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
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UPCOMING TRAIL CREW SESSIONS:
Wednesday, May 28th, 10:00 am - Join us at Littlejohn Island Preserve in Yarmouth! We’ll hand pull invasive plants, including Asiatic bittersweet and Japanese barberry throughout the preserve. There are also a few sections of old bog bridging on the Cousins-facing shoreline trail that need to be replaced. We'll remove the deteriorating sections and install fresh cedar boards.
RRCT will bring cedar boards, screws, an impact driver, and a circular saw. The bittersweet is easily pulled by hand, but for the larger vines loppers and hand saws come in handy. Feel free to bring your own tools and work gloves. Don’t forget a water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes!
SPECIAL PARKING: drive to the very end of Pemasong Lane, Yarmouth. The service gate will be unlocked. Go through the gate and park straight to end, a little bit to the right in the grass.
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Wednesday, June 4th, 10:00 am - Today we'll be at Dunn's Depot Trail in North Yarmouth! We will cut and remove large invasive shrubby honeysuckle along the shoreline of the Royal River and in the floodplain area. A licensed herbicide applicator, Erik Lema from Basswood Environmental, will treat the stumps. Small invasive honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and glossy buckthorn can be pulled up by hand.
RRCT will bring loppers, handsaws and a chainsaw for chopping down the honeysuckle. Feel free to bring personal tools that may come in handy. An extra chainsaw or two would be great. Wear boots you don't mind getting a bit muddy and bring water, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Parking for Dunn's Depot Trail is available at the Town of North Yarmouth's Route 9 boat launch site, next to Old Town House Park. If that parking area is filled up, park along the shoulder of Route 9. on the same side of the road as the boat launch. Click here for GPS directions.
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Wednesday, June 11th, 10:00 am - 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!
Once the trail enters the forest and meanders along the Royal River, our goal is to clear a primitive trail corridor, around 6’ wide x 8’ tall with a 24” wide trail tread. A hiker with a full pack should be able to walk along the trail and not touch any trees, limbs or brushes. We’ll cut overhanding branches, remove cut blowdowns and 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. We've completed around a mile of the trail, so we're half way there! We can start to replace the flagging with blue plastic blazes.
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, water, 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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*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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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, May 28th, 10:00 am - Join us at Littlejohn Island Preserve in Yarmouth! We’ll hand pull invasive plants, including Asiatic bittersweet and Japanese barberry throughout the preserve. There are also a few sections of old bog bridging on the Cousins-facing shoreline trail that need to be replaced. We'll remove the deteriorating sections and install fresh cedar boards.
RRCT will bring cedar boards, screws, an impact driver, and a circular saw. The bittersweet is easily pulled by hand, but for the larger vines loppers and hand saws come in handy. Feel free to bring your own tools and work gloves. Don’t forget a water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes!
SPECIAL PARKING: drive to the very end of Pemasong Lane, Yarmouth. The service gate will be unlocked. Go through the gate and park straight to end, a little bit to the right in the grass.
****************************
Wednesday, June 4th, 10:00 am - Today we'll be at Dunn's Depot Trail in North Yarmouth! We will cut and remove large invasive shrubby honeysuckle along the shoreline of the Royal River and in the floodplain area. A licensed herbicide applicator, Erik Lema from Basswood Environmental, will treat the stumps. Small invasive honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and glossy buckthorn can be pulled up by hand.
RRCT will bring loppers, handsaws and a chainsaw for chopping down the honeysuckle. Feel free to bring personal tools that may come in handy. An extra chainsaw or two would be great. Wear boots you don't mind getting a bit muddy and bring water, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Parking for Dunn's Depot Trail is available at the Town of North Yarmouth's Route 9 boat launch site, next to Old Town House Park. If that parking area is filled up, park along the shoulder of Route 9. on the same side of the road as the boat launch. Click here for GPS directions.
***************************
Wednesday, June 11th, 10:00 am - 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!
Once the trail enters the forest and meanders along the Royal River, our goal is to clear a primitive trail corridor, around 6’ wide x 8’ tall with a 24” wide trail tread. A hiker with a full pack should be able to walk along the trail and not touch any trees, limbs or brushes. We’ll cut overhanding branches, remove cut blowdowns and 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. We've completed around a mile of the trail, so we're half way there! We can start to replace the flagging with blue plastic blazes.
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, water, 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.
****************************
*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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