It was a beautiful June morning. A perfect day to be out on the trails. The first Saturday of June is celebrated annually as National Trails Day. All across the country, those who love the outdoors donate their time to show respect, maintain, and restore trails and natural areas.
20 volunteers came out on Saturday, June 5th to show some love to the park. Volunteers were tasked with clearing debris from trails, putting up markers to make the trails easier to follow, and clearing out a portion of the blueberry patch.
We had many returning volunteers, including the Taconic Hiking Club and Grafton Trail Riders. These two groups in particular, focused their efforts on trails around the Dunham Reservoir. South of Route 2, the Dunham Reservoir is a nice get-away from the hustle and bustle of the main part of the park. However, the trails also tend to get less maintenance attention. We appreciate the attention THC and GTR gave Gartler, Double Bit, and South Dunham Trails.
Many new volunteers continued a project to clear out a section of the blueberry patch to promote healthier future growth. The blueberry patch has been mostly untouched since the park began 50 years ago. It has become crowded by trees and overrun by fungal infections. Over the past couple months, volunteers at different trails events have dragged and piled sticks, small trees, and infected bushes sky-high.
Without volunteers, this park would not have the beautiful trails and natural spaces we are so proud of. Thanks to the 60 hours of donated time for this event, the southern part of the park is ready to welcome visitors for the summer.
Would you like to volunteer? Besides trails events, you can volunteer on your own time any day of the week. Call the park or stop in the welcome center for more details: 518-279-1155.
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