Trail Crew
Trail Crew meets every Wednesday from 10am to noon, except during bad weather and around holidays. Details on upcoming Trail Crew sessions will be posted here. Our work focuses on RRCT’s many public access properties, sometimes spending several weeks in a row at the same site. RRCT is also happy to help out at partner properties when Trail Crew is available.
There is a job for everyone, no matter your shape, skills, or strength. Join us the one week you have time or interest, or put Trail Crew on your calendar as your regular Wednesday morning ritual. It's a great way to experience a new preserve, get to know someone new, and learn new trail work techniques. Trail Crew tackles a variety of trail projects including clearing trail corridors, invasive plant removal, route finding and trail alignment, trail marking, constructing bog bridging and bridges, and improving signage. RRCT brings specific tools that will be helpful. We encourage volunteers to bring personal tools as well. Hand saws, pole saws, and loppers are favorites. Crew members should bring a water bottle, and wear sturdy shoes, work gloves, and the right clothes for the day.
Trail Crew is led by RRCT's Stewardship Director Hanae Garrison. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach me at (973) 255-7513 or Hanae@RRCT.org
There is a job for everyone, no matter your shape, skills, or strength. Join us the one week you have time or interest, or put Trail Crew on your calendar as your regular Wednesday morning ritual. It's a great way to experience a new preserve, get to know someone new, and learn new trail work techniques. Trail Crew tackles a variety of trail projects including clearing trail corridors, invasive plant removal, route finding and trail alignment, trail marking, constructing bog bridging and bridges, and improving signage. RRCT brings specific tools that will be helpful. We encourage volunteers to bring personal tools as well. Hand saws, pole saws, and loppers are favorites. Crew members should bring a water bottle, and wear sturdy shoes, work gloves, and the right clothes for the day.
Trail Crew is led by RRCT's Stewardship Director Hanae Garrison. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach me at (973) 255-7513 or Hanae@RRCT.org
Upcoming Trail Crew Sessions:
Wednesday, June 18th, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm - Today we will continue building a 2-mile River Elf Trail in New Gloucester! The route is flagged and winds through open fields and forests, with a scenic spur along the Royal River. We've made awesome progress over the last month but there's still more ground to cover! This extended 3 hour work session is promoted on the 2025 Love Maine Trails calendar so we should have a fun crew! This trail crew session starts at 9 am! It will take us a half hour to hike in to where we left off last week.
The first and a half is complete. We've started replacing the flagging with plastic blazes but there's more to go. When the trail splits and forms a loop, we'll continue clearing a primitive trail corridor, around 6’ wide x 8’ tall with a 24” wide trail tread. We’ll cut overhanging branches, remove brush, and rake the trail tread. Low shrubs and young trees that will encroach upon the sides of the trail should be cut flush with the ground. Volunteers should be prepared to hike 2 miles over uneven and sometimes steep terrain.
RRCT will bring hand saws, loppers, pole saws, rakes, a weedwhacker, a hammer and plastic blazes, and other tools that may come in handy. Extra rakes would be great! Bring work gloves, plenty of water, snacks, insect repellent, and personal tools that may be useful.
Parking: The 4-car trailhead parking lot is across the street from 401 Cobbs Bridge Rd, New Gloucester. The rest of us can park along the road shoulder, on the same side as the parking lot.
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Wednesday, June 25th, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm - River Elf Trail building continued.
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*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at Trail Crew may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at Info@RRCT.org, and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.
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The first and a half is complete. We've started replacing the flagging with plastic blazes but there's more to go. When the trail splits and forms a loop, we'll continue clearing a primitive trail corridor, around 6’ wide x 8’ tall with a 24” wide trail tread. We’ll cut overhanging branches, remove brush, and rake the trail tread. Low shrubs and young trees that will encroach upon the sides of the trail should be cut flush with the ground. Volunteers should be prepared to hike 2 miles over uneven and sometimes steep terrain.
RRCT will bring hand saws, loppers, pole saws, rakes, a weedwhacker, a hammer and plastic blazes, and other tools that may come in handy. Extra rakes would be great! Bring work gloves, plenty of water, snacks, insect repellent, and personal tools that may be useful.
Parking: The 4-car trailhead parking lot is across the street from 401 Cobbs Bridge Rd, New Gloucester. The rest of us can park along the road shoulder, on the same side as the parking lot.
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Wednesday, June 25th, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm - River Elf Trail building continued.
****************************
*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at Trail Crew may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at Info@RRCT.org, and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.
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