Posted on by

I Love My Park Day Returns For 2021

In partnership with Parks & Trails New York, New York State announced that registration is open for the tenth annual I Love My Park Day, which will be held May 1-2 at 120 state Parks, historic sites, and other public lands across New York.  Press release

From Long Island to Western New York, volunteers will celebrate their natural heritage by cleaning up debris, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects. Due to COVID-19, registration will be limited to 50 people per site per day to create a safe and enjoyable experience for all volunteers. All projects will adhere to the proper social distancing and masking requirements. Event Registration

The event is sponsored by Parks & Trails New York, the NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Posted on by

Celebrate The 20th Anniversary Of Wesley Hill Becoming A Nature Preserve!

Spring is here!, and it is time to get outside.  The Finger Lakes Land Trust is sponsoring a volunteer opportunity at Wesley Hill. This is an opportunity for Springwater Trails to say thank you to one of our popular hike locations.

Wesley Hill is one of FLLT’s most iconic nature preserves, and on Monday, May 20th, it will be turning 20 years old!  If you have never visited our westernmost preserve, this is your chance!  Wesley Hill is full of beautiful vistas, gorges, and old growth trees. 

Please join me on Saturday the 18th to help refresh the hiking trails and clear a short reroute, as well as conduct habitat management.  At the end of the day, we will raise a glass of something bubbly to a magnificent place that is protected forever.  Tools, work gloves, and refreshments (including N/A options), will be provided.  We will meet at 11:00am at the WESLEY RD. parking area.  Directions can be found here.

Original email from:
Jason Gorman, Nature Preserve Manager
Finger Lakes Land Trust
202 E. Court Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

607.275.9487
www.fllt.org

Posted on by

Naples Central School Students work on the Bristol Hills Branch Trail

Placing the culvert.

On Sunday, 10/8, fifteen Naples Central School (NCS) students, members of the Outdoor Adventures class, taught by Mr. Jon Betrus, and National Honor Society, advised by Mrs. Colleen Betrus, participated in a trail maintenance activity. Students worked on a section of the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail that starts at West Hill Preserve on Seman Rd. and ends just above Bob’s & Ruth’s restaurant in Naples.

Collecting rocks to protect the culvert.

Earlier this year, Mr. Gideon Hanggi, built a bridge across a small gully on his property to provide a better way for hikers to cross. To ensure the bridge’s longevity, NCS students helped insert a culvert pipe near the new foot bridge. This culvert will help divert water away from the new bridge. Students dug room for the pipe, found stones to make a base, and graded the area for hikers. The students had the pleasure of working with Stephen Lewandowski, Mark Hopkins (Springwater Trails Hiking Group), and Donna Noteware (Finger Lakes Trail).

Naples students have helped maintain other sections of the Finger Lakes Trail throughout the last four years. In the past, students have volunteered to clean various sections of the trail in the surrounding Naples area, such as sections in Hi Tor. Students also helped build steps near another foot bridge on the trail on Parrish Hill last year. Students can use these volunteer hours toward their community service requirements as honor students or for senior privileges. The group looks forward toward another trail maintenance day in the spring.

We built a stone wall at the top of the culvert.

Posted on by

FLT Trail Maintenance Meeting Report

On Saturday, Oct 14, 2017, Linda and I attended the annual Finger Lakes Trail Conference’s Trail Maintenance Meeting in Bath NY. This meeting is set up for the many hikers who have volunteered to maintain a section of the 1000 miles of the Finger Lakes Trail system. As we all introduced ourselves, I was struck by the number of couples who have volunteered to maintain about 6 miles of trail. If you enjoy the trails, please check out the opportunities for volunteering

Springwater Trails has committed to maintaining the section of the Bristol Hills Trail from Clement Rd (Access 3) to the town of Naples (Access 5). Our work has included cleanup, mowing and weed wacking, and blazing. Our most recent project involved rerouting a section of the trail to take advantage of a new bridge built by the landowner across a gully.

Back to the Saturday meeting, I would like to share a small part of the information provided. It was a good meeting, a chance to meet other volunteers and to communicate with the FLTC organization. The meeting was led by the VP of Trail Quality, Lynda Rummel.

The morning was devoted to how the FLTC works with the 800 private landowners that host nearly half of the trail. Clearly, these landowners are the backbone of the trail and without their support, the trail would only be a disjointed collection of state forest and park trails. Whenever you meet a landowner, please thank them for allowing you and other hikers to enjoy their land. And when you are hiking, always respect the rights of the landowners and their property.

There are three types of agreements between the FLTC and landowners. Most of the trail is built based on Handshake agreements.Generally the FLTC will confirm a handshake agreement by letter, but on-going use of the trail is not legally guaranteed. A more formal agreement consists of a Trail Use Agreement which is signed by both the FLTC and the Landowner and provides general stipulations about the trail. It is a good vehicle for outlining permitted usages, special blazing and other requirements. Finally, a Trail Easement is a legal agreement recorded with the property deed at the county clerk’s office. The Trail Easement grants permission for the Finger Lakes Trails to pass through a defined corridor of the landowner’s property.  This is a permanent easement that stays with the property, passing on to subsequent owners. 

Dave Newman, VP of Trail Preservation, provided us with several examples of FLTC work to maintain these trail agreements.Trail maintainers can help by keeping in touch with landowners, and when appropriate, discussing a permanent Trail Easement with them.  The FLTC will then work with the landowner to document the Easement and file it with the county clerk – there is no cost to the landowner. Dave shared three case studies including the Bristol Hills Branch section from High Tor to Italy Valley where the decision of one landowner to revoke permission for the trail required the addition of a couple of miles of road walk to the trail. A more positive example occurred south of Ithaca when the Finger Lakes Land Trust contacted the FLTC about land that was available for purchase for conservation purposes. Access to this property will allow the trail to move off of roads in this critical area, so the FLTC made a loan to the land trust, allowing the FLLT to purchase the land.  The FLLT also is working with the New York State DEC who has expressed an interest in adding the property to the adjacent State Forest. A second piece of property was purchased directly by the FLTC, with plans to sell the portion with a house and barn, and to also transfer the rest of the property to the State Forest.  This is an example of looking for creative ways to preserve properties critical to the trail.

After lunch, Peter Wybron (Regional Trail Coordinator for Genesee West), and Lynda Rummel demonstrated a gas powered wheelbarrow and a DR Mower. This equipment, and other trail maintenance equipment, are owned by the FLTC and are available to trail maintainers. Contact your Trail Coordinator for more information. 

Finally we discussed big projects being planned by the FLTC including major trail building across the new property south of Ithaca, and techniques and strategies for blazing.  I want to mention two items:

  1. Blazes should be 2″ x 6″ and painted at eye level. The lines and corners should be sharp, so the blaze is distinguishable from natural colorations including fall leaves. I saw examples on Sunday of red leaves that I saw while looking for blazes to verify the trail. Experienced blazers use a 1 inch brush because larger brushes create blazes that are too large and less crisp.
  2. Painting too many blazes results in color pollution in what should be a natural environment.  However, too few blazes may mean that hikers wander off the trail, encroaching on landowner’s rights and causing confusion for hikers. Clearly the happy medium depends on the specific trail condition, but in general a hiker should always be able to see a blaze ahead, and in confusing locations, an extra “confidence” blaze is definitely appropriate. For example, an extra blaze after a sharp corner will reassure hikers that they have made the correct turn.

More information is available on the FLTC website.  Check out the FLTC Field Maintenance Manual and back issues of the Trail Tenders’ News for as much great information as you could ask for.