September Newsletter 2021
Lake George, at the northern end of The Warren County Bikeway. This view was a nice reward for the effort to pedal from Queensbury! Pic by M Waldman
THC Fall Gathering, Saturday 10/2, Grafton Lakes State Park
Come join us for our second Fall Gathering on Saturday 10/2 at Grafton Lakes State Park. This will be a nice time to see old friends and meet new ones! If you are a new member this is a great time to meet other active members in the club and learn more about who we are and what we have to offer!
There will be a short meeting at 9:30 which will include a brief update about the Club, recognition of our THC volunteers that continue to volunteer throughout the pandemic, and the drawing of names for four winners of $25 Amazon gift cards. You must be registered and be there to win!
Then we will hike around Long Pond or Shaver Pond or another trail and check out the autumn colors in the trees. We will enjoy a BYO lunch by the beach after the hike. You are free to paddle or do another hike with friends after lunch.
See the Outings page for more information and how to register.
Rain date: Sunday 10/3
Columbia Land Conservancy
As has been described in previous articles in this newsletter, the Taconic Hiking Club is part of a regional conservation consortium called Berkshire Taconic Regional Conservation Partnership (BTRCP). Members are nonprofits and other agencies supporting preservation and recreational opportunity along the Taconic Ridge and surrounding forested areas. We have focused in past articles on the work of and trail systems for Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Vermont Land Trust, Rensselaer Plateau Alliance, Rensselaer Land Trust, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, and Mass Audubon.
This month we are introducing another partner, Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC). CLC received a grant to serve as lead agency in the BTRCP, which funded staff time that could be devoted to the project. CLC is a county-wide land trust that covers the region bordering Berkshire County on the west and extends from the New Lebanon area in the north and runs along the Hudson River to its southern terminus south of Ancram and Clermont.
According to its mission, “Columbia Land Conservancy works with our community to conserve the farmland, forests, wildlife habitat, and rural character of Columbia County, strengthening connections between people and the land.”
Founded in 1986, CLC has worked to preserve more than 30,000 acres of farmland, forests, and wildlife habitat. CLC, like most other land trusts, works to preserve open space, to craft easements to help landowners protect their land from development, and to help the Columbia County farming community both preserve their farmland and create capital to continue farming. With programs like the Farmer-Landowner Match Program, CLC has been a leader in the use of creative legal arrangements to promote affordable farmland for farmers. Beyond this, CLC often assists county towns with land use planning helps guide local Conservation Advisory Committees. They foster environmental education through a series of programs offered to students and the public.
Where to hike: Central to CLC’s goals to provide education and outreach is the creation and maintenance of an array of 10 Public Conservation Areas (PCAs) which are unique recreational treasures. They range from a large 700-acre preserve bordering the Hudson River (Greenport) to a site that border wetlands and lead to “Old Croken Knoll” (Drowned Lands Swamp) to a small preserve with a 150’ waterfall in Philmont (High Falls) to others where 10 miles of trails meander over open fields with a gazebo and into woods (Overmountain). Go fishing at Hand Hollow in New Lebanon and savor the delights of a pond and Catskills overlook at Schor. Clearly marked trails and signage throughout the PCAs make them easy to follow and make the experience of a day on one of CLC’s properties an unforgettable experience.
Visit CLC’s website at www.clctrust.org to learn more about the work CLC does in preserving the lands that border the Taconics, to download maps, and to start exploring their amazing trails.
Philmont High Falls. Pic by B Armao
Trail work
Our trail crew have logged an impressive 241 hours of trail work hours (including travel time) on the Taconic Crest Trail and access trails so far this year. We try to take advantage of those rare cool dry days between the hot and rainy days. The copious amounts of rain this year have truly helped the vegetation grow! Hours were spent cutting back a thorny thicket on the northern section of the trail, and another short section of thorny thickets covered in vines was also cut back into submission. In addition to cleaning and repairing water bars, volunteers cleared storm blowdowns. Many thanks to our trail stewards and workers!
We will reach out to members on the list of potential trail workers when we resume trail work this fall. If you would like to assist in at least one trail work outing, please contact Dave Pisaneschi at dapadk@gmail.com. Let him know if you are available weekdays, weekends, or both. Trail work is work but it is also fun and rewarding. You get to combine hiking with trail clearing while enjoying the company of other trail workers!
Mike and Bob using a brush hog to cut back the vegetation on the TCT. Pic by D Pisaneschi
Cliff using a grass whip to tame the vegetation on the TCT. Pic by M Waldman
Grafton Lakes State Park Trail Work Event, Saturday September 25
Many of us have enjoyed the 25+ miles of trails at Grafton Lakes State Park. This is a chance to enjoy the crisp fall air while you help maintain and improve the GLSP trails. The variety of projects range from trail marking to building a version of a land bridge called a turnpike, and more. Crews will be out working from 9am - 12pm.
This is good opportunity for Taconic Hiking Club members to support the local state park that gives us year-round pleasure. See the outings page for registration information. The miles of trails within the park are in good shape thanks to the many volunteers who have donated their time during events like this.
Housatonic Heritage Walks
Sign up for one or more free, guided interpretive walks to the most interesting historic, cultural, industrial, natural, and scenic sites in Berkshire County, MA, & Litchfield County, CT. Saturdays & Sundays on Sept. 4-5-6, 11-12, 18-19, 25-26 & Oct. 2-3
Click this link for more information and the brochure: 2021 - 19th Annual Housatonic Heritage Walks - Housatonic Heritage
The Housatonic Heritage Walks are a partnership between the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, the numerous heritage organizations in the Upper Housatonic River Valley, the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, and the National Park Service.
OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We are scheduling on a short-term basis rather than seasonally, so check the website periodically.
Wednesday, September 8 Ashokan Rail Trail (near Kingston) Cycle B
Wednesday September 8: Lake Bonita to Palmertown Range, Moreau Lake State Park B
Wednesday Sept 15th Hopkins Memorial Forest Trails to TCT B
Tuesday Sept. 21: Alander Mt., Sheffield, MA B
Friday, September 24: Williams River (aka Housie) Rail Trail, Housatonic MA C
Saturday Sept. 25: Grafton Lakes State Park -Trail Work Event
Fall Gathering, Saturday 10/2, Grafton Lakes State Park C
Wednesday Oct. 6: Roaring Brook Greylock Loop: Williamstown, MA B
Annual Dinner: Buca Di Beppo, Thursday, October 28, 5 – 7 PM
Lake Bonita, Moreau Lake State Park. Pic by M Waldman
Warren County Bikeway outing. Pic by M Waldman
Lynne Nagengast shared this photo from her trip to Alaska.