunliving beside a national scenic trail. teers manned an NCTA booth at the Our biggest trail building project Hastings SummerFest where we interwas the revision of an older established acted with hundreds of area people. We trail on the property of our good friend handed out literature about the NCT John Gay. This beautiful piece of trail is and recruited members. In October, an example of the typical kettle/moraine Larry Hawkins, Tom Garnett and Mick topography so common in Barry County Hawkins hauled our work trailer to and is still a work in progress after sevCorunna, Michigan, for the Tall Pines eral months. Council Boy Scout Camporee, where we We also did some “missionary” interacted with 1500 scouts and adults, work this year. We sent a trail crew sharing trail building techniques and with our trailer to assist members of the demonstrating the use of our tools. Chief Baw Beese Chapter in revising As always, our Chief Noonday two sections of washed out trail in the webpage remains the mainstay of our Lost Nations State Game Area. Three promotional activities. Webmaster members went north to the U.P. to help Mick Hawkins, who received the the Hiawatha Chapter’s trail project Communicator of the Year Award at this with Clare Cain and Bill Menke. Other year’s National Conference, continues members went south to Ohio to assist to expand and upgrade our webpage with the reclamation of the Miami and providing not only information about Erie Canal towpath. Chapter activities and trail, but also sharing news about other area trails. Retention of membership, especially younger members, became a serious concern for us in the last year. We recognized that many of the people with whom we shared the trail were more interested in hiking than in maintaining trail, so we felt the need to reach out to Chief Noonday Chapter members get some this group. Now we sponsor hands-on experience building trail.
Interviews with private landowners have convinced us that the best potential route for future trail off-road is through a utility company’s property, pending approval from their coordinating agencies. This could create a forty-mile segment of the NCT along a beautiful undeveloped waterway, which has the potential to become the most popular trail in Michigan. —John Heiam
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The North Star
January–March 8
monthly hikes, both on the NCT and the many other trails in our counties. These hikes are attracting more and more people which we feel will have a very positive affect on our overall membership. —Larry Hawkins
Buckeye Trail Association OHIO - In partnership with
ODNR, BTA volunteers started constructing new off-road trail around Napoleon, OH as part of an ambitious project to connect the Maumee River Valley to Delphos, OH along the historic Miami and Eerie Canal. BTA volunteers cleared and opened 9.4 miles of trail with a groundswell of community involvement in 2007! Volunteers also installed two 20-foot long, 42-inch culverts in a very wide and deep ravine under the new trail corridor to direct water flow away from the Trail...in addition to their normal schedule of work parties throughout the year. — Andrew Bashaw
Butler Outdoor Club PENNSYLVANIA - The BOC
continues to offer several ambitious outreach programs annually, each of which brings hundreds of people to outdoor activities, informs them about trail opportunities, and lures new members. The twelfth Outdoor Extravaganza over next Memorial Day weekend will offer a wide array of activities... canoe and kayak trips, road and trail bicycle rides, horseback rides, and of course a wide variety of hikes, including some on the NCT. Special kids’ activities are also featured. To learn details, visit www.butleroutdoorclub.com. A week-long wilderness canoe trip was planned around the NCTA Conference in Minnesota, with many members in attendance. In Nov. the Annual Awards Dinner honored Joyce Appel who received a plaque and monetary award. She has designated the monetary award to be given to the NCTA. Both Joyce and the Butler Outdoor Club support local trails, the
2007 State of the Trail (replacing one lost to a fallen tree during Hurricane Ivan) an official dedication was held. This event featured a three mile hike that culminated in a picnic held at the bridge site. Over thirty people participated in both the construction weekend in April and the dedication on NTD, and many were new faces. In the coming year we have plans for getting more youth involved in the Trail through a high school outreach project. Also, through the efforts of our Trail Extension Committee, we will be working hard on getting easements from local landowners north of Moraine State Park. —Peggy Mourer The Butler Outdoor Club awards NCTA Board member, Joyce Appel with its Outstanding Service Award.
Davis Hollow Cabin along the NCT in Moraine State Park, and other Pennsylvania NCTA chapters, with Joyce often organizing the club’s major events. —Joyce Appel
Butler Chapter PENNSYLVANIA - In early
February 10 Student Conservation Association volunteers and 10 chapter members spent a very cold weekend improving the trail in Moraine State Park. Later that same month we held the annual “Cherry Pie Hike” which commemorates a young George Washington’s historic trip through the area where our Trail is now located. The hike has featured local historians and re-enactors from the French and Indian War, as well as delicious cherry pie (donated by a local eatery) for all who complete the trek. This event is always well attended and great fun. National Trails Day was a great success this year. After completing the new 48 foot “Bears Mouth Bridge” over the North Branch of Bear Creek
Allegheny National Forest Chapter PENNSYLVANIA - Just a short
recap of last year’s accomplishments and next year’s plans: • February: 07 Sled riding party at Chapman’s Dam State Park • March: Built and installed benches at Amsler Springs shelter • April: Erected five information kiosks at major trailheads • May: Built rock steps on trail near Salmon Creek • June: National Trails Day trail improvement work with Forest Service • August: Venture Group from Toledo did trail work at Cherry Run • October: Started re-route at Tionesta Scenic area, still in progress. • January 08: Finish re-route • February Sled riding party • March–April: Five more info kiosks at major trailheads in the southern half • May–June: Extensive trail work north of Chapel Bay • April to December: More re-routes and even a new shelter! —Keith Klos
Finger Lakes Trail NEW YORK - As you will see in
the ADK-ON report below, new trail is being built to continue the route of the NCT northeastward away from the main FLT, while projects continue throughout upstate NY to improve the rest of the trail. In fact, we have learned enough skills for building quality trail that our lessons from the NCT are being applied on portions of our 880-mile trail system that aren’t even part of the national route. For instance, last summer a Foothills Trail Club work party made significant improvements to their branch trail in an area previously known as the dreaded Holland ravines, including side-hilling, switchbacks, and built steps. Their skills were improved during a trail building school conducted by Lynda Rummel and Mary Coffin. Foothills celebrated their 45th anniversary last year; they started building what is now the Conservation Branch at the same time the main FLT was just beginning, so the two trails are now combined into one system. One of the sad corollaries of attaining that organizational age is that some of our earliest members are dying, including end-to-enders Marge Lafayette and Verna Soule, who finished the Appalachian Trail together before they separately walked the whole FLT, and longtime volunteer Frances Jacobi. Fortunately new kids keep discovering the trail, like the two college boys who became the first ever to backpack continuously our whole main trail (566 miles) in winter! 242 trips have been recorded completing the main trail, some people several times now(!), whether by backpacking or dayhikes. Sheila Ferrari, #217, demonstrates that persistence does pay; she spent 24 years doing it while Larry Lepak kept at it for thirty! Yet another cross-county hike series, complete with busses and speedgroup hike leaders, will be hosted this summer, finishing our second complete hosted walking tour of the state. —Irene Szabo
January–March 8
The North Star
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2007 State of the Trail Adirondack Mountain Club, Onondaga Chapter (ADK-ON) NEW YORK - The mission of
the ADK-ON NCT Team is to extend the Finger Lakes Trail’s Onondaga Branch approximately 21 miles eastward to join the Link Trail tended by the CNY Chapter. The ADK-ON FLT/ NCT Onondaga 2 extension project is now 68% complete with 13.7 miles constructed, GPS’ed, and included on the revised FLT O-1 and new O-2 Maps. Volunteers in 2007 have participated in 28 work trips and expended 1000 hours on the extension trail alone, at the NPS rate, an $18,000 value. New trail on State land in 2007: This is a real breakthrough after 8 years on hold with the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Over 4 miles of new trail are cleared, blue blazed, and signed at all trailheads. Another two miles need to be intermittently benched. This is the first new construction in State Forest since the eight year hold imposed by ongoing disagreements over provisions of the DEC Region 7 Draft Recreation Plan. Certification applications have been sent in for completed trail in two
locations. All landowner permissions for entire route have been secured and two potential easements are in process. We have had three property turnovers already, but the new owners in each case have accepted the trail. Outreach: we led 3 community hikes on new trail, made 2 slide presentations (over 70 participated) to community groups, 2 slide presentations to ADK groups, exhibited at the Madison County Farm Bureau Expo and NY State Fair. The NCTA cartography department helped design a map of Onondaga Trail extension that is part of a brochure we used with community outreach walks and presentations. We hope “neighbors of the trail” in local communities will begin to view the trail as a community resource and help us protect it. People are using the new sections of trail. The word is out and brochures are being picked up. We have encountered non-club hikers on all new sections, which is very rewarding. In addition to work on the new trail sections an equal number of volunteers, work trips and work hours (over 1000) were logged on the 59 miles of existing NCT/FLT west of the extension project that have long been part of our group’s responsibility along the FLT. —Mary Coffin
ADK-ON members pause for a photo on the group hike.
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The North Star
January–March 8
Central New York Chapter NEW YORK - A sampling of
successful 2007 efforts includes these: • Closeout of our $30K RTP grant (funded by federal highway money) with a big project, completion of a bypass around an impassable washout on 2 the former railbed north of Cazenovia, plus another long stairway construction project that opens another 1.2 miles of certifiable trail. • Off road parking is provided at each end. • Development on several additional segments of the rail-bed presented “jungle like” challenges to the clearing crews. Included was the construction of a fine off-road parking area by the Madison County Highway Dept. for users’ safety. Gates and signage have been installed as well. • Ongoing liaison with landowners, especially the owner of a quarry through which the trail passes. In addition, there are a number of farmers whose lands were traversed by the former Lehigh Valley Railroad whose bed we walk. The span of ongoing issues includes dealing with cows in open pastures. • Kathy Eisele continues her appreciated effort to maintain a full roster of adopting stewards for our trail segments. • Agreement reached with the Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA) as to marking of their six mile Black River Canal Trail between Pixley Falls State Park and Boonville. Certification will be sought shortly. This is complementary to the ongoing work by Bob Covey to maintain the 9.2 mile Black River Feeder Canal Trail between Boonville and Forestport. —Al Larmann
Our Ancestors’ Steps
CAZENOVIA 2008: North Country Trail Annual Conference Picture courtesy of the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.
A boy walks mules along the towpath of the early Erie Canal, while the captain toots his horn to alert an upcoming lock tender. North Country Trail walkers tread there today. Irene Szabo Conference Chair
I
n 1884, the Elmira, Cortland & Northern Railroad was getting bad press because locomotives kept derailing on the tracks between Cazenovia and Canastota, a village where the Erie Canal had been a major thoroughfare since 1825. In March, one specific passenger complaint related that a “passenger train running between the same two villages derailed, with the locomotive and tender plunging ten feet into a ditch, although fortunately the passenger car remained upright and no one was injured. The conductor was forced to return to Cazenovia on foot to obtain a second locomotive and car. This relief train in turn derailed on its return to Cazenovia with the rescued passengers from the first mishap. At this point, some of the male passengers walked the rest of the way to the village, one of them thoughtfully mailing a description of the incident to the state’s railroad commissioners.”* These frustrated passengers may have been the first hikers along what is now a piece of the North Country Trail. Next August, 7th through 10th, the North Country Trail Association will hold its annual conference at Cazenovia College, hosted by the combined efforts of the CNY Chapter of the NCTA, the Adirondack Mountain Club-Onondaga Chapter, and the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. The location rotates through the seven states of this trail’s 4600-mile breadth, so every seventh year New York hosts NCTA members from North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and, of course, New York.
Our 2008 meeting will reverberate with the echoes of history in this neighborhood, where now the NCT, having departed the Finger Lakes Trail, leaves hilly forests for old country railbeds, long abandoned and now forested themselves, and canal towpaths steeped in history...both the famed Erie Canal, and feeder canals to the north along the Black River, where mere children walked a dozen and more miles a day, mostly barefoot, leading mules along the towpath. Our scheduled hikes will retrace these ancestral steps and our programs will reflect these historic crossroads. Evening programs will put the icing on daytime tours, workshops, and hikes, while the NCTA will offer both chainsaw training and trail building sessions fore and aft of the scheduled conference. Brand new trail created by both ADK-Onondaga and the CNY Chapter will be available to us, and Cazenovia College, already proven for its hospitality in 2001, will again feed us magnificently. The full program and registration materials will be published in this magazine’s next issue, and will be on our website even before it reaches your mailbox. Save the dates! *The Gangly Country Cousin (The Lehigh Valley’s Auburn Division) by Herbert V. Trice, pg 69.
January–March 8
The North Star
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Who’s Who Along the North Country Trail? If you have questions about the North Country Trail, there are many different places to go for information. This directory provides you with key contacts.
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When in Doubt, Try NCTA Headquarters: If you’re not sure whom to contact, or prefer to talk with our office instead of contacting a volunteer at home, your best bet is to connect with the NCTA’s National Office. If we can’t help you, we’ll be able to put you in touch with someone who can. Staff members are listed on page 3 (table of contents page). North Country Trail Association 229 E Main St, Lowell, MI 49331 Toll-free: (866) HikeNCT Fax: (616) 897-6605 www.northcountrytrail.org HQ@northcountrytrail.org
Visit our web site; it’s a sure bet that you’ll find most of what you need. Here you can join or contribute to the NCTA, browse the events calendar, explore NCTA Chapter pages, purchase maps and trail-related products, follow links to Partner organizations, read up-to-date news items, report volunteer hours, and, of course, learn more about the trail itself!
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NORTH DAKOTA
Trail Council Chair:
Curtis Vanek • go4trails@ideaone.net
State Trail Coordinator:
Bobby Koepplin • bkoepplin@kwh.com
1. Lonetree Chapter
Bobby Koepplin • (701)845-2935 • bkoepplin@kwh.com
2. Sheyenne River Valley Chapter
Alicia Hoffarth • (701)490-3889 • cahoffarth@hotmail.com
National Park Service: The NPS office in Madison is an excellent
3. North Dakota Prairie Grasslands Chapter
technical resource for volunteers, agencies, partner organizations, and the media. As our official trail administrator, the NPS sets trail standards, determines the trail route, and provides the overall vision for the trail.
Trail Council Chair and State Trail Coordinator:
700 Rayovac Drive, Suite 100, Madison, WI 53711
(608) 441-5610 Fax: (608) 441-5606 Tom Gilbert, Superintendent: tom_gilbert@nps.gov Fred Szarka, Trail Manager: fredrick_szarka@nps.gov Ken Howell, Land Protection Specialist: ken_howell@nps.gov
NCTA Chapters: For information about local activities or volunteering, contact the Chapter representative for your area of interest. We have more than two dozen local volunteer trail clubs scattered along the trail that are Chapters of the NCTA. NCTA members can affiliate themselves with any Chapter they’d like. Whether or not the member volunteers, a portion of their dues will help support Chapter activities. Chapters build and maintain trail, host hikes and other events, and work to promote the trail and the Association in their areas.
Affiliate Organizations: The NCTA enters into affiliate agree-
Curtis Vanek • (701)282-0339 • go4trails@ideaone.net
MINNESOTA
Chris Klein • klein11@midwestinfo.com
Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota (Affiliate)
Dorian Grilley • (651)726-2457 • dgrilley@parksandtrails.org
4. Star of the North Chapter
Brian Pavek • pavekb@comcast.net
5. Laurentian Lakes Chapter
Ray Vlasak • (218)573-3243 • highpines@arvig.net
6. Itasca Moraine Chapter
Carter Hedeen • (218)732-9226 • hedeencf@wcta.net
7. Kekekabic Trail Club (Affiliate) Martin Kubik • info@kek.org
8. Border Trail Route Association (Affiliate)
John Elliott • (612)829-5142 • info@borderroutetrail.org
9. Superior Hiking Trail Association (Affiliate) Gayle Coyer • (218)834-2700 • suphike@mr.net
GREAT LAKES
ments with other organizations who envision the completed trail. Trail Maintaining Affiliates are independent organizations who also work to build, maintain, and promote sections of the trail. Supporting Affiliates are independent organizations who work with us to help fulfill our Mission, but are not responsible for a specific section of trail. Each has its own membership program, so we encourage NCTA members to support them as well. If you have questions about a section of trail that is managed by one of these organizations, your best bet is to contact our Affiliates directly.
Trail Council Chair: Vacant State Trail Coordinator: Doug Welker • dwelker@up.net 10. Brule-St.Croix Chapter
Trail Council Officers: Our Chapters and Affiliates work together to
13. Peter Wolfe Chapter
achieve common goals through statewide Trail Councils. Each state has its own Trail Council, though Wisconsin and Upper Michigan share the “Great Lakes Trail Council.” Trail Councils have one or more officers, typically including a Chair and a State Trail Coordinator.
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David Zosel • zosel@centurytel.net
11. Chequamegon Chapter
Marty Swank • (715)682-2254 • marty808@centurytel.net
12. Heritage Chapter
Michael Stafford • GBPACKR@aol.com Doug Welker • (906)338-2680 • dwelker@up.net
14. North Country Trail Hikers Chapter Lorana Jinkerson • ljinkers@nmu.edu
15. Grand Marais Chapter
Steve Miller • bluelatitude@jamadots.com
16. Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter
Kirt Stage-Harvey • (906)643-6379 • hiknflyn_dad2@yahoo.com
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The North Star
January–March 8
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46
7 5 8 7
9 8
10 10 9 11
13 13 12 14 12 11
LEGEND Chapters Partners Not Yet Adopted
15 14 16 15 15 17 18 17
9 18 1
18 20
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LOWER MICHIGAN
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27 34 25 29
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Trail Council Chair:
Lyle Bialk • lylebialk@sbcglobal.net
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State Trail Coordinator:
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26 32 24 31 30 23 28 24
Joan Young • jhy@t-one.net
17. Harbor Springs Chapter
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Jerry Keeney • (231)526-9597 • keeney10@charter.net
18. Tittabawassee Chapter
Gary Johnson • (989)842-3478 • gwj2@charter.net
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Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery (Affiliate)
(231)584-2461 • www.fws.gov/midwest/jordanriver/friends
Trail Council Chair:
PENNSYLVANIA
Paul Henry • (724)347-3282 • phenry@choiceonemail.com
19. Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter
State Trail Coordinator: Richard Lutz • lutznct1@yahoo.com Butler Outdoor Club (Affiliate):
20. Spirit of the Woods Chapter
Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy (Affiliate):
John Heiam • (231)938-9655 • johnheiam@charter.net Joan Young • (231)757-2205 • jhy@t-one.net
Joyce Appel • (724)526-5407 • joyceappel@windstream.net
Patty Brunner • (724)325-3224 • info@rachelcarsontrails.org
21. Western Michigan Chapter
29. Wampum Chapter
22. Chief Noonday Chapter
30. Butler Chapter
Werner Veit • (616)776-1630 • wv12@aol.com Larry Hawkins • (269)945-5398 • hawkeyemd@cablespeed.com
23. Chief Baw Beese Chapter
Ryan Bowles • bowlesr@msu.edu
OHIO
Diane Winston • (724)654-4918 • dianewinston@yahoo.com Dan Mourer • (724)445-3315 • mamourer@embarqmail.com
31. Clarion County Chapter
Pam Logsdon • (814)432-3617 • pamlog@netzero.net
32. Allegheny National Forest Chapter
Keith Klos • (814)484-7420 • klos@westpa.net
Trail Council Chair: Vacant State Trail Coordinator: Rick Adamson • rmadamson@earthlink.net 24. NW Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association (Affiliate)
Trail Council Chair and State Trail Coordinator:
25. Buckeye Trail Association (Affiliate)
33. Finger Lakes Trail Conference (Affiliate):
Tom Duvendack • (419)822-4788 • tduvendack@earthlink.net Garry Dill • (614)451-0223 • gdill@columbus.rr.com
26. Adams County Chapter
John Johnson • (937)544-7248 • jtjson@aol.com
27. Ohio Valley Chapter
Ryan Smith • (740)374-5666 • rsmith365@hotmail.com
28. Great Trail-Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter Brad Bosley • (330)227-2432 • bbosley@cceng.org
NEW YORK
Howard Beye • fltc@frontiernet.net
Gene Bavis • (585) 658-9320 • information@fingerlakestrail.org Additional Maintaining Organizations Coordinated by FLTC: Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), ADK-Genesee Valley Chapter, ADKOnondaga Chapter, Adventure Recreation Club at Ithaca College, Cayuga Trails Club, Fillmore Boy Scout Troop 748, Foothills Trail Club, Genesee Valley Hiking Club, and Hammondsport Boy Scout Troop 18
34. Central New York Chapter:
Kathy Woodruff • (315) 697-7017 • kwoodruff001@twcny.rr.com
January–March 8
The North Star
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Happy trails to you. Our eight newspapers across Michigan cover the great outdoors, including the best nature walks, day hikes and overnight backpacking trips. Read us, then find a slice of heaven of your own on foot. Booth Newspapers: The Ann Arbor News, The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, The Kalamazoo Gazette, The Muskegon Chronicle and The Saginaw News. LV19892
NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
North Country Trail Association 229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331
Grand Rapids, MI Permit 340