March/April 2007
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www.nynjtc.org Connecting People with Nature since 1920 March/April 2007 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Maintaining 1,672 Miles of Foot Trails In this issue: Enroll in Trail U This Season...pg 5 • 10,000 Miles in One Year...pg 6 • Lichens and Peepers...pg 7 • Bear Basics...pg 11 the hands of the Trail Conference and town of Mahwah. As of the deadline for this Put yourself Trail Conference issue of Trail Walker, plans were to con- clude the transfer in March. in the picture... The building will be renovated and its mechanical systems installed at an estimat- to Get New Home ed cost of $1 million. Bergen County has committed additional funds to help with 19th-century schoolhouse in chase the historic structure with funds renovation costs, and the Trail Conference Mahwah, NJ, is set to become the donated by Bergen County ($250,000) is in the process of identifying other new A 21st-century home for the Trail and the New Jersey Green Acres Program sources of support for the project. The Conference, thanks to a four-way partner- ($300,000). hope is that the Trail Conference will move ship to preserve a distinctive historic The fourth partner is a land trust, The into the new offices in 2008. structure that sits at the gateway to Bergen Morris Land Conservancy. It negotiated Turn to Ed Goodell’s column on page 3 County’s Highlands. the sale, purchased the property from pri- to learn more about the history of the “This is a great building, at a great location vate owners in January, and is providing the schoolhouse and plans to convert it into for the Trail Conference,” says Executive bridge financing that will put the site into Trail Conference headquarters. Director Ed Goodell. “It gives us the office space we need, has a big, beautiful room on the second floor that will be a fantastic setting for large-group meetings—such as delegates’ meetings and workshops—and it’s located next to an extensive network of trails ... at the Trails Celebration that is in the heart of our region. There is also the 36th Biennial Appalachian Trail storage space for our tools. It’s perfect for the Conservancy Conference, organized Trail Conference. It even looks like us— this year by the New York-New Jersey rustic and sturdy. We’re thrilled.” Trail Conference. The structure, a stone and shingle build- ing known as the Darlington Schoolhouse, July 13-20, 2007, in Mahwah, NJ. was built in the 1890s and has been vacant Eight Days of Fun — Come for a day, for 30 years. It sits adjacent to the 2,145- weekend, or every day. Everyone is acre Ramapo Valley County Reservation welcome, no membership required. and Mahwah’s Continental Soldiers Field, See the special supplement with this K C just over a mile south of the Trail Confer- O issue of Trail Walker for all the details. L E E ence’s current leased offices in Mahwah. H W In a deal that has been three years in the Y Register March 1 – June 1, 2007 R R A www.Ramapo2007.org making, the Trail Conference is partnering L with the town of Mahwah to jointly pur- The Trail Conference plans to renovate and occupy this 19th-century schoolhouse. Keeping the AT above Water in Vernon, NJ Shortly after a period of drought in our larly flooded to such a level that the bridge during this time, often with only one or Volunteers on the Wawayanda Creek region in the 1990s, came consecutive years across the stream-bed became isolated in two volunteers helping, but sometimes Bridge for the AT Crossing in Vernon: of deluge. Beginning in 2002 and in every what often looked like a pond. Hikers had with as many as a dozen. Estelle Anderson, James Cornelius, John year since, “hundred-year” storms seemed to backtrack and take a two-mile detour to This dedicated crew deserves big thanks Grob, Chuck Irwin, Robert Jonas, Mike to strike more than once a year. One result: cross the stream. for helping hikers keep their feet dry across Machette, Gay Mayer, Frank McNulty, a section of the broad Vernon, NJ, flood In 2004, the Trail Conference obtained this seemingly quiet little stream. Let’s hope Sandy Parr, Chuck Ricciardi, Keith Scher- plain across which the AT traverses often a Federal Recreational Trails Program that there aren’t any thousand-year storms er, Arch Seamans, Bill Stoltzfus, Jeff became impassable. A branch of the nor- Grant, administered by the New Jersey on the horizon! Worrall, Ray Worrall, and Jim Wright. mally small Wawayanda Creek, midway Dept. of Environmental Protection, After between Route 94 and Canal Road, regu- Division of Parks and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, to remedy Before this bridge problem and replace nearly 1,000 feet of puncheon board walk east of the site. By the fall of 2005 everything was in place to begin work, and the Appalachi- an Trail Conservancy’s Mid-Atlantic crew arrived to dig in. They started, but in a pouring rain that dumped somewhere between four and seven inches of water within 24 hours. The site was soon under more water than ever. The crew moved on to drier climates, and Trail Conference volunteers collected the materials that had been scattered about the surrounding T H G I fields and made plans for 2006. R W S Finally, after the spring floods went E M A down in the summer of 2006, Sandy Parr J and his North Jersey Trail Crew were able Keith Scherer, Sandy Parr, and Mike Machette stand on the finished bridge. to begin the project, with considerable help VOLUME XXXIV, NUMBER 2 ISSN 0749-1352 PERMIT #970-100 from Bob Parichuck, project manager for the North Region of the NJ DEP, and the K C staff at Wawayanda State Park. Working O L E E through the summer and fall, the team H W rebuilt and significantly extended the bad- Y R R A ly damaged existing structures. On L The AT bridge in Vernon (in center of December 10, 2006, the job was declared picture) just wasn’t long enough any more. finished. Sandy was on site most Sundays Page 2 March/April 2007 From the Chair VOLUME XXXIV, NO.2MARCH/APRIL 2007 Get a Step Ahead on Your Summer Plans GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Over the past two years, we have been pub- can learn trail-building skills, hear about workshop on running a litter day. I quickly The TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970- lishing announcements about the Trail initiatives to document and monitor the realized that these conferences were excellent 100) (ISSN 0749-1352) is published bi-monthly Conference hosting the 36th Biennial ecological richness of the AT corridor, learn ways to explore different areas of the eastern by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as Appalachian Trail Conservancy Conference how to attract and manage volunteers, or United States, to absorb local culture, to a benefit of membership. Subscriptions are available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. at Ramapo College in July. This issue car- even learn origami or how to take good hike new trails, and to meet other hikers. At Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and ries a Trail Walker supplement that details the next one, in New Paltz in 1983, my hus- additional offices. Postmaster: Send address the family-friendly program—an ambi- band Walt and I were in charge of changes to the address below. Opinions expressed tious schedule of hikes, workshops, and registration, and I realized that there are by authors do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the Conference. Contributions of excursions—that has been organized by many ways to contribute and have fun. typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are our hard-working local committee mem- You still have an opportunity to be welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style bers. The supplement also contains the involved in this year’s event. Join us July and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. registration packet. Beginning March 1st 13-20 for eight days of fun—take work- Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER you can register using the form in this shops, lead a hike, chaperone an are January 15 (Mar./Apr. issue), March 15 (May/June issue), May 15 (July/Aug. issue), newsletter and mailing it in, or by going excursion, or just talk with hikers from July 15 (Sept./Oct. issue), September 15 online to Ramapo2007.org and complet- outside the region. Join me in welcoming (Nov./Dec. issue), November 15 (Jan./Feb. ing the registration process there. other hikers to our region. Get a step issue). Unsolicited contributions cannot be The conference focuses on the nature photographs. There is a program for ahead in planning your summer hiking or acknowledged unless accompanied by SASE. Appalachian Trail, but there is more to it youth and many activities suitable for the vacation and sign up early. I hope to see For information on advertising rates, please write or call. than that. We have scheduled 94 hikes— whole family. We’ve made sure there is you at Ramapo 2007! Copyright 2007 by: 25 on the AT, the rest exploring other areas something for everyone. – Jane Daniels New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Inc. in our trail-rich New York-New Jersey area. I first attended an ATC Biennial Confer- Chair, Board of Directors 156 Ramapo Valley Road (Rt. 202) There are 70 workshops at which attendees ence in 1981, when I was asked to present a Chair, Ramapo 2007 Mahwah, NJ 07430 201-512-9348 e-mail: [email protected] editorial e-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: www.nynjtc.org Authors Seek Adirondack Stories Carol and David White, coauthors of Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons (ADK, 2002) and editors, Catskill Trails (ADK, 2005) are compiling a book of stories of adventures and misadventures in the Mission Statement Adirondack Park in all seasons.