August 2023 Minutes

Minutes from Regular Quarterly Meeting on August 5, 2023

Big Canoe Trails Committee

Minutes by Sheila Waldman

Mtg took place in person indoors at the Village Station.

Commenced at 10:01 a.m.; ended at 10:46 a.m.

Members in attendance = 28

NEXT MEETING is November 6, 2023 @ 4:00.  - Venue : TBD

FYI: Meetings are scheduled for the 1st Monday of 2nd month of each quarter

(i.e. first Monday of Feb/May/Aug/Nov). Based on conversations at today’s meeting, we might opt to do 2 Saturday meetings and 2 Monday meetings starting in 2024.

NEXT WORK DAY:  tbd

NEW MEMBERS: Welcome to the following new BCTC members:

  • Jim Harvard (Red Loop Team)

  • Bill Mason (Choctaw Trails Team)

  • Mickey Greene (Nancy Womack from Valley View to Ponder Point, partnered with Greg Dunlap)

  • Gary Romeo (Blue Loop)

  • Greg & Marlyce Murphins (Indian Mounds Trail and Loop Trail)

  • Welcome back to Alan Moffatt (Jeep Trail Team)

DEPARTING MEMBERS: The following members have resigned from BCTC.  Thank you for your contributions!

  • Bill Dempsey (Moving Away from BC)

  • Vic Shannon and Lin Crouse

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS of BCTC:

  1. 5 workdays on Covered Bridge visibility improvement

  2. Lots of downed trees cleared, areas cleaned up multiple storms
    Thank you all for working so diligently and cleaning up all the trees. For trees that you need additional assistance, please send a what3words location, coordinates, or a screenshot of your location when you were there. It helps with efficiency.

  3. Re-opened 2 access trails
    Wildcat Drive End Access, Trail, and the Bear Statue Access from the Red Loop.

  4. Memorial Day guided hike, thanks to Greg Dunlap for organizing

  5. McDaniel Meadows Monkey-Face Orchid enclosure/fence repair.

UPCOMING PROJECTS:

  1. The weekly “Fitness Friday” workdays will pause for balance of the Summer, resume in the Fall

  2. Trail structure inventory– Liz walking all Big Canoe trails to document each into a database

  3. Steps at Village Trail to Petit Crest Villas

  4. Reinforce stones in creek near Water Wheel

  5. Let us know what else you need for your trail(s)

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS:

  1. Borrow pit where it is and what’s located there. Liz and Mitch happy to show new folks location and contents/tools/fasteners, etc located there.

  2. Let us know where you need bog bridges in constantly wet/muddy areas of your trails.

  3. Liz & Mitch’s Meeting with GM Scott Auer 7/21. Highlights discussed:

    1. Our team is getting younger and stronger, we have grown over the past 25 years from 8 to 53, the trails will never be at risk of neglect due to lack of volunteers. We have a large pool of talent and tools, including an excavator and loader

    2. We shared how every trail is overseen by at least one person, sometimes 2 or 3, depending on size and complexity.

    3. We shared how we do regular inspections, cut back vegetation and fix tripping hazards, slippery bridges, benches etc.

    4. We shared how we organize workdays when we need a team to tackle a problem such as large erosion mitigation, clear large blowdowns, reposition floating bridges at Lake Disharoon, etc.

    5. We also restore views, replace rotted steps, fix bridges, improve footing.

    6. We help on special projects the POA may have such as the covered bridge visibility project, the hemlock treatment, clearing saplings from the dam, etc.

    7. We report our work so we have a record of when inspections and workdays were performed and collect the hours spent.

    8. Scott was and is super impressed with the work we do and the value to the community. He figures we save at least $100K for the community yearly.

    9. Scott  loves us and appreciates us greatly and we want to extend his thanks to each and everyone of you.

  4. Park ranger concept, given recent increase in ‘Challenges’ on the Trails. More to follow.

  5. Meeting day/times. Many seemed to like a Saturday meeting. We may alternate Saturday/Monday by quarter starting next year.

  6. Tools at the borrow pit donated by Hanley Family and Bill Dempsey include a log roller, chains, come along, etc.

  7. Liz and Mitch revamped the trail responsibility list and continue to do so as members leave and new ones come on board. Please make certain you review the current roster online to verify your trails, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hVNehpBtmMhg1cA5NBdDmIpu39yogQ07QMYtGWvKgUs/edit#gid=104801025

  8. Trail Buddy Program. Based on current trail assignments and roster, reach out to neighboring members to partner up as needed to help cover for each other due to travel, injury, etc.

GENERAL MAINTENACE NOTES:

  1. Reminder: Inspect your trail at least once a month AND after storms.

  2. It’s tick & chigger season; cut back the vegetation on your trails to create a minimum 3’ wide x 7’ tall corridor .

  3. Poison Ivy – treat with Round Up at the Borrow Pit.

  4. Loose cables on bridges: Check your bridges, folks! Mike Sheely has tightened cables on his bridge and can instruct how it’s done. Dion Golden also indicated  he has experience and tools to make this an easy project.  

  5. Replace roofing material on bridges with diamond mesh lath as needed.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS & QUESTIONS FROM THE TEAM:

  1. (M. A. Hansen) Kudzu Mitigation. Who do we call? Please convey through Liz/Mitch to share with Lydell who will direct his team accordingly.

  2. (G. Dunlap) More guided hikes being planned. Halloween one with story tellers around the Lake Trail. Will need BCTC volunteers to help corral groups of kids and parents. Thanksgiving, eager to get feedback on which trail to use given recent improvements ie have used High Gap and Nature Valley Trails in prior guided hikes.

  3. (R. Boje) Playfield Area/Garden Trail Rejuvenation.  Rita inquired about what ever happened with this initiative. Liz and Mitch shared that our team put in several workdays to clear trees and brush from small playfield parking lot ¼ mile to the chapel side parking lot while we were talking to Wildflower Bunch and Garden Society about doing the gardening portion once we blazed a trail. We couldn’t get anyone to commit to long term care of the Gardens and the project halted so as not to put a lot of work in up front only to have it peter out.

Sheila Waldman