The Magazine of the July-September, 2020 Volume 39, No. 3 North Country Trail Association north star IN THIS ISSUE: Dale Painter's Biathlon Adventure Part 2 of Dub's North Dakota Hike 2020 Awards IN THIS ISSUE Columns Trailhead ............................................3 National Park Service Corner .............4 Advocacy Update ...............................5 Welcome Abby Whittington ..............5 Trail Protection Staff National Board of Directors NCTA’s Role in Trail and Land Valerie Bader Tim Mowbray, President Director of Trail Development [email protected] Protection........................................5-6 [email protected] Jaron Nyhof, VP, First VP Nancy Brozek [email protected] You're Invited Director of Development and Communications [email protected] Dennis Garrett, VP East [email protected] Celebration 2020 Goes Virtual ...........7 Matt Davis Regional Trail Coordinator, North Dakota, Mike Chapple, Treasurer Minnesota, Wisconsin [email protected] Trail Maintainer's [email protected] Mark VanHornweder, VP West Spotlight Tarin Hasper [email protected] Annual Fund Coordinator [email protected] Ruth Dorrough, Immediate Past President Spotlight: Coronavirus Task Force ......8 [email protected] Andrea Ketchmark All That Was Missing........................10 Executive Director Josh Berlo, Minnesota Rep. [email protected] Trailbuilding in the Time of [email protected] Kate Lemon Jerry Fennell, At-Large Rep. Coronavirus .....................................10 Marketing and Communications Coordinator [email protected] Volunteer Spotlight: Marianne [email protected] Duane Lawton, At-Large Rep. [email protected] Duvendack .......................................11 Nicole Murphy Administrative Assistant Derrick Passe, Minnesota Rep. [email protected] Hikes [email protected] Alison Myers Larry Pio, At-Large Rep. Administrative Assistant [email protected] Dale Painter's Biathlon Adventure ....12 [email protected] Jo Swanson, At-Large Rep. Matt Rowbotham [email protected] Farm Country Savvy: Leave Gates as GIS Coordinator You Find Them! ................................14 [email protected] Jan Ulferts Stewart, North Dakota Rep. [email protected] Part 2 Dub: I hiked North Dakota ...16 Lisa Senneker Financial Administrator Jeff Van Winkle, Michigan Rep. North Country Trail Members [email protected] [email protected] Kenny Wawsczyk Steve Walker, Participate in Birdathon ...................19 Regional Trail Coordinator, Michigan Ohio Rep. [email protected] [email protected] Awards Abby Whittington Quinn Wright, New York Rep. Annual Events Coordinator [email protected] 2020 Awards ....................................20 [email protected] About the Cover: North Star Staff The Trail overlooks the Manistee River Irene Szabo, Mostly Volunteer Editor, (585) 494-0307 or [email protected], in lower Michigan, near the Highbanks 7639 Swamp Rd., Bergen, N.Y. 14416 Rollway, where cut logs were rolled Kelly O'Hara, Graphic Design off the edge to the river below for transportation westward. See Dale Lorana Jinkerson, Becky Heise, Joan Young, Tom Gilbert, Duane Lawton, Painter's adventures in this issue. Kate Lemon, Eileen Fairbrother, Jeff Van WinkleEditorial Advisory Committee Photo: Joan Young, in the Grand Traverse Hikers Chapter area The North Star, Summer issue, Vol. 39, Issue 3, 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 Andrea Ketchmark, Executive Director ere we are in the e're halfway second half of through 2020 and 2020 and the novel although this year Hcoronavirus is still affecting hasn'tW been what anyone almost every aspect of our expected, our community lives. This unfortunate has rallied around the Trail circumstance has given us like never before. a great opportunity to use We've pulled together the North Country Trail as to provide resources and an outlet for exercise and guidance to trail users exploration. The Trail is a and volunteers. As we great place to practice social grappled with how to handle distancing and to change your our work during a global focus from the craziness that pandemic, the NCTA COVID has caused to our Picture taken in the Brule established a task force of Andrea working from home, daily routines. State Forest of Wisconsin NCTA Staff, Chapter and of course. The North Country Trail Photo: Sue Mowbray Affiliate leaders, National Photo: Ted Bentley Association continues working Park Service and US Forest on the trail and completing projects using revised protocols Service partners to guide decision making and develop best and precautions to keep everyone safe. Many of our in-person practices for our volunteers and Trail Leaders to make solid events and meetings have been cancelled, but we have adapted decisions about how we could safely consider hikes, Trail using electronic meeting formats to continue necessary and projects and events over the upcoming field season. important communications. Many of the cancelled events We've pulled together to fund the work that needs to are being rescheduled to the following year in hopes that a keep us moving forward. vaccine will be here to slow the virus and allow us to return to During a time when it was needed most, you rose to a normal environment. meet, and exceed, the John and Cyndi Woollam fundraising We have been fortunate that at the association level our Challenge, securing a $30,000 match and ensuring we meet work has been continuing so that we can keep moving our commitments for 2020 to bring on two new Regional forward building the organization and making progress on Trail Coordinators and to fund many other projects planned our goal to build out and maintain the rest of the trail. The for this year and next. organization’s strategic plan is moving toward completion Lastly, we've pulled together to commit to the idea that as we start to finalize the action plans to define our course everyone is welcome in the outdoors and on the Trail. direction for the future. We have had a successful year in our The healing power of spending time in nature is fund raising and membership drives, and we continue to look unparalleled and the world needs access to trails and public at ways we can increase our diversity to share the beauty and lands more now than ever before. As part of the Outdoor enjoyment of the trail. CEO Diversity Pledge, NCTA is promising to amplify the The board of directors and staff are extremely thankful voices and experiences of people of color, to work toward to all the volunteers, financial supporters, elected officials, ensuring diverse voices on our Staff and Board and within landowners, National Park Service, Affiliates, Chapters and our Chapter leadership, and to engage broader partnerships so many others who help us accomplish the mission of the with communities of color and other identities not often NCTA. We hope you will stay active with us in these difficult represented in the outdoor community. The Trail belongs to and changing times to continue the growth and viability of us all. NCTA. These experiences have taught us that we can not only From the Board of Directors and Staff of the Association, handle adversity, but that we can thrive because of it. we hope that all of you will continue to be safe and in good I recently asked our staff a question. If they made a movie health as we all work to Hike it, Build it and Love it. Thank about our organization, what would it be called? There were you all for being a part of the North Country Trail family! some funny answers and some thoughtful ones but my Stay Safe, TSM favorite was from Regional Trail Coordinator Matt Davis. Our movie would be called A Trail runs through it. It is not only the Trail itself that connects thousands of miles across eight states, but it’s the mission and vision and the values of NCTA that run through us, the people who make the Trail truly remarkable. www.northcountrytrail.org July-September 2020 3 National Park Service Corner Chris Loudenslager, Superintendent, North Country National Scenic Trail ello all, I sincerely hope you are all doing well, Hstaying healthy, and staying positive. Despite how we may have had to modify how we do our work, the National Park Service staff has remained very busy through the spring and into the glorious summer we’ve been enjoying in Michigan. One endeavor I’m particularly excited to share with you is that we have spent the last few months hiring two new NPS staff. In mid- Chris Loudenslager Photo: Mick Hawkins July, we will be welcoming Stephanie Liguori to the Trail The farm fields at the Hutchinson Property in lower Michigan are returning to prairie. as the North Country National Scenic Trail’s first Planning Photo: Chris Loudenslager and Compliance Specialist. This position is entirely new and will be dedicated to ensuring that our project planning agricultural field. Now under NPS ownership, the field is includes the necessary evaluation and protection of natural no longer being farmed and