August 2026 Minutes

Minutes from Regular Quarterly Meeting on August 3, 2026

Big Canoe Trails Committee

Minutes by Stacy Johnson

Co-Chairs: Liz Scherer & Mitch Waldman

Mtg took place in person indoors at the Village Station.

Commenced at 4:00 p.m.; ended at 4:45 p.m.

Members in attendance = 30

NEXT MEETING is November 2, 2026 @ 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)

UPCOMING WORKDAY(S): Seeking volunteers for the following:

1. Ponder Point Tree clean up. Date TBD.

2. Reopen the Wild Pansy Access Trail. Date TBD

DEPARTING MEMBERS:

Jim Hansen [Jim and his brother John (previously departed BC Trail member) were instrumental in refurbishing the John Williams and Covered Bridge Trails.]

Thank you for all your work on the BCTC! Sorry to see you go.

NEW MEMBERS: None this quarter.

PERFORMANCE METRICS TO DATE:

Hours logged by BCTC to date in 2026 = 1,660 hours

Hours logged since last meeting in May = 620 hours

Breakdown:

Inspection, maintenance, repairs = 362 hours
Tree removal = 87 hours
Borrow Pit reorganization, etc. = 39 hours
Admin, planning, app development = 132 hours

PROJECTS COMPLETED SINCE LAST MEETING IN MAY:

1. Blackwell Creek Clean Up (June 17)

Team of four cleared several stream log jams and two downed trees out of the creek. Mitch Waldman, Bill Merrick, Reg Richard, Doug Ring

2. Nature Trail Blowdown (July 19–21)

A multi-tree blowdown was hung up on a standing tree, which is always a tricky situation. Scoped July 19, cleared July 20 by a four-person sawyer crew. Mitch Waldman, Mark Dugan, Doug Ring, Clardy Schwarz.

3. Various downed trees cleared – 55 trees cleared since May. Multiple BCTC members.

4. Meadows Dead End Trail – cleared PVC pipe (May 21)

Pulled roughly 200 ft of decades-old PVC pipe out of the ground on the closed Dead End Trail, and cleared a sitting/viewing area by the stream. Crew of 10: Bill Nelson, Claudette Parker, Ignacio Leon, Ken Bechely, Les Parker, Liz, Mitch, Nancy Fernandez, Reg Richard, Rick Abbott.

5. McDaniel Meadows work (May 14)

(a) Removed 1,000 ft of downed plastic fencing that once protected the White Fringeless Orchid area and had become an entanglement hazard for wildlife. BC POA staff hauled the old fencing off site. Bill Merrick, Claudette Parker, Joe Cano, Les Parker, Liz, Mitch, Steve Papke, Terry Stewart.

(b) Removed trip hazards and mulched over exposed roots. Doug Ring, Mark Decker and Rick Abbott

6. Trail Rejuvenation (various trails).

Roots and other tripping hazards that could not be removed were covered up with a thick layer of soil recovered from nearby root balls. Steve Papke & P.J. Docka

7. Reorganize Borrow Pit supplies & equipment; clean up surrounding area. (various dates June & July)

(a) Planning meeting (June 29) Alan Moffatt, Mike Sheely, Liz Scherer, Mitch Waldman

(b) Work Sessions (July 15, 17, 18, 22) Mitch Waldman, Alan Moffatt, Gary Kirchner, Ignacio Leon, Terry Stewart, Mike Sheely

8. Other Completed Projects:

(a) Mills Ruins Path: fallen trees were pulled from the creek to protect the ruins; upstream dam opened for flow.

(b) Covered Bridge Trail: stairs replaced by Gary Kirchner.

(d) Jeep Trail: clear major blowdown near Upper Falls (Joe Morris, Ignacio Leon, Steve Papke)

(e) Lower Falls Trail: repair broken bench (P.J. Docka)

ONGOING BORROW PIT MANAGEMENT:

1. Following the recent reorganization and clean up at the Borrow Pit, ongoing maintenance of the Borrow Pit will be managed by the following BCTC members:

(a) Hand Tools – Gary Kirchner & Ignacio Leon

(b) Power Tools – Gary Romeo & Terry Stewart

(d) Grounds – Sheila Waldman (with help from Mitch Waldman, as needed)

2. Use the Borrow Pit “Check out” Clipboard!

(a) When removing tools & equipment from the Borrow Pit, enter that info in the log sheet so that other BCTC members know that the item is “checked out” and not just missing.

(b) If you discover certain equipment or supplies have run out or are missing, notify Liz Scherer or Mitch Waldman.

3. Familiarize yourself with what is available at the Borrow Pit. If you want a “tour”, contact Mitch Waldman or Liz Scherer.

4. Mitch (and others if he’s out of town) will be checking the Borrow Pit gate on Saturdays and closing/locking it if it was left open Friday evening. This will help keep folks out of our tool area.

TIPS FOR LOGGING YOUR TIME:

Include your travel time to and from the work area.
Include your time to prepare and assemble your tools & equipment: sharpening, fueling, cleaning, loading, putting away, etc.
Include time for supply runs, including time to/from/at the store and Borrow Pit to pick up or return equipment.

TRAIL MAINTENANCE GOALS & SUGGESTIONS

1. Summer Maintenance:

(a) Wasps and yellow jackets: wasp spray is at Borrow Pit.

(b) Poison Ivy control – Poison Ivy Round Up is at the Borrow Pit.

(c) Weed wacking – Goal is to maintain a “corridor” on all trails that is 7′ high and 3′ wide. This requires trimming weeds and branches that encroach on this corridor.

(d) Keep the algae and “slime” off your steps and bridges; it makes them slippery. Control with Miracle Mist, which is stored at the Borrow Pit. NOTE: Do not spray it on the wire mesh that covers some of the steps and bridges, as the spray corrodes that mesh.

(e) Joro Spiders: take them down! No mercy, as they are considered invasive. Smash with gloved hands, knock to ground and stomp on them, salt gun, smashing paddles.

2. Fall Maintenance:

(a) Prepare for the fall season by prepping your tools and equipment now: Fresh fuel, clean filter, new plug, etc. (and log those hours!)

(b) Fallen leaves: blow them off the trails, bridges, etc. BEFORE they pack down. Best to clear the leaves while they are dry and loose.

SOLO TRAIL WORK SAFETY – Proposal by Reg Richard

If you are doing solo work on a trail, consider the following precautions:

1. NOTIFY someone on the BCTC that you are headed out, when you left, where you’re headed, and when you expect to return. Once you are back home or safe in your car, alert them of that, too. The new BCTC app (see next item below) enables convenient notifications.

2. Emergency SOS Alert: The iPhone devices have a built in SOS calling system.

(a) iPhone can help start a satellite connection to contact emergency services when a call won’t go through.

(b) In an emergency, iPhone will try to use a satellite to send your Medical ID, location, and emergency details.

(c) Test the SOS system at home: Go to Settings > Emergency SOS > Try Demo to test it at home. Do the following: press side & volume buttons, or press side button 5 times.

BCTC HAS A NEW APP – compliments of Liz Scherer!

1. A more convenient way to log your hours and stay in touch with other BCTC members.

2. Functions:

(a) Log your time, with photos

(b) Report a problem, with photos. It automatically sends an alert to the steward of that trail, and Mitch & Liz are automatically copied on those alerts.

(d) In “More”: Tells you which BCTC members are away & you can report yourself away

(e) Works offline. If you lose connectivity, it starts again once you have connectivity.

(f) You can get notifications of meetings and work days (NOTE: Must turn on “notifications”)

(g) You can see upcoming events and create an event with invites to specific members.

(h) The app contains a dashboard that shows: your hours, your trails last visited date, and events you can sign up for.

3. Getting set up on the new BCTC app:

(a) Go to app.bctrails.info OR bctrails.app

(b) Enter your email

(d) Save to your Home Screen for full functionality. This gives the app access to your photos, etc. On iPhone: Share → add to Home Screen. On Android: [⋮] three vertical dots → add to Home Screen.

(e) Instructions at: bigcanoetrails.com/members

4. You also can save the app to your computer.

THANK YOU & KUDOS:

Mitch & Liz commented on what a great team the BCTC members are. Great self starters, involved and energetic. Thank you to all!

Q & A:

1. Bridge protocol when the asphalt strips are removed – Replace it with the mesh to maintain a less slippery surface?

YES – if the area is the right size. The mesh is 27″ wide, but it is very difficult and hazardous to cut. When working with the mesh, you will need good work gloves, needle nose pliers, and knee pads. Be sure to fold the edges of the mesh over before securing it to the surface to avoid folks catching the sharp edge with their shoes.
Contact Liz or Mitch for tips on how to install the mesh.

2. Moonshine still reproduction on the Jeep Trail near Lower Falls – Does anyone know who got it running recently? Thank you!

No one at the meeting was able to answer that.
Unfortunately, it stopped running again.

3. Jeep Trail used by vehicles is getting VERY rough and will likely damage an SUV (although a Jeep will likely like the trail like that). – Should we fix some of the worst spots?

Mitch asked Greg Murphins, who raised the issue, to offer some Google pin locations so we can discuss with Lydell and make a live visit to those problem areas to see if the POA wants to tackle that job.
Consensus is: If you fix those rough spots, some folks will complain because they like it rough.

Stacy JohnsonAugust 12, 2026