|
Secretary's Report - Green Mountain Club Northeast Kingdom
(NEK) Section Business Meeting - Saturday September 22, 2001
By MICHAEL CHERNICK
Introduction: On Saturday September 22, 2001, the Northeast
Kingdom Section of the Green Mountain Club held its quarterly
potluck and business meeting, at the Burke Mountain Clubhouse
in East Burke As those present prepared to start the evening's
formal agenda, 4 section members, Joe Anastasia, Michael Chernick,
Jean Haigh and Sue Moore informally reported on their trail
scouting and flagging hike to the summit of Sable Mountain.
Possible midtrail ecological problems were noted. Section
Director, Beth Dugger, who has previously hiked the lower
third of the same pathway, commented that further exploratory
trips were required to determine if a hiking trail already
exists as indicated on maps. All of this activity is related
to the club's submittal of a tentative proposal to become
a hiking trail corridor manager on the nonfederal sections
of the former Champion Lands.
Trip Schedule: Section President Pat Aubin's first agenda
item was planning upcoming activities. After a brief discussion,
the attendees established the following schedule:
Date - Destination - Leader - Activity
October 6 Bluff Mountain Luke O'Brien Hike
November 3 Leader's Choice To be determined Hike
January 5 Cynthia Barber & Cynthia & Jon Snowshoe
Jon Day's Property
February 5 Bald Mountain Michael Chernick Snowshoe
February 16 Craftsbury Touring Center Jean Haigh Cross County
Ski
March 2 Victory Bog To be determined Winter activity to be
determined
GPS Unit & Instructional Session: The DeLorme Corporation
donated a GPS unit to the section. The unit’s operation
is not conducive for scouting hiking trails. Given this obstacle,
and the manufacturer's expectation that the section would
permit members's photos to be used in promotional advertising,
the section may eventually return the unit to DeLorme. Jay
Collier commented that the GPS Unit he recently purchased
may be more suitable. Jay will explore possible options. On
a related matter, the long awaited GPS instructional seminar
and field demonstration is scheduled for Saturday October
27 at 10:A.M. at Lyndon State College's academic building.
John Deleo will be the instructor. Interested persons should
contact Daisy McCoy to confirm.
Guidelines for Communications & Trip Publicity: Membership
Coordinator, Cynthia Barber, has organized membership identification
data into a working database, which indicates if the member
should receive club communications by e-mail or the U.S. Mail.
Webmaster, Jay Collier, has been exploring new database management
proposals for the section such as the establishment of an
ISP account for the dissemination of official section communications.
However, it was decided to postpone consideration of this
topic.
Guidelines were established for the submission and dissemination
of information pertaining to a section trip. The trip leader
will submit to Trip Coordinator, Jean Haigh, all of the information,
including the leader's name, a description of the outing,
any special gear or clothing requirements, estimated degree
of difficulty, the date, meeting place, departure time and
the leader's telephone number and e-mail address. Jean will
then forward the information to Cynthia and Publicity Coordinator,
Judy Anastasia. Cynthia will distribute the complete synopsis
to section members. Judy will send a slightly abbreviated
description, minus the meeting place and time, but with all
of the other information to local media outlets. This process
will allow leaders, particularly those on more difficult trips,
to be certain that the potential participant understands the
trips' requirements and is capable of participating.
Former Champion Lands&Mac226; Synopsis: Section Director,
Beth Dugger, reported on the main club's application to be
the hiking trail corridor manager on the state and Essex Timber
segments of the former Champion Lands. This proposal, in which
the Northeast Kingdom Section will play a significant role,
currently entails proposed trails on West and Sable Mountains.
Beth reported on the section's August hike on West, and the
scouting of an alternative trail that directs hikers away
from the privately owned fire tower and camp on the summit.
The alternative trail culminates on top with an outstanding
viewpoint from which the tower is not visible. Land &
Water Associates, the consulting firm that the Agency of Natural
Resources hired to develop a management plan for the nonfederal
portions of the former Champion Lands, is scheduled to present
a draft proposal on Tuesday October 9 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Island Pond American Legion. The draft will be posted on the
state's ANR/West Mountain Web site on Wednesday October 10.
Additional public hearings to elicit comments on the draft
are scheduled as follows:
Date - Place
October 29 Brighton Elementary School
October 30 Lyndon State College (A day long program followed
by an evening hearing)
Oct 31 Waterbury*
Nov 1 Springfield*
Nov 5 Rutland*
Nov 6 Chittenden County*
* specific location not announced as of September 22
Beth explained the Green Mountain Club's role in the Champion
Lands planning process exclusively focuses on hiking. The
club is not taking a position on the contentious issue of
camp leases. As for hunting on the lands, the club reminds
everyone that historically, hunters have been welcomed on
the Long Trail. Jay inquired if the main club has developed
a suggested text for use in letters to the editor related
to hiking activities on the former Champion Lands. In response
to an inquiry concerning Kingdom Trails Πrole in the
Champion Lands planning process, Beth explained that the two
organizations are working in tandem and not in competition.
Kingdom Trails is the other organization, along with the
Green Mountain Club, to apply for corridor management status
on the former Champion Lands. It is seeking responsibility
for bike and cross country skiing trails, initially, south
of Route 105.
Trip Leader's Handbook: Beth brought back from Waterbury,
a back -to-back photo-copied version of the main club's “Trip
Leader's Handbook.” The booklet provides useful information
for the planning and conducting of club trips. It addresses
such topics as publicity, leadership style, overnight trips
and emergency situations. The section,.on a motion of Jean,
seconded by Mary Ann Riggie and Jay authorized the expenditure
of funds for 20 additional copies.
After the meeting, Michael Chernick volunteered to have the
booklet copied at a copy store in Montpelier.
Treasurer's Report: Treasurer, Joe Anastasia, reported that
the section's checking account as of April 28, 2001 stood
at $710.00. As of September 22, 2001, taking into account
an unpaid bill of $92.00 for trail crew equipment, the account's
balance was approximately $550.00.
Publicity: Section members suggested that the Newport Express,
Barton Chronicle and Hardwood Gazette be sent publicity releases,
in addition to the Caledonian Record, which currently receives
the releases. Additional suggestions for media release recipients
should be sent to Judy.
Web site: Jay requested that outing descriptions be submitted
for web posting as soon as possible.
Future Program: Jay requested that the section investigate
inviting Tom Wessels, a noted environmental author, to present
a lecture. Beth suggested that the section coordinate such
a presentation with the main club similar to the Sue Morse
program last winter.
Girl Scout Education Day: Beth presented a series of presentations
this summer on outdoor activities and safety to girls who
were attending a Girl Scout camp in Waterford.
Next Meeting: The next potluck/business meeting will occur
on Saturday January 5, 2002 at 5:00 p.m. at the Burke Mountain
Club House in East Burke following the winter outing at Cynthia
Barber's and Jon Day's home.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. on a motion
of Pat Aubin.
Post-Meeting Presentation: Following the adjournment, Joe
& Judy Anastasia presented a talk relating their experiences
hiking the AT end-to-end in sections over several years.
Other news and events
|
