IN THIS ISSUE: a Winter Hike in N.Y
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The Magazine of the October-December, 2020 Volume 39, No. 4 North Country Trail Association north star IN THIS ISSUE: A winter hike in N.Y. in 1634 Walking North Dakota Our old school house IN THIS ISSUE Columns Trailhead .........................................3-4 National Park Service Corner ..........4-5 A Complete Team ..............................6 State Of The Trail Coming In Our Staff National Board of Directors Valerie Bader Tim Mowbray, President Next Issue ..........................................7 Director of Trail Development [email protected] [email protected] 2020 Virtual Celebration Recap .......11 Jaron Nyhof, VP, First VP Nancy Brozek [email protected] Awards Director of Development and Communications [email protected] Dennis Garrett, VP East [email protected] Stephanie Campbell National Park Service Awards .............8 Regional Trail Coordinator, New York and Vermont Mike Chapple, Treasurer [email protected] [email protected] State of the Trail Matt Davis Mark VanHornweder, VP West Regional Trail Coordinator, North Dakota, [email protected] Minnesota, Wisconsin A State Line, Railroads, Red Clay, [email protected] Ruth Dorrough, Immediate Past President [email protected] Pipelines, and New Partnerships .........9 Heather Ertle Data Entry Specialist Josh Berlo, Minnesota Rep. Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter [email protected] [email protected] Celebrates Trail Town Partnership ....10 Tarin Hasper Jerry Fennell, At-Large Rep. Annual Fund Coordinator [email protected] New Recruits to the Choir ...............12 [email protected] Duane Lawton, At-Large Rep. The Many Lives of the Birch Grove Andrea Ketchmark [email protected] Executive Director School House ...................................14 [email protected] Derrick Passe, Minnesota Rep. [email protected] Kate Lemon Hikes Marketing and Communications Coordinator Larry Pio, At-Large Rep. [email protected] [email protected] A Winter Hike in 1634! ...................16 Tom Moutsos Sharon Ray, At-Large Rep. The Good People of the North Regional Trail Coordinator, Ohio and Pennsylvania [email protected] [email protected] Christin Robinson, Vermont Rep. Country Trail ...................................20 Nicole Murphy [email protected] Comparison of 2019 and 2020 Entries Administrative Assistant Kevin Russell, At-Large Rep. [email protected] [email protected] in the 45th Parallel Logbook ............24 Alison Myers Jo Swanson, At-Large Rep. Administrative Assistant [email protected] Trail Maintainers [email protected] Jan Ulferts Stewart, North Dakota Rep. Matt Rowbotham Spotlight [email protected] GIS Coordinator [email protected] Jeff Van Winkle, Michigan Rep. One Personal Dream Come True ......26 Lisa Senneker [email protected] Financial Administrator Steve Walker, Ohio Rep. Trail Protection [email protected] [email protected] Kenny Wawsczyk Quinn Wright, Regional Trail Coordinator, Michigan New York Rep. Advocate for the Trail at Home.........25 [email protected] [email protected] Oak Mountain Easement Connects Abby Whittington Annual Events Coordinator Two Adirondack Wilderness Areas ....27 [email protected] About the Cover: North Star Staff Holiday Valley ski area near Irene Szabo, Mostly Volunteer Editor, (585) 494-0307 or [email protected], Ellicottville, N.Y. "We camped up on top 7639 Swamp Rd., Bergen, N.Y. 14416 by the ski lifts on our fourth day out. Kelly O'Hara, Graphic Design May 25, 6:45 a.m." The Finger Lakes Lorana Jinkerson, Becky Heise, Joan Young, Tom Gilbert, Duane Lawton, Trail goes across the tops of two ski Kate Lemon, Jeff Van Winkle Editorial Advisory Committee hills, the other near Cortland. Photo: David DeVito The North Star, Winter issue, Vol. 39, Issue 4, 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. 2 The North Star Trailhead Tim Mowbray, President t is hard to believe this is my final article for the North Star and that the last two years have passed by so quickly! I hope everyone Iis doing well in this unsettled environment and that the Trail and the many opportunities GIVING TUESDAY it presents have been a positive diversion from Making Twice the pandemic. Looking back, we have had many The Impact accomplishments and the organization has grown and become more well situated as part of the National Scenic Trails system. The Mark your calendars for board has become a true governance body, the December 1, 2020, the day administrative staff has settled and diversified your tax-deductible gift to cover the necessary duties of organizational has twice the impact. Three operations, Chapter and Affiliate leadership Trail Community friends have become excellent managers of their local areas. We have been able to improve Tim and Murphy heading out have joined together with the financial position of the association and on Voyagers’ section of North a #GivingTuesday 2020 provide more resources for trail development and Country Trail. Challenge. If we can raise maintenance. Thanks to all of you, board, staff, Photo: Sue Mowbray $25,000 in 24 hours then National Park Service, Chapters and Affiliates, volunteers and all members and donors for helping NCTA move ahead. EVERY DOLLAR WILL BE Members of our NCTA committees should also get recognition for jobs well MATCHED! done! Our Advocacy Committee has helped pass significant federal legislation that provides more resources for continuing our future development. The Finance That’s $50,000 to ensure Committee has helped develop fiscal policy and internal protocols that manage our our Hike 100 Challenge resources; the Governance Committee has refined by-laws, developed board member recruitment strategies and organized board functions. The Executive Committee continues to challenge has worked with administration and external partners to help guide and grow the hikers and brings new organization. Our Development Committee has started to engage with and expand members to the association. our donor base while establishing policy to manage the gifts, grants, and bequests It coordinates and supports the association receives from the supporters of NCTA. Thanks also to our many the safety of volunteers other smaller committees that work on awards and other aspects of the association. As we look ahead, we have developed a strong strategic plan to help guide the and the important trail organization into the future. The association hopes to continue its growth and work happening within diversity to include more communities as a part of our spectacular trail across the our Chapters. It keeps trail northern tier of states. The Board of Directors and staff are extremely thankful to protection in the forefront, all the volunteers, financial supporters, elected officials, landowners, National Park Service, Affiliates, Chapters and so many others who help us accomplish the mission creating a powerful voice for of the NCTA. We hope you will stay active with us in these difficult and changing advocacy. times to continue the growth and viability of NCTA. The mission of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) is to develop, Can we count on YOU? maintain, protect and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail as the One gift, twice the impact, premier hiking path across the northern tier of the United States through a trail- wide coalition of volunteers and partners. The NCTA is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit over 24 hours. organization that partners with the National Park Service to unite individuals, affiliated trail groups, local Chapters, corporate sponsors and others linked in Join us for #GivingTuesday support of building and maintaining the North Country Trail and telling its story. December 1, 2020. From the Board of Directors and staff of the association, we hope that all of you will continue to be safe and in good health as we all work to hike it, build it and love it. Thank you all for being a part of the North Country Trail family! Stay safe. www.northcountrytrail.org October-December 2020 3 Trailhead National Park Service Corner Andrea Ketchmark, Executive Director Chris Loudenslager, Superintendent, s I look back over North Country National Scenic Trail the year, I’m in awe at how much we’ve reat things to report from accomplishedA in the face Augusta, Michigan, home of of adversity. 2020 was a the first property ever acquired year with unprecedented Gby the NPS for the North Country challenges but we continued National Scenic Trail! to meet the needs of The former Hutchinson Property our hikers, support our was acquired by the NPS in late 2018. volunteers, and we even were It is just outside the town of Augusta, able to grow our staff and Michigan, a few miles north of the Fort program capacity at a time Custer National Cemetery and about midway between the when many other businesses cities of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. The property is 80 and nonprofits had to shut acres, about half of which is wooded and half that had been their doors. You made that Andrea working from