trail clearing technique and tools

[airbiscuit]

Private property who sold its public recreation use.
Trees and stumps need to be removed and all normally things to gravel a road base.
Township doesn't have enough money to keep there roads up.
Its was bid out and all bids came in about 10,000. In order to ask for any grant, you have to get bids.
We are going to follow codes so it needs to have ditch for drainage and gravled.

This is very interesting. Can you give a bit more of the back story?

• How many acres?
• Are you able to use the skidder trails?
• Why did landowner sell recreation rights?
• Do you know how much $$ the land owner got for selling recreation rights?
• How many miles of trails?

I do understand the satisfaction of making trails.

 

[ArlyA]

This is very interesting. Can you give a bit more of the back story?

• How many acres?
• Are you able to use the skidder trails?
• Why did landowner sell recreation rights?
• Do you know how much $$ the land owner got for selling recreation rights?
• How many miles of trails?

I do understand the satisfaction of making trails.

I'm not very astute on these answers but I'll try find more out. I do know there were paid 3/4 of a million to allow the public used for silent sports. Of course its more complicated than that. What we groom is largely logging or skidder trails in it. They are loggers and they will haverst out there again sometime. Here is there web page.

 

[airbiscuit]

What is the name of the area?

 

[ArlyA]

What is the name of the area?

It might be Pilgrim river watershed.

 

[airbiscuit]

This?

 

[2manyrocks]

If you're going to do all this work, the least they could do for you is give you naming rights over the trail: "ArlyA's Way"

 

[ArlyA]

This?
View attachment 792697

Its on there but they only own a portion of whats seen on this map. I'll try find a better map that only shows that they own. The whole watershed conservancy is called the Pilgrim River Watershed so we renamed "our" portion the Boundary Road trails to reduce the confusion.

 

[yanmars]

The CCC ( Civilian Conservation Corp) did some work about 20 years ago for a open pavillion for the City for public use. Just a thought.

 

[ArlyA]

The CCC (Conservation Corp) did some work about 20 years ago for a open pavillion for the City for public use. Just a thought.

We did have a group from MI Tech help last fall who did get things done. We have much better luck having 1 to 3 people helping. Smaller groups who know what they are doing, tend to do much better quality and sometimes even get more work done than a dozen students. Go figure.

 

[ArlyA]

This?
View attachment 792697

I stand corrected (wife) this is only KLT property. Boundary Road trails would be in the bottom left but its not really visible in this map at all.

 

[ArlyA]

Here is one of 5 deer stands we've found out there which we will be hauling out this spring and summer. We're confident there are more. These were illegally installed, most years ago I suspect. Why do people leave them? Sure makes work that other people must do. Trail care is sure easy. We thank god for a 6x6 to help move them.

 

[airbiscuit]

Who is allowed to use the trail?
People
Dogs
XCountry Skiers
Snowshoers
Mountain Bikers
Horses
Wheelchairs
Fishing people
Hunters

Stakeholders of the above might be potential donors

 

[airbiscuit]

Its on there but they only own a portion of whats seen on this map. I'll try find a better map that only shows that they own. The whole watershed conservancy is called the Pilgrim River Watershed so we renamed "our" portion the Boundary Road trails to reduce the confusion.

 

[2manyrocks]

Locally, scouts do a lot of trail projects to earn their eagle badges.

 

[ArlyA]

Locally, scouts do a lot of trail projects to earn their eagle badges.

Ya, we've got thoughts on that, but might not be allowed here..... We have a group from MI Tech students help last fall who did get things done and we think they'll be back. We have had much better luck having 1 to 3 people helping AND we got more work done.

 

[airbiscuit]

Who is allowed to use the trail?
People
Dogs
XCountry Skiers
Snowshoers
Mountain Bikers
Horses
Wheelchairs
Fishing people
Hunters

Stakeholders of the above might be potential donors

It sounds like you are doing heroic work on your own. If you want to move this along at a faster pace and grander scale you will need money and/or help.\

You might want to start another thread on TBN specifically asking about resources to build this trail.

For more money:
It might help if you were a 501c-3 or could use someone else with a 501c-3 as a conduit
You might inquire with

• Whitetails Unlimited
• The Ruffed Grouse Society
• Trout Unlimited
• Snowshoe Manufacturers
• XCountry Ski Manufacturers
• Pet Supply/Pet Food Companies
• Local Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.
• Trek or other Mountain Bike Companies
• Veterans Groups

For donated labor

• Post for a TBN Work Day
• Post for an Arborist Site Work Day
• Michigan Tech (Fraternities, Sororities Natural Resource Classes, Advanced Photogrammetry Mapping, etc.)
• Local Contractors/Excavators

I know you're not a fan of rough cut mowers, but I'll bet a TBNr would volunteer a day with a tractor and a rotary cutter. There's no faster way to blaze a trail.

Year 1 &2 there is brush stubble, but trails would be usable for winter use. Year 3 it is nice grass.

 

[ArlyA]

We have oganiztions in our area that keep up trails or public lands with employees who's full time job is to write grants. My spouse spent 40 hours to write up a nice application that returned zero. This was not the 1st grant she's written,,,, but we'll rewrited it some and reapplie it. Point is grants are not free $$$ just waitng for you to grab. Its a lot of work.

 

[airbiscuit]

I don't disagree. I was just suggesting that there might be a lot of places to cast your net. Maybe a way to streamline the process would be to compose an email describing the property, it's multiple uses, your plan and who it benefits, and a description of how they could help. Send it a to bunch of places, and if you get a favorable response, follow up with a proper grant request.

There are a lot of organizations who are benefiting from your work.

 

[cqaigy2]

I can understand that one would rather be outside on the trail, rather than working on fund gather, for sure. Would be great if a grant writer/ fund raiser would take over that for gathering the funds, while you guys could spend it and use it.

 

[ArlyA]

I can understand that one would rather be outside on the trail, rather than working on fund gather, for sure. Would be great if a grant writer/ fund raiser would take over that for gathering the funds, while you guys could spend it and use it.

When you ask people for help with labor or $$ the most common responses are.
"Just ask X (some other person) to help! They'd love to help with that"

The BEST response to that is "could you ask them?" and they inevitably say "you need to ask, I'm to busy!". 100% of the time we asked X, they won't even get back with us. A waste of our time.

Or when we ask someone "we need to find funding. Could you help?" They inevitably say "you just need to apply here and there!" So we ask "could you write the applications?" And of course they say "I'm to busy, YOU need to apply!"

This is how volunteer projects go. I've got LOTS of good ideas for YOU to do!