Spirit of the Woods Chapter NCTA Meeting Minutes of 1/8/04

Members present: Ramona Venegas, Gordon & Betty Wilkes, Ed Morse, Ed & Nan Chappel, Rich & Deb Krieger, Joan Young
Agency Personnel present: Scott Hass, FS Baldwin District

Meeting opened at 7:05 pm by President Rich Krieger

FOREST SERVICE

Trenches on trail by Big M… cuts from a summer fire- not on North Country Trail, but on bike trail Ramona will respond
Permit is in progress for the Relay Race
Brian Belt will begin as Recreation Technician (Ramona's previous job) and he will probably be attending meetings from now on.

Volunteer agreements need to be signed for each district, and also every year
Volunteers are considered employees of the FS while working, so we must also sign the Job Hazard Analysis forms
The only chain saw chaps that are approved are the green FS labeled ones, so the ones the chapter just bought are not approved.
The bridge north of 76th St will not need to be engineer approved with phone poles etc, but can be a simple 2-log bridge because Chad Hudson had previously begun the process on that structure.
Therefore, the CCS request is too high ( $1578) and we need to think of where else that money could be applied.
If something is put in that area to raise the trail out of the muck where there is old corduroy, Baldwin Districts want turnpike instead of puncheon.
He is currently busy on an application for a new snowmobile trail, which will not cross the NCT anywhere, but will come close.
If we have requests for chain saw training it would be good so the trainer can keep his certification.
The West Michigan Chapter intern may have time to do inventory on our section of trail as well as their own.
Tiffany does not yet have the GPS files for SPW trail. Scott will work at finding the data and getting it to her. Ed M will work with FS to complete the two miles that are not yet done at all.

Ed Chappel-
Decision will be made this spring about how much more puncheon will be built in Leitch Bayou.
Bridge near 76th St- see comments from Scott
Sterling Marsh will be re-evaluated in the spring
Water bar project may be continued.
Trail Adopter's meeting. We will try to schedule on a Saturday and try to get everyone to come. Possibility of 25 people if everyone came, tentatively January 24 at Chittendon Center.
Reroute of trail south of 96th St., two miles will be done, we could work with WMI
Clarified that our south boundary is the Newaygo- Lake Co line, but we have chosen to call it 96th St for practical reasons. North boundary is Forest Boundary… settled with GTR Chapter last year.

Joan needs to update the mailing list, and send to Ed C. Ed M. Krieger, ASAP Ed C will contact the adopters.

Copies of current North Star:
Ed C to Baldwin Library & Chamber
Krieger- Manistee, Wellston, SPW
Scott- Baldwin Dist FS
Ed M- Interlochen
Joan- Scottville, Ludington

Ed M and Ed C needs to turn in receipts (Rich took Ed M's.)

Big M Breakfast meetings are now at Big Boy
Ed C- status of Michigan Ave reroute depends on land acquisition
What is the status of the Manistee River SGA on maps? Maybe not a big
deal. Ramona will look.
Ed C- so we have to get the safety equipment from FS each time we have a work day? Yes.

Joan moved to adjourn, Ed C. 2nd adjourned 8:15

minutes taken by Joan Young, secretary

Program, reading topographic maps by Ed Morse.