I hope that everyone who attended the first annual meeting of the Springwater Trails had a good time.  I am sure you all will agree that at least the food was good!

I want to thank the outgoing executive board for a job well done this year.  Pam, maybe you will have a few hours now to rest your knee and to figure out what you want to do when you grow up.  Pati plans to spend more time with more family, but we will see her around I am sure.  And Amy and Marty both are missed and we know they are waiting for the snow to melt before returning.

I also want to thank Joan, Katherine and Tom for stepping up and agreeing to serve on the executive board.  After a successful stint as Hike Coordinator, I know Joan will be taking good care of the hiking group as our new VP.  Tom, you will find that Pati is a hard act to follow, but we will be able to make that transition.  And finally, I want everyone to know that Katherine’s minutes from the annual meeting, provided one day after the meeting (a record for Springwater Trails), have definitely set the standard.  Thanks Katherine.

In addition to a continuing commitment to our hiking group and to the Springwater Trail, the executive board expects to complete the transition to a non-profit corporation this spring. Although the only change that members will notice is the addition of “Inc” to our name, I think this change will solidify our group.

Working together, let’s make 2013 another good year for Springwater Trails.

By the way, we were in Connecticut for Easter and peepers were out in force.

PS. We will be sending out a call for Hike Planners for our Summer series of hiking and boating. Are you ready to volunteer?

This afternoon, Linda and I took Mac and Duff for a walk in Highland Park.  Although we were a little surprised at how much snow and ice there was, the walk was really great.  We started with Gene’s sure sign that spring is coming – some Pussy Willows.  They got me in the mood to take some pictures, which I am going to share with you.  However, Norm needs to skip this post, because he knows you can’t get good pictures up close with a phone camera – all you see is the background because the depth of focus is too long.  But the rest of you need to bear with me!

My picture of the pussy willows was really bad, but here is a decent red bud, which I did not read to see what it was.  Behind the buds are the lilacs.  I did not see much of any buds on them.

Blue Atlas Cedar
Cedrus atlantica glauca
Atlas Mtns., N. Africa

After walking around the reservoir, by the lilacs and the daffodils which will be so pretty in a month, we walked down Pinetum Dr and through the varied pines. These pictures are especially for Katherine. The Blue Cedar was so striking we had to look more closely. Behind it was a majestic Austrian Pine with a nice example of an Inosculation.  It looked like this pine was a parent since there were several other Austrian Pines right around it. 
In the same area, we saw a Globe Red Pine (much redder than our common Red Pine) and a Swiss Stone Pine. 
One more picture. This is the house where I grew up across from the Castle.

In 2010 NYS DEC purchased the City of Rochester’s Watershed property under the State Reforestation Law of 1929. The 6684 acres of land purchased is now call the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest.  The DEC has been working on a Management Plan for the forest and is ready to present the Draft plan and make it available for comments.

On March 14, 2013 at 6:30PM there will be an informational open house at the Springwater Fire Hall.  DEC Staff will be available until 9:00PM to accept comments.

The Springwater Trails expects to continue to work with the DEC to make this forest available for the enjoyment of all hikers in the area.  We want to urge everyone who is interested in the future of this forest and in hiking and trails in the Springwater area to look at the draft Unit Management Plan and to come meet the DEC Staff who are working hard to provide the best management for the forest.

With this latest snow, I am sure everyone is looking forward to some skiing or snowshoes in Hi Tor on Sunday.  Unfortunately, we need to take advantage while we can!

But the purpose on this note is our spring hiking schedule.  As many of you know, Ann Lafford and Jerri Rounsville have agreed to coordinate the spring hikes (April through June). They are working with hike planners in the Springwater Trails hiking group to create a schedule with varied hikes appropriate for spring and early summer.  Which brings up your role – would you like to plan one of the 12 hikes that will be scheduled?  Planning a hike may be as easy as selecting your favorite hike from the last two years and selecting a  date that fits the schedule, to a big a project as finding a new location you want to explore, finding the land owners and getting permission, and planning the specific routes for climbers, tourists and naturalists.

The critical step is to decide to contribute to the spring hiking schedule!  Please contact Ann and Jerri at [email protected] to get started.

For information about our winter hike schedule, please visit our calendar page.