Newsletter June 2003
Fathers Day Gift Idea
Enclosed with our annual phone and address list to members, is a membership form we would like you to pass on to a friend, or relative, who shares your interests, and may be interested in joining the North Country Trail Association. Each year we expend a lot of effort to get the word out about our trail, and to increase the pool of talent working with us. If everyone were able to get one additional member, it would surpass all our promotional accomplishments for the past few years.
And, for the first year, you get membership at a discounted rate. What a deal! Let me know if you need more forms. Thanks for your efforts.The phone and address lists are mailed out only, and not sent via email to minimize their potential for misuse. If there are corrections, please let me know.
Each year we also want to send a newsletter to all those who get theirs via email only, to verify they are still getting them as they wish. If you have signed up for email only delivery, but have not been getting them, let me know via Nalcoman1@aol.com.
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Next Chapter Meetings:
On July 9, Joan Young will join us in her capacity as Lower Michigan Trail Coordinator. Meetings are at 7:00 PM at the Barry Township Hall in Delton on the second Wednesday each month, and are open to the public. For directions to the meeting, click here.
Work Session June 21
At the June 21 work session, we will be working on the center section of the Fort Custer Cemetery property at 9 am. Meet at 8 am for breakfast at the Lakeside Cafe at 209 S. Webster Street in Augusta.
Time to start bringing your DEET.
Work dates are also scheduled for
July 19, and August 23 (although the August date conflicts with the Hastings Summerfest, and may be changed).Kanoe the Kazoo June 13-21
Kanoe the Kazoo, a celebration of the Kalamazoo River, will take place this summer. Four stretches of this expedition come near, parallel, or cross the North Country Trail. Notable dates are
-
Friday
Saturday
Friday
Saturday,
The event is free to the public. Anyone can come canoe any of these or other segments if they provide their own canoe. There may be some canoe rental opportunities, for a greatly discounted price, the day of the event. Registration to canoe is required, but anyone can show up to the event, which will start at 8:30 am each day. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact: Kristine Boley-Morse of the USDA service center at: kristine-boley@mi.nacdnet.org, or our member Tom Funke.
Trail Interpreters Exploratory Walk June 28
Barb VanDyken and
Christy Stewart are inviting everyone for an exploratory walk on June 28 at 9 am from the east Norris Road trailhead, to McKibben Road. The Norris Road trailhead is about a mile south of Gun Lake Road (look for the big signs). The purpose of this hike is to begin an interpretive analysis of this section. Those knowledgeable in flower identification, tree identification, geology, etc. are urged to attend to lend their expertise to the effort. This analysis will help provide the basis for an interpretive brochure. Distance is about 2.3 miles.Bridge Park June 28; Dedication of new exhibit
On June 28 from 10 am to 3 pm, Bridge Park in Calhoun County is dedicating their new exhibit with an "open house". The Chief Noonday Trailer will be there to promote our trail, and we will also be promoting a hike to be held July 12 (see next article). Bridge Park is currently the southern "anchor" for our chapter. Pictures of Bridge Park, and a link to a map to get to the park are seen at the following web site: http://www.cccd.net/BridgePics.html
Board Meeting at Bridge Park June 28
The board will meet at 9 am at Bridge Park, prior to the beginning of the open house. Everyone is welcome.
Bridge Park Hike July 12
We will be holding a hike from Bridge Park to the north side of Ott Preserve on July 12 at 9 am. This is about a 4.3 mile hike, which also goes by a McDonalds for those needing a refreshment. (About 3.7 miles is in the woods.) This segment is a real jewel if you haven’t hiked it in the past. A link to a map to get you to Bridge Park, which is on the southeast side of Battle Creek, can be found at http://www.cccd.net/BridgePics.html
Remember: National meeting July 31 to August 3 in Marquette at NMU. Time to get your reservations in.
Hastings Summerfest August 22, 23, 24
Jerry Pattok has begun signing up help for our promotional booth at the Hastings Summerfest in late August. Check your calendars, and see when you can help. The Summerfest was a great promotional event for us last year, and Jerry’s leadership on this is greatly appreciated.
More Hiking Plans for 2003
Joe Higdon is planning a hike for
September 6 from Norris Road to Keller Road, which we will be promoting at Summerfest. He is also looking at a Fall Color Hike, and a late fall Night Hike. Anyone who is willing to be a organizer for one of these hikes should let Joe know.Trail Adopters
Adopters, its time to get out there and check your trail. Let us know if you find problems beyond your ability to fix. We will occasionally need more adopters, so please continue to contact Dave Cornell at onestep@mei.net, if you have an interest in adopting a section of the North Country Trail.
Report on Work Session May 17
Dennis Hansen, Steve Hicks, Jerry Pattok, James Heaton, Steve Chapman, Neil Juhl, and
Larry Pio worked on the puncheons at Fort Custer. I worked everyone pretty hard on this one, and the moderate showing of trail workers may indicate how we overworked everyone last month. Let me just say, I was the one who was tuckered out to the point where I suggested calling it a day on this one.Hutchinson Parking Lot Update
Ron Hutchinson has completed much of the construction of a trailhead parking lot on the south end of his property, on Augusta Drive north of Augusta. A second gate will be constructed for his access to the property, from the parking lot, before the lot is opened. This site was the location of an interurban rail station, and Ron has items from that era for an interpretive display, which will be an outstanding addition to our trail. We will be providing labor and materials for some construction. Thanks again Ron for your generous support.
Report on National Trails Day Picnic and Hike
Joe Higdon,
D’Arcy Kelley, and Chef Larry Hawkins organized our pot luck picnic to celebrate Trails day, and did a great job. We were treated to a wonderful meal, and the turkey was great. Turnout for the event was not too bad, considering we set it up somewhat late. We did not get participation from the public on the hike. We have decided the picnic is a definite go for 2004, and are wondering if the early June date offers too many conflicts. Feedback?Invasion of the Garlic Mustard
On our spring hike,
Barb VanDyken let all the participants know about the invasive plant garlic mustard, which thrives while shutting out wild flowers. The Kalamazoo Gazette had a recent article on the severity of the problem, which can be seen at the web site by clicking here.Trail Warriors
One thing I try to do each month is recognize those who have been making things happen for our chapter. Reviewing the newsletters for the past year, I wanted to recognize those who have participated in at least 5 work sessions:
Jerry Pattok, Jim Heaton, Steve Hicks, John Rudnicki, Christy Stewart, Tom Garnett, Charles Krammin, and Larry Pio. Thanks for continuing to help us get new trail going.
Newsletter Editor: Larry Pio nalcoman1@aol.com
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