Trail Crew
Trail Crew meets every Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am, 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:
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Wednesday, November 26th - No Trail Crew for Thanksgiving
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Wednesday, December 3rd, 9:00 am to 11:00 am – Today we will be back at Little Meadow Preserve in New Gloucester, fine tuning a short 0.15-mile access trail from the 2-car parking area on Peacock Hill Road to the field/meadow. Little Meadow Preserve is accessed via a 60-foot-wide corridor between two residences, one of which sits close to the property boundary. This trail will guide visitors and hunters away from the private residences and into the main preserve area.
Last time we were here on 11/19, we made significant progress clearing the trail corridor. Today we’ll fine tune the trail and construct two 8 ft bog bridges over a wet section. We’ll rake the ~24” wide trail tread, cut stumps to the ground, trim back overhanging and encroaching vegetation, put up additional blue blazes, and remove the orange flagging tape.
The trail goes through some dense prickly brambles, so bring thorn-proof gloves if you have them and wear thick pants! If time allows, we can remove encroaching woody and prickly vegetation and invasive plants (lots of bittersweet vines) from the meadow area and surrounding woods.
RRCT will bring loppers, hand saws, a pole saw, chainsaw, and rakes to share. For the bog bridges, RRCT will provide the lumber, circular saw, speed square, screws and impact driver. Feel free to bring personal tools that may be helpful. Don't forget to wear blaze orange (it’s hunting season)!
Parking: After the 2-car parking area between 247 and 269 Peacock Hill Rd, New Gloucester is full, park along the road shoulder of Peacock Hill Rd.
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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, email Hanae@RRCT.org, and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.
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Wednesday, November 26th - No Trail Crew for Thanksgiving
************************
Wednesday, December 3rd, 9:00 am to 11:00 am – Today we will be back at Little Meadow Preserve in New Gloucester, fine tuning a short 0.15-mile access trail from the 2-car parking area on Peacock Hill Road to the field/meadow. Little Meadow Preserve is accessed via a 60-foot-wide corridor between two residences, one of which sits close to the property boundary. This trail will guide visitors and hunters away from the private residences and into the main preserve area.
Last time we were here on 11/19, we made significant progress clearing the trail corridor. Today we’ll fine tune the trail and construct two 8 ft bog bridges over a wet section. We’ll rake the ~24” wide trail tread, cut stumps to the ground, trim back overhanging and encroaching vegetation, put up additional blue blazes, and remove the orange flagging tape.
The trail goes through some dense prickly brambles, so bring thorn-proof gloves if you have them and wear thick pants! If time allows, we can remove encroaching woody and prickly vegetation and invasive plants (lots of bittersweet vines) from the meadow area and surrounding woods.
RRCT will bring loppers, hand saws, a pole saw, chainsaw, and rakes to share. For the bog bridges, RRCT will provide the lumber, circular saw, speed square, screws and impact driver. Feel free to bring personal tools that may be helpful. Don't forget to wear blaze orange (it’s hunting season)!
Parking: After the 2-car parking area between 247 and 269 Peacock Hill Rd, New Gloucester is full, park along the road shoulder of Peacock Hill Rd.
****************************
*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, email Hanae@RRCT.org, and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.
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