WODC 2002 Trail Plans

This summer begins a new chapter in WODC trail maintenance.  With the prolonged restoration of Walden Trail behind us, our summer trail crew will broaden its efforts to undertake the full spectrum of trail maintenance projects.   This will range from basic (but critical) tasks such as cleaning our 600+ water bars, to rebuilding rotted water bars, to helping adopters overwhelmed with hobble bush!

The summer crew will consist of four volunteers recruited through the Resource Assistant  (RA) program of the Student Conservation Association.  The crew leader will be a more experienced Conservation Associate (CA) also recruited through the SCA.  (For complete details on the crew positions see the Jobs page at www.wodc.org

The crew members will arrive on May 30th for the 11 week season.  The crew leader will arrive on May 16, allowing him or her to participate in early trail days and develop a working relationship with the WODC. The leader will also conduct a complete trail inventory, allowing him or her to become familiar with the trails and help identify projects for later in the season.

When the full crew arrives they’ll start with a range of basic maintenance (such as water bar clearing and major brushing projects), and gradually progress to more ambitious erosion control tasks, such as rock steps and water bars. Other projects will be scheduled based on suggestions from WODC Adopters and from the crew itself. The full crew will depart on August 15th, with the leader staying on until October 3rd  to assist with other projects.

Mead Base will again be the home of our summer crew, but changes are afoot.  In contrast to the ad-hoc operation of Mead Base in previous years, the Squam Lakes Association is in the process of obtaining the official "Special Use Permit" for the facility.  This permit will be based on a detailed operating plan that provides for the proper maintenance of the facility, as well as various upgrades that will improve the quality and comfort of our crew accommodations.

Attention Adopters:  The summer crew is here to complement your efforts.  Please send your work requests or suggestions to trails@wodc.org  We invite you to spend an afternoon or a week with the crew, or just point them to your trail while you relax in your bug-free yard!  The crew is here to assist, not replace, our long tradition of adopter stewardship.

Other Activities

In addition to the crew's activities, we'll have the traditional summer trail events including a spring trail clearing day, New Hampshire Trails Day, and the ever popular Sleeper Trail Weekend.  We hope you'll join us, as least for the delicious potluck supper that accompanies most events.  For complete details please see the trails calendar below.  

Peter Smart, Trails Chair
trails@wodc.org

Please see the weekly Crew News and the Fall Trails Report to find out how the season actually progressed.