We have had a lot happening lately so to make for a quick read, here are some highlights.
CATS opened its first office! It’s in Westport at 6482 Main Street. The phone number is 962-CATS (2287). Very exciting!
Next Volunteer Trail Project is Saturday, July 17 (9:00 am to noon) to reroute the beginnings of the Beaver Flow and Bobcat Trails. Meet at the trailhead about 1¼ -mile west of Whallonsburg on Walker Road. Please come out for a fun project. We may cut vegetation along other trails too. Bring loppers and/or human-powered weed-whips.
You can make a difference by joining our trail projects and volunteering for the trail committees. At a minimum, hiking the trails is a good way to be involved—your footsteps help maintain the trails which is important in this summer season as the greenery works to make passage more difficult. Please let us know of problems you might encounter. Good news and photos are welcome too! You can find trail maps on this website by clicking on "Maps" in the header. And yes, CATS is on Facebook.
June 19 Trail Project Summary: We cleared vegetation on part of the Boquet Mountain Trail and scouted the new beginnings for the Beaver Flow and Bobcat Trails.
We had our first Trail Committee meeting and created a number of sub-committees—New Trail Planning, Trail Stewardship (clearing and maintenance), Landowner Contact, and Communications. Please participate on any of these committees—it gives you a stronger voice in developing our trails. Just send an email about your interest.
Celebration of CATS on June 5 - National Trails Day: It was a fabulous day to honor the great effort so many people are making to create the Champlain Valley trail network. Steven Kellogg welcomed everybody, I gave a brief overview of CATS and the Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership, and Elle Berger explained how countryside walking benefits people and local economies.
That is just some of the news. For more information about any of these topics and to volunteer, please call our new CATS office – 518-962-CATS (2287) or reply to this email. Please note that I’ll be on vacation from June 30 to July 15 so expect a delay in getting a response. But contact us nevertheless.
♫♫ Happy Trails ♫♫
Chris Maron
Executive Director
