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NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
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NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
NORTH STAR: • NoRJH
couNTRY TRAIL ssocIAnoN
--·--·-·-·-·-•--
the newsletter of the
North Country Trai I Association
Page 3
~:~:o • PAPER
49 Monroe Center, Suite 2008, Grand Rapids, Ml 49546 Phone (616) 454-5506 •FAX (616) 454-7139 • Email: NCTAssoc@aol.com WWW Site: http://people.delphi.com/wesboyd/ncnst.htm Editor: Wes Boyd, 14815 Rome Road, Manitou Beach, Ml 49253 STAFF
Executive Director: Office Manager: NPS Administrator:
Bob Papp Claudia Day Bill Menke
49 Monroe Center, Suite 200B, Grand Rapids Ml 49546 49 Monroe Center, Suite 200B, Grand Rapids Ml 49546 National Park Service, 700 Raycvac Dr., #100, Madison WI 53711
(616) 454-5506 (616) 454-5506 (608) 264-5610
NCTAssoc@aol.com NCTAssoc@aol.com bill_menke@nps.gov
(248) 548-1737 (414) 354-8987 (218) 573-3858 (517) 547-7402 (810) 853-0292
djblount@aol.com GaylYost@aol.com
OFFICERS President: Derek Blount Vice President(Trails): Gaylord Yost Vice President (Admin): Odell Bjerkness Secretary Wes Boyd Treasurer Arden Johnson
906 N. Alexander, Royal Oak Ml 48067 2925 W. Bradley Rd., River Hills WI 53217-2052 Bad Medicine Lake, R1, Box 221 A, Ponsford, MN 56575 14815 Rome Road, Manitou Beach Ml 49253 600 Tennyson, Rochester Hills, Ml 48307
wesboyd@delphi.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS TERMS EXPIRING IN 1997 R1, Box 221 A, Ponsford, MN 56575 49 Monroe Center, Suite 100, Grand Rapids, Ml, 49503 6502 Olde York Rd., Parma Hts OH 44130 R1 Box 36A Washburn WI 784 Olive St., Pittsburgh, PA 15237 2925 W. Bradley Rd., River Hills WI 53217-2052
West Region At-Large Rep. BTA Appointed West Region Rep. Gnl. Affiliate Appointee At-Large Rep.
Odell Bjerkness Werner Veit Emily Gregor Pat Miller Glenn Oster, Gaylord Yost
West Central (Ml) Rep. At-Large Rep. At-Large Rep. East Central (OH) Rep. West Central (Ml) Rep. At-Large Rep.
Derek Blount 906 N. Alexander, Royal Oak Ml 48067 Wes Boyd 14815 Rome Road, Manitou Beach Ml 49253 David Cornell 514 Cordes Rd., Delton, Ml 49046 Elwood Ensor 1304 Horizon Dr., Fairborn OH 45324-5816 Arden Johnson 600 Tennyson, Rochester Hills, Ml 48307 John Leinen, Jr. 111 Quant Ct So, Lakeland MN 55043
FLT Appointee At-Large Rep. At-Large Rep. At-Large Rep. East Region Rep. Honorary Appointment
Howard Beye Bill Herron Susan Nelson Kathy Olstad Harmon Strong Joan H. Young
(218) 573-3858 (616) 235-2330 (216) 884-0281 (715) 373-3735 (412) 364-2864 (414) 354-8987
wv12@aol.com
GaylYost@aol.com
TERMS EXPIRING IN 1998 (810) 548-1737 (517) 547-7402 (616) 623-8659 (937) 879-2068 (248) 853-0292 (612) 436-1795
djblount@aol.com wesboyd@delphi.com janc128@aol.com ejensor@prodigy.com jleinen@mtn.org
TERMS EXPIRING IN 1999 202 Colebourne Rd., Rochester NY 14609 423 W. Park Street, Marquette Ml 49855 1170 4th Averue South, Park Falls WI 54552 P.O. Box 1017, Bismarck ND 58502 76 Shellwood Dr., Rochester NY 14618 861 W. US 10, Scottville, Ml 49454
(716) 288-7191 (906) 225-1030 (715) 762·2461 (701) 250-4242 ext.3618 (716) 586-3846 (616) 757-2205
fltc@axsnet.com
kolstad@gp.usbr.gov jhy@t-one.net
STATE COORDINATORS New York: Howard Beye (see above) ; Pennsytvanla: Donald Dom, Star Route, Box 476, Sheffield, PA 16347 ( 814) 968-5759; Ohio: Jim Sprague, 4406 Maplecrest, Parma OH 44129 (216) 884-4757; Michigan (Lower): Arden Johnson (see above); Michigan (U.P.): Gene Elzinga, 12 Middle Island, Marquette Ml 49855 (906) 225-1704; Wisconsin: Gaylord Yost (see above); Minnesota: Rod MacRae,1210 W. 22nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55405; North Dakota: vacant REGIONAL AFRLIATES New York: Finger Lakes Trail Conference, PO Box 18048, Rochester NY 14618-0048; Ohio: Buckeye Trail Association, PO Box 254, Worthington OH 43085; Northwest Ohio Rails to Trails Association, PO Box 234, Delta OH 43515 ;Pennsylvania: AYH PittsburghCouncil, 5604 Solway, #202, Pittsburgh PA 15217 CHAPTER CHAIRS Headwaters: vacant: Brule-St. Croix, WI: Peter Nordgren, 1800 Grand Avenue, Superior, WI 54880, (715)394-8340; Chequamegon:Kurt Schmitt, R2, 2121 S. 87th St., West Allis, WI, 53227-1719; Heritage: Pete Budde, 3803 S. Brook Place, St. Francis, WI 53235 (H) 414-769-0441; NCT Hikers: Gene Elzinga, 12 Middle Island, Marquette Ml 49855 (906) 225-1704; Grand Traverse: Greg Law, 1953 Lardie Rd., Traverse City, Ml 49686; Western Michigan: vacant; Chief Noonday: David Cornell, 514 Cordes Rd., Delton, Ml 49046 (616) 623-8659; Central New York, Bill Coffin, 328 Deepspring Drive, Chittenango NY 13037. (315) 687-3589
Page 4
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
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TTB j / S by the Editor The deadline for the August-September issue of the Newsletter is July 24, 1997. Items received after that date cannot be assured of a place in the newsletter. Items received well before that date are much appreciated. The deadline for the October-December issue will be October 1, 1997. We in the Association and the Park Service have mixed emotions about the announcement that NCTA Planning Assistant Kim Bair is leaving us. She's getting married, and moving to the Milwaukee area, taking on a new job there. While we've created a major trail supporter in her, and we expect that we've not heard the last of her, it's going. to be a tough time in keeping several trail planning processes going, as experience has shown that her presence in the Association, assigned to the Madison NPS office, has proven valuable, indeed. Although the northeastern Ohio planning process is complete, there are three major projects needing attention: the northwest Wisconsin project is coming to a boil, the Arrowhead route in Minnesota is going to involve serious work, and now, after many years, it looks as if the door is opening for a route in the Adirondacks. That means that there will be some tough shoes to fill, and her replacement is going to have to hit the ground running, since there's going to be plenty of urgent work for them. The northwest Wisconsin work is well along; the desired route has been identified, but developing a detailed plan will not be a quick process, as there's lots of detail work involved, as a quick perusal of the Kent County and Columbiana County plans completed earlier will show. It now appears that an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan will be necessary, as I understand it, to go ahead with the Arrowhead, due to the vast deviation from the 1982 route. Planning probably won't be in the detail necessary in the recent planning processes, but there will be differences. The route from Two Harbors to Snowbank Lake, east of Ely, is pretty well tacked down, as part of the Superior, Border Route, and Kekekababic Trails, but from Snowbank Lake to the Chippewa National Forest, the situation is not as clear, and a new general route on Chippewa and Superior National Forest lands and in state forests may be needed. In any case, it's going to involve work. And the Adirondacks -- I'll not go into detail here, as it's discussed elsewhere in this issue of the North Star, but fifteen to twenty years of frustration may finally be ending, and planning needs to go forward on a prioritized basis, if only to strike while the iron is hot.
So, we wish all the best to Kim, and wish her luck in her new life and new position, we also hope that her departure will not materially slow down several of the important projects that are finally becoming reality.
*** Once again, you'll notice that the deadline for the August-September issue of the newsletter has been moved ahead a week. You know how summers are -busy as all get-out, and this year is no exception. I have been planning a trip to North Dakota and Minnesota, mostly, to get more familiar with the countryside and the trail there, and a quick look at the calendar gave early August as the only possible hole that was long enough to get the trip in, and then only if I got the newsletter out of the way early. But, it should be worth the trouble; I've often been fascinated with the western part of the trail, and think I need to learn more about it. I've been exchanging e-mail recently with Kathy Olstad, our western anchor out there in Bismark, North Dakota, who we in the central regions don't see often enough, mostly due to the distance. One of Kathy's jobs at the Bureau of Reclamation is to prepare the trail along the Garrison Diversion for certification -- more than a hundred miles of it -- and hopefully it will get done in the next year, she says. Information from Kathy and elsewhere cleared up a misapprehension I've had about the Garrison Diversion. I had long thought ofit as "largely abandoned", and that proves not to be the case. Development has been cut back considerably from the original plans, which were to supply irrigation water from the Missouri River to 250,000 acres in the upper Red River Valley. (In spite of the flooding there this spring, this area is pretty dry most of the time.) Some years ago, the plan was cut back to 131,000 acres, and more emphasis was placed on recreational uses. There is a major political hassle going on in North Dakota, trying to get the plan increased back up to the original size. An article on the Garrison Diversion, and the controversy surrounding it, is in the back ofmy head for a future issue, and I have hopes that the trip will provide material for other newsletter articles in the future, as well. Anyway, the trip should be a lot of fun. I've really been looking forward to it, even if it does mean being away from my keyboard for a couple of weeks.
*** I'll be getting back from my trip just in time to do my laundry, check in at the office, and then head out to the North Country Trail Association Annual Meeting, which will beAugust21-24atBeverly, Ohio, northofMarietta. This should be a pretty good meeting, one that will have a lot of good information, and some great hiking, especially in the Wayne National Forest, which is littleknown to most ofus. We're going to try to keep the costs down for this meeting, to encourage attendance. A reservation form is included in this newsletter; I hope to see you there. It should be a good weekend.
Page 5
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June.;July 1997
YOU CAN USE a Griphoist and rigging if you need to set . steppingstones in a stream. Or, you can take the other route and get the job done. It would have been a major project to set steppingstones by hand at the stream crossing in Lost Nations State Game Area in southern Michigan shown in the cover photo, and a bridge wouldn't have worked well here due to the proximity to the road. Under the supervision of Michigan Trail Coordinator Arden Johnson, excavator Phil Hartley, of Hudson, MI, and trucker Dave Gerken of Clayton, MI, made short work of the project with backhoe and Bobcat; the equipment was off their trailers less than an hour. Considerable trail work in the south half of Lost Nations was completed this spring in preparation for certification.
*** THE BUCKEYE TRAIL Association has named Dana Cintek of Cuyahoga Falls, OH, to replace Emily Gregor, whose term on the NCTA Board is expiring. Cintek will take office at the August meeting in southern Ohio.
*** ON APRIL 24, the National Park Service certified 6.1 miles of the Cannonball Trail in northwestern Ohio. The Cannonball is new to the North Country Trail; about 40 miles will eventually be certified. For more information, see the article on the Cannonball in this issue. The action brought the total certified NCNST to 1326.5 miles.
*** WE KNEW THE North Country Trail website (http://people. delphi.com/wesboyd/ncnst.htm)was
taking hits because we were getting e-mail and other comments, but without a hit counter, we had no idea how many. Then, in midMay, just for the heck of it we installed a free commercial hit counter on the website. Although it contains a rather unsightly advertisment, we figured it was a quick way to get a feel for how many hits we were getting. We were just a little surprised to get 40 hits the first day the counter was up -- at least two or three times what we would have guessed. After two weeks, we had registered over 300 hits on the site! Hits were . coming from all over the place, though it's a little hard to tell just where they're from(though for some reason, the hit rate drops off dramatically on the weekends). The word is getting out in a powerful way! The website has recently undergone a facelifting and a few new additions, including a vastly improved links page to sites up and down the trail.
*** REI WILL BE funding a consultant to work with the NCTA on membership development. Also, REI may be giving the NCTA a grant of $3,750 to fund two year
subscriptions to the North Star for land managers and outdoor editors, and will also be funding the production of a full-color poster promoting the trail, in an effort to increase the visibility ofthe trail and the association in trail areas. Executive Director Bob Papp reports a 35%increase in NCTA memberships over last year. "Retaining these members will be critical to our continued growth," Papp says. "Nowthat we're showing signs of good growth, it's important that we plan adequately for how to handle this growth."
*** NATIONALPARKSERVICE manager Bill Menke reports that 300 new Carsonite-like posts made from post-consumer recycled plastic, have been ordered for five separate Challenge Cost Share projects, alongwith new decals for trail signs. The deadline for CCS grant applications is fast approaching, and there may be some extra funds available for these projects this year. The Park Service is also planning on distributing $5000 worth of trail tools to various NCNST trail clubs, paid for by Volunteers in the Parks funding. For more information on either grant, contact Menke at the Madison NPS office.
Annual meeting to be in Beverly, Ohio Board approves reorganization plan Welcome aboard the Cannonball Door may be open in Adirondacks Check out the NCTA trail shop Center Section Board approves end-to-end marking 17 Arrowhead relo moves forward slowly 17 Three more new chapters form 18 Large NCTA contingent at conference 20 Lots of coming events 21
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June~uly 1997
As you've probably noticed in recent issues of the North Star, we've been pushing hard on the topic of membership growth. This might seem a little selfserving. ~er all, what does an organization really have to gain from increased membership, other than maybe a fatter budget? Recently, a member sent me a thought provoking letter. Each year he struggles with the decision of whether or not to renew his membership. To him, the benefits we offer our members aren't nearly as important as the trail itself. He explained that he ultimately decides to renew in the hope that some small portion of his dues will be used for the future growth of the trail. He's inspired to renew upon his first visit each spring to the trail section he maintains. I wrote him back and told him that I understood how he felt. As I sit here in the office, buried in paperwork and tangled in telephone cords, it's all too easy for the trail to take on an abstract quality for me. I frequently have to remind myself that everything the organization does is for the ultimate benefit of the trail. Of course, individual volunteers perform the critical on the ground work that keeps the trail alive, but the North Country Trail Association performs critical "offthe ground" work that is mostly beyond the scope of individual volunteers. Examples include: • Developing full-color topographic maps of the trail and a variety of other promotional items to increase public awareness and use. • Negotiating and, where necessary, purchasing easements to provide temporary and permanent passage through private lands. • Lobbying at the Federal level to maintain and increase funding for planning and land and easement acquisition. • Working in partnership with the National Park Service to develop county-wide trail corridor plans incorporating public input and environmental assessments. • Establishing local chapters to stimulate public interest and involvement. • Engaging the help of the media to promote the trail through press releases and other informational mailings. • Working to improve funding for local trail projects. Although we do offer some nominal benefits to our members, the real value of membership in the Association goes in the other direction. Members support the work of the organization through their dues and donations. At the national level, we aren't really a club of
hikers or trail maintainers. Rather, we are an organization that is dedicated to the "behind the scenes" work necessary for the ultimate completion of the North Country Trail. The enormity of this effort is why membership growth is so critical for the success of the trail. The good news is, we're making some great progress. At last check, memberships had increased 35% over the past twelve months! We owe a great deal of thanks to the leaders forming our new chapters, and to the individual recruiters who are plugging away to sign new people up. I tip my cap (a North Country National Scenic Trail cap, of course - you can order your own through our Trail Shop ... ) to you all. As President Derek Blount's column suggests, we've come a long way in the past several years and the future is looking very bright!
Dear North Star Readers: I wanted to take this opportunity to say farewell to all of you, and share some of the rewarding experiences that have occurred in the realm of planning during these past two years that I have been on board as the North Country Trail Association Recreation Planner. My planning work has taken me from New York to Minnesota. I never did make it to North Dakota which is definitely my loss. While planning, I have met spectacular volunteers and hiked awesome trail. You all should be very proud of the dedication that I have witnessed for the pursuit of a quality hiking trail. I specifically want to thank the wonderfully motivated Wisconsin planning team who has made the planning process an absolute joy, the planning team in Ohio for hanging in there for 3 years before this position was even created, Derek Blount for loaning me his extra tent during the Trail B.O.S.S. Workshop at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Bob Papp for giving me a water bottle when I was dying of thirst at the last annual conference, and Bill Menke for offering his flashlight when I was lost in the woods attempting to find my tent which I had actually remembered to bring that time. I am especially happy that a new chapter (Brule-St. Croix Chapter) has just formed in northwest Wisconsin, and that these volunteers are eager to implement the planning team's hard work for a route from Chequamegon National Forest to Jay Cooke State Park. Thank you, Gaylord Yost, for your determination to recruit NCTA members in remote northern Wisconsin-your efforts are paying off. My journey in life is taking me to Waukesha, Wisconsin-west of Milwaukee. I begin working in June as the Landscape Specialist at Carroll College; and yes, I've already thought of creating a trail within a natural area for the students. It won't be the North Country Trail, but ru 'be sure to leave a few brochures around campus. Happy Trails! Kim Bair
Page 7
Summer is a time of new growth along the trail. Not only are crews hard at work getting new trail built but older established trail segments are bein~ maintained or rebuilt. New bridges are built, walkways placed and puncheons created to keep the feet of hikers dry. The buds of trees flesh out into leaves and spring flowers fade away to be replaced by summer's grandeur. Along with new trail we find that we have two new Chapters formed, one in southern Michigan (Barry & Calhoun counties) and one in western Wisconsin, the Brule-St Croix Chapter. Another Affiliate has joined our ranks, the Northwest Ohio Rails To Trails Association (NORTA). The NPS has just certified 6.1 miles of their trail for inclusion in the NCNST. The NCTA membership has grown 35% over 1996. That's a tremendous increase. This increase is due to the efforts of every member of the NCTA and their staff. Thanks to everyone of you. As I come to the end ofmy final term as President, I find that over the years there have been a lot of changes in the NCTA. In my first column I pondered trailheads and now I can look back at all of the markers along the way. This is my twenty-fourth column published in the NCTA newsletter. Each in turn was a small marker yet there were many others that stood out more in my mind. I became President of the NCTA in May of 1992 shortly after the selection of our first Executive Director, April Scholtz. In that first year we revamped the NCTAinabigway. Membershipstructurewaschanged and dues rose. The operational structure of the NCTA was changed in September of 1992 by a complete rewrite of the NCTA By-Laws. We wrote a vision statement to guide us and defined chapters 'and affiliates for the first time. The adopt-a-trail program got it's start in that year as well -. In 1992 we found ourselves with a new NPS partner in Bill Menke our new Trail Coordinator. That was the year we broke 1,000-certified miles. It was a watershed year. Over the past five years the Board has become more active in legislative issues and the financial well being of the NCTA resulting in the 1993 boost in legislative funding for the National Trails. On occasion we even went to Washington to knock on doors to promote the National Trails. Senators Levin and Kohl, and Representatives Vento and Regula became strong supporters for trails in America. 1993 was also the year that the NCTA Annual Report first came out to the membership. 1994 saw the change in our annual meeting to a full conference with workshops, seminars and speakers. Names like Steve Newman, Bill Irwin, Cindy Ross, Paul Shurke, Ann Bancroft and Steve Elkinton have spoken to us of their adventuring. Trail construction training sessions started in 1994 with the Student Conservation Association. That year we saw the beginnings of the
land trust and the land trust fund named after Alfred E. Borsum. The publishing of new guide books and the opening of the new Trail Shop. Our newsletter took on a new look and name in 1995. Our web site opened and the NCTA went electronic. A major cairn along the trail was opening the NCTA office in Grand Rapids in 1995 and taking it out of Pat Allen's house. Pat was our second Executive Director and remains a loyal member. Claudia Day joined our staff as our Office Manager. We watched our through hikers, Sue Lockwoodand Ed Talone, reach their goal in 1995 in their end-to-end hike. In 1995 we also hired our Recreational Planner, Kim Bair. We watched student interns pass through our office each year adding to their education and aiding in our growth. 1995 was another watershed year. 1996 brought us a new Executive Director, Bob Papp. It also brought a new office change and a new NCTA logo. Our Trail Shop took on a new look and our membership took a jump ahead. Various issues have arisen over the years from lumbering to mountain bikes. Some are still with us and others are passing away. Some are only just beginning. Mushers found our trail early on and have made it their home alongside cross country skiers and snowshoers. Even ski journers have been seen on the trail. The NCNST fast became a four season recreational opportunity for Americans. Each of the nine chapters as they signed their charters expanded the local volunteer ranks and marked the trail in their own way by caring for it. And now in 1997, we find ourselves again in a watershed year. We are reorganizing the NCTA yet again to make it better and help the trail along. We have over 1338 miles of certified trail. We face new trail in the Arrowhead of Minnesota and the Adirondacks of New York. We still look ahead to linking with Vermont's Long Trail and perhaps one day to the Pacific Northwest Trail on the west coast. I know I have missed a lot along the way but this is just a column, .not a dissertation. I know I missed the many folks who sat around campfires late at night on work weekends and at conferences telling their trail stories. I missed the ceildhs that often brought good friends together to sing and dance. I missed the many trail volunteers that worked so hard to put the trail on the ground in good and bad weather. All of this is our legacy. Not just the NCTAofficers, Board, Chapters or Affiliates. It belongs to all ofus. As the Continental Divide. folks say, "Years from now people will walk all over your legacy. Somehow we don't think you'll mind." I know I won't mind. It gives me a good feeling to know that fishermen, hunters, hikers, mushers, skiers and many other people will appreciate " what we have built. If you long for that kind of feeling too then call us at our office or call a board member, Chapter President or Affiliate. Get involved and feel good about your piece of the legacy. Remember, walk softly and carry a big walking stick (or maybe a Pulaski?). Happy Trails.
Paga. 8
NORTH Sl;4R: The News/etlslof the North Countq Trail Associatioo,alune-July 1997 -..
Bringing trails to the people •••
North Country Trail Association Annual Meeting Hike
Co-Sponsored with Buckeye Trail Association
August21·24, 1997 Hervida 4-H Camp• Beverly, Ohio
Buckeye Trail
•
Burr Oak State Park
•"Bringing Trails to the people" will be a great chance ..,...-~--~r"----. to meet new friends and enjoy old ones, while hearing interesting' speakers and learning about techniques · for outdoor activities and trail development.
•
Wayne National Forest
• Currently planned for the conference are workshops on working with private landowners and local media, building organization membership, and several backcountry techniques and natural history presentations, plus hikes on the North Country Trail. • Hervlda 4-H Camp is in a rustic setting in picturesque southeastern Ohio. It features ...___ _....i;;;o...-...--.. dormitory rooms, a pool, and group kitchen. • Costsfor the conference will be between $60 and $95, depending on the number of nightsand meals.This includes dorm rooms(camping permitted, but at no discount), meals, box lunches, and meeting materials. Come Join us and llavea great time!
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Enjoy Great scenery.
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REGISTRATIONFORM Mall to
North Country Tran Assocfatfon. 49 Monroe Center, SU/te am. Grald Rapids. Ml 49503 or can (616) 454-5506, ore-mall "NCTAssoc@AOLcorn"
I'm interested in attending "Bringing Trails to the People." Send me more information.
Learn Backcountry techniques
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NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
Page 9
Board approves NCTA reorganizationplan In the second major reorganization in the last six years, the North Country Trail Association Board of Directors authorized some sweeping changes in the way the organization is structured at the May meeting, held in Romulus, Michigan. One of the thrusts of the reorganization was to give chapters a bigger voice in trail matters, and to put a priority on trail management. The key to the reorganization was the creation of a "Trail Conference", which will be mr.de up of representatives of the various non-government organizations that manage trail -- chapters, affiliates, independent clubs -- and the state trail coordinators of each state. The Conferences will have the authority to work out problems and develop policy, but final policy decisions will remain in the Board's hands. Because of the distances involved, and the commonality of problems, these have been organized into four separate regions: East Terminus, East Central, West Central, and West Terminus. The East Terminus Conference (New York and Pennsylvania) will, at present, have representatives from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, the Central New York Chapter, AYH Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvania and New York Trail Coordinators. With the door now opened for expansion into the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Mountian Club (ADK) might become a full affiliate; it presently would hold non-voting status, as well as some independent trail clubs in the area. The East Central Conference (Ohio and lower Michigan) will have the two state trail coordinators, representatives from the Buckeye Trail Association and the Northwest Ohio Rails to Trails Association (NORTA), as well as chapter representatives from the Western Michigan, Chief Noonday and Grand Traverse chapters. The West Central Conference (upper Michigan and Wisconsin) will again have the two state coordinators, plus chapter representatives from the North Country Trail Hikers, Heritage, Chequamegon and Brule-St. Croix chapters. The West Terminus Conference (Minnesota and North Dakota) will have the two state coordinators, plus a representative from the Headwaters chapter. In addition, representatives of the Kekekabic Trail Club, Superior Hiking Trail Association, and Minnesota Rovers Outing Club will be invited to sit on the conference as non-voting members until such time as plans are approved for the Arrowhead relo in Minnesota, at which time they will be invited to join as full affiliate members.
Each regional conference will thus have, at present, from five to eight members, though they could grow in the future. Each of the conferences will name a fullyvoting representative to the NCTA Board of Directors. The four chairpersons of each conference will serve as vice-presidents of the NCTA on a rotating basis, with one vice-president from the eastern conferences, and one from the western. Initially, the East Division VicePresident would be the chair of the East Central Conference, and the West Division Vice-President would be the West Terminus Chairperson. However, the latter would rotate out of the job after one year, turning the post over to the West Central Chairperson, who would keep the job for two years before giving it back; the initial East Division Chairperson would hold the East Division VP post for two years before turning it over to the East Terminus Chairperson. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. The Trail Conference will only meet as a whole group at NCTA annual meetings, but are expected to have several regional meetings annually. In addition to the two vice-presidents from the trail conferences, the NCTA will have another vice-president, specifically for finance, and do away with the treasurer post; it's anticipated that much of the routine bookkeeping functions will be handled by a separate controller. The VP-Finance will also serve as the first vice-president of the organization. The president and secretary posts continue unchanged. The five officers (President, three Vice-Presidents, and Secretary) would form an executive committee available for routine management of items coming up between board meetings. A transitional plan has been adopted to make the changeover so that no one currently on the board will lose their seat until the end of their term, though the initial terms of the conference representatives will vary. Over the course of the discussion, several minor other changes were also made to the NCTA by-laws to adapt to the major changes, and a few other ambiguities were ironed out. While not as far-reaching as the 1992-93 revisions, adoption of the proposal further streamlines operations, putting trail management policy in the hands of trail managers, whether from the Association or not, while leaving Association business in Association hands. The new arrangement will take some time to get ironed out, but should provide a substantial step forward in putting the trail first.
Page 10
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country TrailAssociation, June-July 1997
Three routes to be studied
Adirondack impasse may be passed by new route For seventeen years the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) has faced an impasse in the Adirondack Park in New York. The original route designated for the NCNST was through existing trail in the central section of the park and crossed through the High Peaks area. Although the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) originally proposed this route the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) opposed this route due to the high volume of use already on this trail segment. It was felt that the additional use on the NCNST would further deteriorate the trails. It was also felt that the volunteer resources available at that time were not sufficient to support the existing trail let alone additional trail. The DEC and ADK also took a policy stance that no new trail would be created in designated wilderness areas of the park. There are fifteen designated wilderness areas in the park. For those reasons it was deemed inadvisable to create any new trails in the Adirondacks. In 1995 the National Park Service (NPS) did a study through the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to evaluate alternative routes in both the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. One of the alternatives evaluated was a southern Adirondack route which potentially could take the trail through the DEC Wild Forest areas of the lower park. This is an area outside of ADK and DEC policy restrictions against new trails in designated wilderness areas of the park. In addition, most of the trail would be on State land and protected. Little was known about this area at the time. Recently there have been some changes in view from the ADK and DEC in regards to additional trails in the park. As a result of that, we arranged for a meeting with DEC, ADK, NCTA, NPS, Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC), and Forest Preserve Advisory Committee representatives on April 25, 1997 in Albany, New York. Tom Gilbert of the Madison NPS Trails office attended, along with NCTA President Derek Blount, Trail Management VP Gaylord Yost, and New York coordinator Howard Beye. The results were "More than we could have hoped for," according to Gilbert. We gained a consensus at this meeting that a southern route through the park would be feasible and acceptable to all parties. Three separate routes were suggested. The first was one by the ADK (the ADK planned Wilderness . Backcountry Trail). It began in the northeast north of
the Five Ponds Wilderness area and made a serpentine route toward the southeast towards Warrensburg using predominately existing trails and creating only 20-40 miles of new trail. This route used logging roads and snowmobile trails in addition to existing hiking trails. The main problem with this is that the trail runs diagonally across the park perpendicular to the route the NCNST must take to Crown Point. The second route was suggested by one of our local NCTA members. It took an easterly route from near Lyonsdale through several wilderness areas and wild forest areas to Wilcox Lake and then north toward Crown Point. This route has several problems with private land and wilderness areas. The. third route was suggested by the Forest Preserve Advisory Committee representative. It began in relatively the same area as the second route and traversed east predominately through wild forest lands. It was described as several stands of old growth forest, spruce maple, and tamarack. This would have the advantage of easy construction with low maintenance since there is less undergrowth in old growth forests. The eastern end was proposed to go up through the southern edge of Siamese Ponds Wilderness area along a ridge line with substantial views. The two southern routes travel through areas where there are few hiking trails and potential for excellent scenic travel is good. The group was encouraged by the fact that CCS grant money is available for trail development, and that NPS planning assistance is available. Bill Coffin of the new Central New York Chapter said he was optimistic that volunteers can handle the trail construction task. All three routes will require transit through private lands to some extent to reach Crown Point. These three routes will now be mapped on 1:24,000 topo maps and evaluated for potential. Bill Menke, our NPS Trail Manager will travel to New York to meet with individuals who have first hand knowledge of these routes. The decision of route will then be made by all parties concerned before ADK/DEC approval and route construction will start. In any case the impasse appears to have passed. We can now begin to look forward to completing the trail to the eastern terminus at Crown Point or perhaps some other appropriate crossing point into Vermont with an ultimate connection to the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail. We have just passed another major cairn along the trail.
Proceeds benefit the North Country Trail Association in its efforts to build, maintain, and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail.
June-July# I 997
NEW: NCNST CAPS! Embroidered design with eight thread colors is based on the NCTA logo, only it reads "North Country National Scenic Trail" and features a more prominent star. Adjustable sizes. $14.95 $12.95 $12.95 $10.95
Trail Patch $ 3.00 Yellow, blue.& black on white background.
~
Trail
~Suppor;;~ 3/4" cloisonne
$ 2.95
NCNST Mug With official trail emblem on both sides.
1111111~
State Patch
$1.50
Available for all seven states
[!N.C.T. -VOLUNTEER] Volunteer Patch
$5.95
$ 1.50
Hike Distance Patches $ 2.00
Blue thread on white background
TShirt-96 White cotton pre-shrunk - 3 color NCT A logo on front and 2 color trail map on back! Adult: S,M,L,XL.
$10.95 $11.95 for XXL
How far have you 15-35 IDLE hiked in a singk ~ ).,- BJIJ?GCUJI day on the NCNST? Available ~ 1rj s-as llILE
for S, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35 miles.
Please specify mileage when ordering.
TShirt-93 CLEARANCE SALE! Medium and XXL sizes ONLY. Lt. blue cotton pre-shrunk - 2 color trail map on front.
$ 8.25 each while supplies last!
'bllllIJfti CLUJ
~il_s~ lflJUttli 5-3S MJL! CIJJI 2C~JflLI CLIJB 25 llIID'f& 5-35 MlI.! CLUJ
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'{Q 5-35 IILJ
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Certified Sections of the North Country Trail by Byron and Margaret Hutchins Detailed information and maps covering many of the longest and best off-road segments of the Trail. These are accurate route descriptions by experienced guide-book writers who have walked the sections with a measuring wheel. In easy to use looseleaf form. $26.50
Whole set w/ binder
Pennsylvania
s 4.00
Allegheny NF & Cook Stale Forest
Ohio
s
Wayne National Forest Burr Oak-Sinking Spring Little Miami Scenic Park Miami & Erie Canal
2.50
$ 5.50
s s
Wisconsin
3.00 2.50
Chequamegon National Forest
Michigan NCT in Michigan (153 pages) MI-37 to Doblesky Rd.Wilderness SP Ottawa National Forest
Chippewa National Forest
$17.00 5.50
s s
$ 3.00
Minnesota North Dakota
4.00
Sheyenne National Grassland
$ 3.50
s
1.50
Buckeye Trail (Ohio) Section Maps
These convenient and detailed maps cover the North Country Trail where it overlaps with the Buckeye Trail. They are published by the Buckeye Trail Association. $3.50 per map OH-A) OH-B) OH-C) OH-D) OH-E) OH-F) OH-G) OH H)
Belle Valley: Morgan, Noble & Guernsey Co's OH-I) Old Man's Cave: Hocking,Ross&Vinton Co's Bowerston: Harrison, Carroll & Guernsey Co's OH-J) Scioto Trail: Ross & Pike Counties Ceasar Creek: Greene & Warren Counties OH-K) Sinking Spring: Adams,Pike&Highland Co's Defiance: Defiance, Paulding, Putnam, Henry OH-L) St. Marys: Auglaize & Shelby Counties & Wood Counties OH-M) Stockport: Morgan, Perry & Athens Counties Delphos: Putnam, Allen & Auglaize Counties OH-N) Troy: Greene, Miami & Montgomery Co's Loveland: Clermont,Warrcn & Hamilton Co's OH-0) West Union: Adams & Brown Counties Massillon: Stark and Tuscarawas Counties OH-P) Williamsburg: Brown & Clermont Counties New Straitsville: Athens, Hocking, Morgan and Perry Counties
Michigan Map Sets by Arden Johnson $4.00 per set An excellent reference for the entire North Country Trail in Michigan. Includes all off-road segments and suggests onroad routes where the trail is incomplete.
MI-A) MI-B) MI-C) MI-D) MI-E) MI-F) MI-G)
Finger Lakes Trail Resources Map Sets $4.00 per set NY-A) These excellent looseleaf maps of the trail in NY are NY-B) published by the Finger Lakes NY-C) Trail Conference.
Following the North Country National Scenic Trail
PA border to Portageville Portageville to Watkins Glen Watkins Glen to NW of Cuyler
Guidebooks Published by the Finger Lakes Trail Conf., these helpful books cover various parts of the North Country Trail where it overlaps the FLT in western and central New York.
SE Lenawee Co. to W. Calhoun Co. NE Kalamazoo Co.to SE Newaygo Co. SE Newaygo Co. to NW Wexford Co. NW Wexford Co. to SE Charlevoix Co. Charlevoix Co. to Mackinaw City St. Ignace to SE Marquette Co. Marquette area to Ironwood
FLT in Cortland County $5.95 FLT End-To-End Guide for Backpacker_$2.50 FLT: Conservation Trail to Homell __ $7.95 FLT in SteubenCo.(Homell-S.Bradford)_$6.95
(2)
by Wes Boyd, NCTA newsletter editor Full of information, this book directs readers to more in-depth resources on the trail. Although not really a guide-book, it's our most inclusive publication covering the whole North Country National Scenic Trail. 64 pgs. SALE PRICE: $2.95!
followlng lhe
Norih Counll")' Na1ir.n1111 Stcnic 'ftall
~AYHIKER'S
HANDBOOK
.... An Jdl路Tcrroin.All-Season Gulde
Dayhiker's Handbook
$14.95
Description of the route and trail log, east to west. Wonderfully written by a Chippewa National Forest expert. 12 pgs.
Guide to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore $6.95
by Olive Anderson
Trail Atlas of Michigan by Dennis R. Hansen
$26.95
Michigan trail enthusiasts - don't get caught without this atlas! Includes maps and descriptions for over 500 hiking, biking, skiing, and nature trails in Michigan. Search by location or types of use'
_,__.,
Subtitled "A Traveler's Guide to Our National Scenic and Historic Trails," this new book is the first to provide engaging descriptions and advice on all 19 trails in our National Trail System. 308 pgs.
by Roderick MacRae
Extremely thorough and up-to-date guide covering the basics of backpacking. Includes information on the latest gear, cooking techniques, skills, and environmental hazards all with an emphasis on minimizing impact and enjoying the outdoors. This book is highly educational whether you are new to backpacking or an experienced "pro." 340pp.
-.. .. ---
by Art & Marge Miller
Guide to the North Country Trail, Chippewa National Forest $1.25
Backpacker's Handbook $18.95
. . ........... ~.....-
Trails Across America $19.95
A comprehensive guide for hikers designed to inspire and instruct beginning wanderers and those exploring new country. Topics include choosing the proper clothing, selecting footwear and raingear, using a map and compass, predicting the diffi-culty of a hike, knowing when to tum around, managing food and water, the ten essentials, weather lore, walking techniques, traveling with kids, first aid, and more. Laced with short features and "pithy tips and anecdotes." 216pp.
This very useful manual for trail volunteers provides: I) guidelines for planning and construction of the North Country Trail, 2) guidelines for continued maintenance of the NCT, and 3) helpful suggestions regarding trail construction and maintenance. It covers rural and roaded natural, semi-primitive and primitive trail. 22 pgs.
Go West Old Man, Forty-Five Days on the FLT by James E. DeWan $6.95 DeWan's rendition of his 45-day endto-end hike of New York's Finger Lakes Trail. Lovingly written by someone who really knows the trail.
.Hi K~~~~@1f
Hiking! The Ultimate Natura) Prescription for Health and Wellness
Wholesale Prices (616)-454-5506 Items must be purchased in quantities of ten or more.
A GUIDE
Pictured Rocks is a centerpiece of the North Country Trail - a rugged, beautiful, and unique coast on the Lake Superior shore. Maps are included in this revised LakeshoreTrail Guide. 56pgs.
NCTA Trail Building and Maintenance Manual by Thomas J. Reimers $2.00
Call us for information on
PICTURED BOCKS NATIONAL. LllK.fSl!ORE
$14.95
Philip Ferranti, M.Ed. & Cecilia Leyva, with Joie Goodkin
w..
THE ULTIMATENATUllAl!'PRf5<HUPTION
._fOR HEALTH "'?'W~l'!路>f.s~.
fresh look at hiking and its many benefits. Chapters include: the philosophy of hiking, stress management, physical/health benefits, creativity and hiking, and romance on the trail. The authors further explore how hiking addresses the issues of today: strengthening family ties, improving communication, offering a healthy lifestyle for children, pursuing an inexpensive passtime and providing seniors with a natural prescription for health. A must read for anyone who currently enjoys hiking and for those who are thinking about starting out. A
Please hll"nthe page fol"the Tt'all ehop Ot'del"Fortn...
Our challenge for the year 2000 is to have 2,000 certified miles completed. Our new Affiliate, the Northwest Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association, is responsible for the new Ohio miles. This region forms a critical link as the trail branches off the Buckeye Trail and heads north.
The numbers for our goal of one member for every one mile of trail were a little skewed this time because 65 free memberships given to educate sled dog mushers about the trail just expired. Yet, even with this drop, we're still seeing strong progress in Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York, where new chapters have recently formed or are the process of forming.
State
Current members North Dakota 11 Minnesota 42 Wisconsin 48 Michigan 407 44 Ohio Pennsylvania 39 New York 57 Other 66
Change Trail miles Members since Apr 1 in state to goal 0 435 424 333 375 + l + 4 155 107 - 47 875 468 656 700 + 3 180 141 0 520 463 + 5 - 4
State
Miles certified 60.5 81.0 70.7 571.0 283.5 119.3 140.5
North Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania New York
Change since Apr 1 0 0 0 0 + 6.1 0 0
%
Done 13.9 21.6 45.6 65.3 40.5 66.3 27.0
--------------------------------------· ~~:
Clty,ST Zip:
e-mail: Skills to volunteer?(optional):
_
At what level would you like to join?: Annual Memberships
Life Memberships
D $ 25 D $ 35 D $ 50 D $100 D $ 45 D $500
D $400 Individual D $600 Couple
Individual Household Trail Leader Pathfinder Organization Corporation
D
---------------
Would you like to be a Member-at-Large, or a Chapter Member (Please check one): D Member of a specific Chapter: _ D Member of my closest local Chapter (if one exists) D Member-at-large (not affiliated with any Chapter)
I I I I I I I I
I
Optional: I would like to further support the work of NCTA with my tax-deductible contribution of:
--------------~---------------~-------~ Shipping and handling fees:
Amount of order tip to $ 10.00 $10.01-$25.00 $25.01-$50.00 $50.01-$100 over$100
-
Item Description
·
>
>
Qtv. •
•
Price Ea.
Total
S/H · Fee $2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $7.50
MERCHANDISE TOTAL: NCTA Members deduct 10%: MI residents add 6% sales tax: Shipping/Handling: GRAND TOTAL:
--------------------------------------·
-..Make check or money order payable and send to: NCTA I 49 Monroe Center, Suite 200B I Grand Rapids, Ml 49503 •
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
Page 15
NCTA Board calls forpush toward end-to-end marking At the May meeting, the NCTA approved a Trail Committee proposal that, while it doesn't call for immediate end-to-end marking, authorizes working toward the long-sought goal. The policy is intended to provide guidelines for chapters, affiliated clubs, 'and individual members to follow in determining whether to mark noncertifiable NCNST segments, including roads, that connect certified segments, and will provide long-term NCTA policy for marking the trail from end to end. The North Country National Scenic Trail stretches over 4,000 miles across the northern United States from Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota east to the Vermont state line. The certified sections of the trail are -- or should be -- marked to a standard presecri't ed in the NCNST Comprehensive Plan. A small portion of the NCT mileage has been marked as "connector" between certified portions. Some temporary road or trail mileage, not meeting certification standards, has poor to no marking. Some trail routes, located on roads which cannot be certified, provide a hiking experience that varies from excellent to poor, or none at all. A through hiker would have a difficult time following the trail, based on markings, from North Dakota to Vermont. Local users may have trouble following the trail depending upon where they attempt to use it. However, to mark the trail from end to end for public use will take many hours of volunteer and agency personnel time, and thousands of markers and/or blazes. It will be a virtually endless job, given the temporary nature of some trail segments, and the eroding effects of weather, vandalism, and possible changes of the trail location. The need for marking the trail route well is a high priority if people are to follow it end to end, or for the segments they choose to hike. The marking must be visible at crossings with roads, other trails, or where nearby activities make it difficult to follow the trail. In addition, markings must be visible at key locations so map users can orient themselves and know where they are and whether or not they are on the right trail. The North Country Trail Association supports the end to end marking of the NCNST, as well as the identification of the trail route on maps to facilitate use of'both certified and non-certified trail locations by through and local hikers using shorter segments. However, the priority for achieving such marking left to managing agencies, local chapters, and affiliated trail clubs, and depends on the availablity oflabor, volunteers, and available routes. It's recommended that local managing agencies, chapters, and affiliates should provide and publicize the best temporary routing between certified trail segments, and should distribute the information through NCTA and National Park Service offices, World Wide Web sites, and maps and brochures. Production and maintenance ofhigh quality maps for the entire trail, both certified and temporary segments, are to be of the highest priority in
identifying the trail location for through and local hikers. End to end marking priority is of the highest priority on short connectors or temporary segments of less than five miles long, and secondly in longer segments. Blazes, marking disks, etc. should not be shown on roads or other temporary segments over five miles long unless agency, chapter or affiliate resources permit, and higher-priority marking has been completed. The route should, however, be shown and marked on all maps to be used by local and through hikers.
Arrowheadrelo moves forward -- slowly Things are moving forward on the Arrowhead Route relo in northeast Minnesota. Slowly, but they're moving. Though the 1982 Comprehensive plan envisioned a trailrouterunninggenerallywest-northwest from Duluth, nothing has ever been done on the development of the route, due to vast areas of wetland and private property. Trail development would be slow and extremely expensive, and the hiking experience less than ideal. Almost from the beginning, an alternative route was proposed, one that would take the North Country Trail up the Superior Hiking Trail to near Grand Portage, then back to the vicinity of Ely through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the Border RouteandKekekabic Trails, then southwest somehow or other, on either existing trails or a new route, to the original route in the Chippewa National Forest. The idea was so good that all work on the 1982 route plan has been dropped. Bill Menke of the National Park Service recently reported, ''We indeed regret that only minor progress has been made to bring about the change to the route. Lined up to support this route change are the Superior Hiking Trail Association, the Rovers Outing Club, the Kekekabic Trail Association, the Minnesota DNR, and the Superior National Forest. We are very grateful for this support and consider completing this project a top priority. ''We have contacted Minnesota's congressional delegation on the change and seek their support. One of the major slowdowns is that we recently learned that an amendment to the trail's 1982 Comprehensive Plan will be necessary. This will involve public involvement, consultations with the State Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NEPA documentation. ''With the Wisconsin-Minnesota connection planning already underway, our time available for additional planning is limited. Nevertheless, we hope to meet with the key players, form a core planning team, and move forward with this study."
-: The Cannonball Trail. â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ Welcome aboard! /
.
ex: u
Oh listen to the rumble, the jingle and the roar ... April 24 marked the first certification, of6.l miles, of what will eventually be over 40 miles of North Country Trail following the Northwest Ohio Rails to Trails Association's (NORTA) Cannonball Trail. NORTA and the Cannonball are new players on the North Country Trail scene, and the route fills a longsought hope of finding a good route to connect the Buckeye Trail to southern Michigan. The first segments of what will eventually be a 64mile rail trail were opened to the public two years ago, and it's proving to be a popular trail already, especially for joggers, hikers, horseback riders and bicyclists. Bicycling, in fact, was one of the forces that brought the
1.0:.. Certiiod F!NeNCNST
0&1;;.;w-
trail about, and the Cannonball ~ is a good example of a u treadway appropriate to mountain bike use. You wouldn't expect it in a place as far south as Ohio, but the trail is also regularly used by a couple of dogsledders for training their racing teams. Use is steadily increasing as the completed trail grows longer . Understandably, the trail is rather flat -- flat as the surrounding countryside -- and pretty much straight, arrowing across farm fields, through patches of woods, small towns and suburban areas. It manages to do a good job of avoiding grubby industrial areas. It provides a nice off-road route through an area where prospects for an off-road NCNST route looked pretty hopeless before the Cannonball came along. The trail, a former Norfolk Southern, and previously Wabash, rail line, has two legs -- the southern leg, from Liberty Center, Ohio, to Maumee, south of Toledo, then west on the northern leg to Montpelier, nearly at the Indiana state line. The NCNST won't use all of this; a couple miles east of the Lucas County line, the route will leave the Cannonball, and take a shortcut north through Toledo's Oak Openings Metropark to reach the northern leg, and then, many miles to the west, will leave the Cannonball near West Unity, east of Montpelier (not shown on the above map) and tum north into Michigan. A possible route linking the Cannonball Trail with the Buckeye Trail at Florida, to the southwest ofLiberty Center, has been identified along old Miami and Erie Canal lands, much of which are still in public ownership, and through state and city parks. NORTA has expressed an interest in developing this route, though understandably, it will have to wait until the rest of the Cannonball Trail can be opened to the public. Cur-
..J:JORTH STAR: Th&Newsletter of the.t/orth Country TraiJ,14ssociation, June.July 1997
Page
-6l
rently, the southern leg is fully open, but the northern leg is only路 officially open in Lucas County. Hopes are to officially open the trail another ten miles westward this year, though the trail can be followed now. Wftat's holding up the officialopeningis the need' to remove the old cobblestone rail ballast on the westernmost parts of the northern segments, put decking and railing on several old rail bridges, the longest ofwhich is approximately 180 feet, and do follow-up treadway work. The trail will finally have a compacted dirt/cinder THE NEAPOLIS BRIDGE on the Cannonball Trail, just east of the Lucas County line pathway. on the southern leg. NORTA faces decking several bridges. The initial 6.1 miles bridges, such as the one near Neapolis on the southern certified as parts of the NCNST were on the southern leg, shown above, will have a "covered bridge" style leg in Fulton and Henry Counties, where NORTA owns appearance, though they won't be true covered bridges, the trailway. The route in Lucas County is owned by a where the trusswork in the walls of the bridge provide regional council of governments; certification of another a major portion of the bridge's strength. 4.2 miles there and another 3.5 miles in Oak Openings In addition to the bridges, NORTA plans a meeting Metropark is pending. In addition, in April NORTA room/information center/storage building where the applied for Affiliate status in the North Country Trail trail's northern leg crosses Ohio SR 109 south of Delta. Association, and the NCTA board approved it at their The funding has also allowed NORTA to purchase May meeting, making NORTA the NCTA's fourth affilimachinery, such as grading equipment, a tractor, and ate,joining the Buckeye Trail Association, Finger Lakes sprayers needed to keep the many miles of trail open Trail Association, and AYH-Pittsburgh. with a small crew. NORTA is headed by Ed Snyder of Swanton, OH, For more information on NORTA and the Cannonand Gene Markley, of Delta, OH, is the vice-president, ball Trail, you can call the NORTAhotline at 1-800-951They have a small, but active core of volunteers that 4788, write them at PO Box 234, Delta, OH, 43515, or have spent mariy hours in trail development. see their website at http://www.toltbbs.com/-norta/. What separates the Cannonball from many other They can be e-mailed at "pmgNORTA@aol.com". rail trails is the fact that it's not a government project, but a non-profit organization project, and other than the initial grant ofland, the trail has received little funding in the form of grants from governments. Financially, in fact, it's largely self-supporting, mostly from easements and leases from landowners, and from a large easement from Fulton County to use the trail as the route of a water line to a new steel plant near Delta. The water line not only supplied $134,000 to NORTA, but part of the contract was to finish the treadway on the northern leg on the section the water line uses. Another income source the trail has been provided has been in the sale of tons of old cobblestone ballast used on the rail line. It's difficult to walk on; something would have had to have been done about it, anyway, and it's providing a funding source for finishing the trail. The funding has allowed NORTA and their small LIKE MANY rail-trails, much of the Cannonball Is group of dedicated volunteers to move ahead rapidly straight, with limited grades. This photo looks down with finishing and maintaining the trail. The bridge the route from the southwestern trallhead near decking work, however, is taking time, as the CannonUberty Center, Ohio. ball has several bridges of varying designs. Some of the
Page 18
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
NCTA Chapter development turns onto afast track! One of the keys to the long-term development and preservation of the North Country National Scenic Trail has long been recognized as the development of local chapters and affiliates along the route of the trail. Local groups have the manpower and local knowledge available to build, maintain, monitor and protect the trail far more effectively than can be done on a centralized basis. But, chapter development, at least until now, has been slow and uncertian, with false starts as well as successes. That the process is now starting to take root and work is shown by the fact that five new chapters -- three in Wisconsin, one in Michigan, and one in New York -- have been started in the last year, bringing in new members and concentrating effort onto the trail in their areas. In addition, a new affiliate, in Ohio, has joined the North Country
Trail cause. These five new chapters join the four active existing ones -- the Headwaters chapter (Minnesota), North Country Trail Hikers (Michigan UP), Traverse City (Michigan) and Western Michigan Chapters. (In addition to the three chapters discussed on these pages, the Chequamegon chapter, located in central Wisconsin, and the Heritage chapter, in northeastern Wisconsin, were chartered last fall, and are already proving to be active groups.) In addition, there are discussions of new chapters in at least three other areas. Forming a chapter isn't terribly difficult-- the minimum number of NCTA members is ten in order to form a chapter, and the NCTAoffice in Grand Rapids stands ready to help with information on how to go about the process, and can provide names of NCTA members in a stated region. 1
South of Grand Rapids
New路 chapter in southern Michigan A new chapter in southern Michigan is getting ready to take on the daunting task of constructing the North Country Trail mostly across the private rolling farmlands of southeastern Michigan's Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties. The chapter; dubbed the "Chief Noonday Chapter", filed for a charter following a May 21organiza~ tional meeting. The chapter will have as its initial goal the construction of trail through Barry County, south of Grand Rapids, and on south to the Battle Creek Linear Parkway. A route is路 in the advanced stages of planning, and it's hoped that construction on some segments can proceed this year. A strong list of twenty are the charter members of the chapter, which is headed by Dave Cornell as President, Bob Benham, Vice-President and Trea-
surer, Jim Mackey, Secretary, and Lynn Waldron as Trail Conference Delegate. The Board of Direc- . tors consists of Cornell, Pat-Allen, Behnam, Mackey, Doug Schneider and Amy South. Plans for the chapter have been under way for a while, following a spring, 1996 meeting in Delton called to firm up plans for trail development in southern. Michigan, long a relatively quiescent area for trail development due to the lack of public lands. However, some trail also exists, especially in Yankee Springs State Recreation Area and the Linear Parkway, and two game areas and a university experimental forest offer potential for trail routing, along with private lands in the rolling, often wooded countryside. For more information about the group, contact David Cornell, 514 Cordes Rd., Delton, MI 49046, telephone (616) 623-8659.
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
Page 19
Beyond the Finger Lakes Trail
New chapter forming in New York A new chapter of the North Country Trail Association is forming in New York state this spring. Winter weather has not kept a small group of trail enthusiasts there from working hard on plans for a new trail and creating an NCTA chapter. The "New Kids" are the Central New York Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and they are located right where you would guess: Central New York, in Madison, Onondaga, and nearby counties. The first goal of the new chapter is to increase NCNST mileage in New York state by establishing a 30-plus mile NCNST link trail connecting the Finger Lakes trail with the Old Erie Canal Towpath in Madison County. An additional benefit will be connecting county parks to the trail system. The chapter members are planning a "Going North" kickoff for Trails Day, June 7, 1997, at the junction of the Link Trail with the Finger Lakes Trail, just east of Bambury Road, in Chenango County. The first trail segment, on state land, will be flagged by then. They will introduce the Trails Day volunteers to the new trail route, and, if all permits are in place by then, start cutting trail north. A very exciting prospect for the little group! Prior to Trails Day '97, they had il membership drive at their first chapter meeting, which was May 14 at the Town of Sullivan Recreation Hall on Fyler
Rd.inNorthChittenango,NY. NCTAmembersand members of NCTA affiliates who live in the area, attended to lend support. Starting with little more than an idea from one ofits members, Bill Coffin, the group has identified possible routes north-south across Madison County, twenty miles or so east of Syracuse. Over the last two years, a draft project summary has been written, and the support of County Govememnt, State Department of Environmental Conservation, and State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has been received. A slide presentation has been developed as a tool to gather further project support. Two small grants have already been received through the Madison County Enviommental Management Council (EMC) where the project was begun. The EMC functions as a citizen advisory group to the County Board of Supervisors. For more information about the Central New York chapter, call Bill Coffin, 328 Deepspring Drive, Chittenango NY 13037. (315) 687-3589. Editor's note: there's also reportedly a new chapter under consideration east of the Central New York Chapter, to take advantage of new developments in the Adirondacks. For more information, contact Coffin, or the NCTA office.
West of Chequamegon NF
And another in western Wisconsin by Peter Nordgren Twelve people attended the chapter organizing meeting for Douglas County, Wisconsin, on May 8. Eight new members joined the NCTA at that time, and one other person is already an NCTA member and will affiliate with our chapter. The group did manage to find the the 10 persons required for a chapter. We chose chapter officers. I agreed to be chapter chair for the next year to help get things organized and the chapter running. Paul Hlina will be the vice chair. Paul is a former NPS employee currently working for Douglas County in a watershed education project. He is also the area's most recognized hiker; despite a physical handicap, he hiked the entire Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota two years ago as a fundraiser for trail completion. Paul will be a terrific asset to the group. Suzanne Boley will be the chapter secretary. Chuck Zosel of the Wisconsin DNR will be the treasurer.
The group was quite enthusiastic about working with Bill Menke on planning and building the trail in Douglas County. After meeting with Bill, we hope to set a goal for this year for completing a section of trail. After advancing seven different choices, the group chose the name Brule-St.Croix Chapter of the NCTA. This name identifies us with the Brule-St. Croix portage trail, which we believe may be the oldest trail in Wisconsin. We will affiliate with the section of trail from the Chequamegon National Forest border to the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. As a first activity, we will sponsor a hike on the Brule-St.Croix trail section at noon on June 8th for National Trails Day. For more information, you can e-mail me at pnordgre@staff. uwsuper .edu or peter.nordgren@ ces.uwex.edu. I can be reached by mail at 1800 Grand Avenue, Superior, WI 54880, by phone at 715-394-8340 or fax: 715-394-8425.
Page 20
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
NCTA has large contingent at National Trails Conference Recently numerous members of the NCTA attended the National Trails Conference in Ovieda, Florida. The theme of the conference was "Sustaining Our Trail Resources". Each day also had it's theme. The first day, Sunday, was dedicated to "Defining and Documenting Trail Resources." Our workshops covered diverse topic slike "ResourceManagement 101:What are we talking about here?", "Innovative ways to understand how cultural landscapes change and how we can protect them", and "Using ROS (Recreational Opportunity Spectrum) and SMS (Scenic Management System) to identify Trail Resources, qualities, and experiences". And that was the first afternoon! In that morning we learned about basic legal requirements, responsibilities and tools in natural and cultural resource management. Discussions on large landscape management in heritage areas gave us insights in how to deal with those challenges on our trail. The USFS (US Forest Service) gave us an excellent overviewof the tools used in landscape analysis to make sound land-management decisions. There was a lot going on here. Even over lunch we heard from Daniel Botkin about what the Lewis and Clark Trail can tell us today about our world. We learned a lot about change as a natural process and how we can accomodate it and still keep the character of our trail. The afternoon was spent by some in educational field trips on local trails while others participated in more workshops. One field trip covered inventorying trail resources and experiences. Another showed laying out the trail to balance sustainability, resource protection and top quality visitor experience. Either one was a full afternoon. Workshops covered three areas, "InterCultural Respect", "Electronic Inventories? GIS" and "Trail corridors and natural systems". As one might expect, Indian rights and concerns in trail development were covered. In addition we learned about America's Hispanic history and our African-American history along the National Trail System. GIS was covered very extensively in a presentation showing how it was used in Florida to understand the complexity of the rich natural resources. Tying this all together was a session on how trail corridors work as "ecological systems" where man-made and "natural" features are in constant interaction. The day was rounded out by a great presentation on "Volunteers - How to get 'em and keep 'em". Fred Mulholland from the Florida Trail Association gave a
great slide presentation showing the success of the FTA trail building program. I have asked Fred to put this on video tape so we could have it to show to our members. He said he would. Look forward to it soon in our NCTA lending library. We also watched slide and video shows from the other trails in the National Trail System. We were given two to put in our lending library, the Nez Perce Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail both on video. They are available for loan for a chapter meeting. One of the great experiences of this conference was welcoming a new addition this past year to the System, The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. This now rounds out the total number of trails in the System to twenty. Although the trail does not yet have a volunteer group to support it, it will soon. We look forward to meeting them at the next National Trails Conference. All of that was in the first day. We had two more to go! By Tuesday I felt like a puddle of silly putty. I was really melted down but also very cranked up about our trail and it's possibilities. Next issue of the North Star I will cover some of the other topics on Monday and Tuesday of the conference. Over the next year we will try to bring you more detailed information about some of these topics from the NCTA members that attended this great event. This conference takes place every two years and is sponsored by one of the volunteer trail groups associated with the National Trail System. In 1999 the conference will be held in Montana either with the Lewis and Clark or Continental Divide folks. Location and group are still up in the air. You do not need to be a NCTA Board member to attend. Anyone can attend if they wish to. We will try to make information available to all members next time round. 'Nufffer now. Look for more conference news next issue.
5-year plan set for NE Wisconsin The Heritage Chapter has developed a five-year plan for development of the trail between Hurley and Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin. Chapter president Jim Burow says that a lot can be done in 1997 to clear, mark and brush out the trail. Additional projects may include several parking lots, interpretive signs, and perhaps a bridge in the vicinity of Wren Falls on the Tyler fork. Local volunteers are particularly needed to take charge of the trail in the Heritage Chapter section and make it into a first class travel facility for Iron and Ashland Counties, Burow commented.
Page 21
CTATRIPS AND ACTIVITIE ITEMS FOR THIS COLUMN must be received before the deadline date given on Page 4 of this newsletter. We welcome listing activities of affiliated organizations, but we must be aware of them in sufficient time for publication.
NCTA July 24: Newsletter deadline. August 21-24: Annual Membership meeting in Beverly, Ohio. See Page 8 for details. October 1: Newsletter deadline. October 1 : Deadlinefor 1998 Challenge Cost Share proposals and reporting VIP hours. November 8: Board of Directors meeting, Romulus, Ml.
Michigan Jun 20: North Country Trail Hikers Solstice Sojourn; Meet at 6 A.M. atthe Sugarloaf parking lot. Climb Sugarloaf, Hogsback, and Mt. Marquette. Strenuous Lon (906) 942-7879. Jun 21: North Country Trail Hikers Little Presque Isle tract cleanup and hike. Meet at the LPI parking lot at 1 O A.M., Dave (906) 228-9453. Jun 21: North Country Trail Hikers Trail work, location TBA, Gene (906) 225-1704. Jun 21: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Pines Point at Hesperia. 12 miles, flat to some hills. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. Jun 28: North Country Trail Hikers Trail work between McCormick and Lake Elinor. Roland (906) 226-2996. Jun 28: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Saugatuck Dunes State Park. 14 miles, rolling. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. July 5: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Allegan State Game Area. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. July 11-14. Western Michigan Chapter hikes Sinkhole and Clear Lakes Pathway. Easy to moderate. Camping at Jackson Lake State Forest CG. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. July 19: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Yankee Springs State Recreation Area. Rolling to hilly. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. July 25-27: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Nordhouse Dunes. 10 mi; flat to hilly. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. Aug 2: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Hungerford Trail. Flat to rolling. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978.
Aug. 5: Western Michigan Chapter meets at Buck Creek Nature Center, 7 PM. Call host, the Schmidts (616) 534-7170. Aug 9: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Cadillac Pathway. Flat to rolling. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. Aug. 16: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Muskegon State Park. 4-8 miles, some sand dunes. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. Aug. 30: Western Michigan Chapter hikes Pentwater Pathway and Halcyon Nature Trail. 7 miles, flat to rolling. Contact Dave S., (616) 784-8978. Sept. 6-7: Western Michigan Chapter Orienteering at Yankee Springs. Potluck Saturday night with camping. $5 registration in advance. Call Alan at (616) 453-3069.
Minnesota July 5: A 4.8 mile hike which includes the popular Britton Peak and Carleton peak. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700. July 23: A 7.6 mile hike including vistas of the Poplar River area. Shuttle back. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700. August 1-3: Campsite construction project on the Chippewa section. Hike into work site and build new site from scratch. Base cost of $40 includes trip food and group gear. Call Rod MacRae at (612) 377-0130. August 2: An 8.1 mile hike along Bally Creek Rd. to Pincushion Mt. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700. August 23: A 6.8 mile hike with vistas of Lake Superior and Sawtooth Range. Shuttle back. Free and open to public. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700. September 27: An 8.1 mile hike from Crosby Manitou State Park to Caribou Wayside. Shuttle back. Free and open to the public. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700. October 11 : A 2.5 mile round trip hike overlooking the Sawmill Valley. Free and open to the public. Contact SHTA at (218) 834-2700.
New York Sept. 22-26: Alley Cat Trail Crew, building shelter in Allegany SP. For information, contact Howard Beye (716) 288-7191.
;:~路~BYERTfSING SGHEDULE !hre~
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$80.00 $125;00 $200.00'
Five Issues (Full Year.) $80.00 $128.00 $200.00 $320.00
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22
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association,
Ohio June 21-22. BTA Work Party. Clendening Reservoir (Harrison County). Cal.I Jim Sprague for details, 216-884-4757. July 19, 10:00 a.m. BTA Circuit Hike. Meet at Point 32, Burton Section. July 20, 9:00 a.m. BTA Circuit Hike. Meet at Point 37, Burton Section. August 9, 10:00 a.m. BTA Circuit Hike. Meet in Caesar Creek Section. Point to be announced. August 10, 9:00 a.m. BTA Circuit Hike. Meet in Caesar Creek Section. Point to be announced. August 16, 9:00 a.m. NE Ohio BT (Note earlier time). Outing at Sand Run & Nature Realm, Akron Metroparks. 10k, some hills. Morning coffee & buns provided. Starting early to avoid midday heat. Parking details by postcard closer to date. Leader Phyllis Devlin. To register call Liz McQuaid, 216-9413443, or the Jones', 216-467-4338. August 21-24. BTA hosts the North Country Trail Association Annual Meeting, Beverly, Ohio. September 11-14. BTA Work Party. Tar Hollow State Forest (Vinton County). Call Jim Sprague tor details, 216-884-4757. September 20-28. BTA. Adirondack Mountains, New York.
June-July
1997
The dates for the Adirondack Hiking Trip are September 20 to 28, 1997. This is a great time of year to go to New York with a great group of people. Since we are carpooling, the cost will be very reasonable. There are lots of trails, so you can do as much or as little as you like. We'd love to have you. Call Herb Hulls, 614-585-2603. October 11&12. BTA Work Party. Burr Oak State Park. Call Jim Sprague for details, 216-884-4757. October 25. NE Ohio BT. Trip to Kelleys Island. Details to come. October 30-Nov. 2. BTA Work Party. Fort Hill State Park. Call Herb Hulls for details, 614-585-2603.
Pennsylvania Sept 5-7~ Work trip to build trail in SGL95. Contingent on PA Game Commission approval. Contact Mark Eckler (412) 5886164.
Wisconsin June 21-22: Heritage Chapter work days, segment D-E. For more information call Jim Burow, (414) 425-5146. July 12: Chequamegon Chapter work day. Call George Tresnack at (714) 274-7401 for information.
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NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the North Country Trail Association, June..July 1997 July 19-20: Heritage Chapter work days, segment F-H. For more information call Jim Burow, (414) 425-5146.
SWISS
August 2-10: Heritage Chapter Campout and work days, Weber Lake. For more information call Jim Burow, (414) 4255146.
~~~;~TEG
Sept. 5-7: Heritage Chapter membership meeting, location TBA. For more information call Jim Burow, 414) 425-5146.
~~~~ALP
MURREN LENK
Sept. 27: Chequameon Chapter Fall Hike. For more information call George Tresnak, (715) 274-2401. Oct. 18-19: Heritage Chapter work days, segment H-J. For more information call Jim Burow, 414) 425-5146.
RIGl-kALTENBAo GRINDELWALD SAAS-FEE GSTAAD FLUELEN ENGELBERG LEUKERBAD
Page 23
ALPS
Moderate optional length DAY hiking along skyline trails. 7 - 2 week tours basing at 15 mountain 3-4 star hotels. All hikes guided by NCT member Cecil Dobbins. For a free color brochure call (216) 867-3771 or write to· • ALPINE ADVENTURE TRAILS TOURS, Inc. 783V Cliffside Dr. Akron,OH 44313
+ The Hiker's Paradise +
Dec. 6: Heritage Chapter get-together, Milwaukee, WI. For more information call Jim Burow, 414) 425-5146.
·
Contributions, Special Renewals and New Members for April 1 thrc:ugh May 15. 1997
Dobot's: Consumers Power Harry Gubbins
Kathleen Perry Patricia Ryan
Deborah R. Stewart-Kent Michael Weymier
Jol11ed OP De11ewed 111 a •peelal eatego.,y: Trail Leader
Organization
Mardy and William Gast Susan and Robert Nelson Michael Shumway John Vinkemulder
Adirondak Mountain Club New York-New Jersy Trail Conference Bureau of Reclamation (Bismarck, ND)
New Metnbers: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference R Marie Altenau Trina Ball Barbara Beal Bryan Bears Barbara & Charles Blackstone Scott Cameron Ric Castleman Frances and Steve Cheyne Sara Cockrell Kathleen Disque Sarah Gokey Debra and Douglas Heym/Huff Paul and Judy Hyna/Hlina David and Lynn Irwin
Rita Jack Bruce Johnston Larry Kuznar Deborah Maas Verna Maki Lucinda Means Dan Mixer Atley Oswald Steve Pawlowski Kathleen Perry Richard Pfeiffer Leo Rasmussen Cheryl Ritter Al & Jackie Rucka Tricia Ryan James Schaefer
Sam Schwartz Margaret and Jerry Scott Myrna Seddon Jack Shaner Teri Stemmle Deborah Stewart-Kent Paul Stone Gloria Stowe John Vinkemulder Ric White Jane & Jim Wiedenhoeft Nick Yarde Jeffrey Yoest Beverly Zelt
We gratefully acknowledge the support of all our members and donors who share with us the vision of the North Country National Scenic Trail'
Page 24
NORTH STAR: The Newsletter of the Nonh Country Trail Association, June-July 1997
Our Top Recruiters So Far ... Recruiter's Name(s)
Members Recruited
Bill Menke
15
Bob Papp*
14
Claudia Day
8
Kathy Sabel
4
Derek Blount
3
Gaylord Yost
3
Gene Elzinga
2
We'll record the recruiter's name for each new paying member who joins through Aug. 15, 1997. At the Annual Meeting, we'll announce the final results. You don't have to attend the Annual Meeting to receive your prize. Any member of NCTA can participate. If you get someone new to join, just ask · them to write · down your name as "sponsor" or "recruiter" and we'll be sure to give you credit Good luck, and thanks for your help in getting the word out! Please call us if you need more forms or have any questions: 616-454-5506, or NCTAssoc@aol.com
• Our Executive Director, Bob Papp, is not eligible for any prizes. He's just in it to skew the curve.
etGN UP YOUR FRIENDe AT A$ f 5 INTRGDUeTGRY RATE! Our Sponsored Membership Program allows current NCTA members to sign up an unlimited number of new members at an introductory rate of just $15. To qualify, Sponsored Members must be new to NCTA, or not have been members for at least two years. The $15 rate is good only for the first year of membership. To use this program, just fill in your name and membership number, then give the form to your friend to complete the shaded area. If you sponsor enough members, you may win a prize!
Please choose D Memberofa D Member .of closest D Member-at~Large(no~
my
Name(s) of New Member(s}: Address: City, State Zip:
Sponsored by: e-------------------1
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Phone:
Membership#:
*
To begin your membership, please complete this form -e-rnait and send it with your $15 payment to: f..~ COUNTR}'';~ North Country Trail Association ~~-=--"--.;..c.;.....--.,= & 49 Monroe Center NW
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