Volunteer at CTA
Help Get the Trail Ready for Winter!
What could be better than getting outside on a crisp fall day, hiking along the Catamount Trail, snipping off annual brush, nailing up lost blazes, and clearing out blowdowns? You'll get a great work-out, lots of fresh air, camaraderie, and the satisfaction that you are contributing to a worthy cause that benefits you directly!
Ahh, the crunch of autumn leaves beneath your feet, the "zing" of the bow saw as it slices through a blowdown, and the satisfying "rap" of the hammer as you nail up another of those bright-blue, paw-print blazes! A short stop for gorp and a few laughs with your co-workers and you're ready to go again.
Later when you ski the section in the winter, you'll see the blaze you put up and will think with satisfaction, "I nailed up that blaze! I helped!"
Sound's like a great experience, doesn't it? It is! Why not join us for a trail work day on the Catamount Trail his fall? Not only do we have annual maintenance walk-throughs to do, but we need significant help building new bridges. No prior building experience is necessary- if you can't hit a nail on it's head, we'll show you!
Each fall we post a calendar of work days with contact information so you may find a trail work day that fits your schedule. The calendar lists contact info so you may contact the Trail Chief listed to sign up. Bring water, food, gloves if you have them, any tools you might have and wear footwear for hiking. We'll supply the technical expertise, extra tools, and arrange the logistics. You'll be glad you contributed and the entire Catamount community will thank you for your service!
Volunteer Monitors Needed
In order to ensure that the Catamount Trail remains open and available to the public for years to come, CTA is actively pursuing a Trail Protection Program and negotiating with willing landowners to obtain permanent trail access easements. These easements ensure that the trail remains open for skiing and that improper use of the trail corridor, such as building a structure on the trail, does not occur.
In a perfect world there would be no easement violations and no need to set aside funds permanently to monitor and enforce them. However, CTA, as a responsible land conservation organization, is committed to the long-term stewardship of the trail easements we hold. Nearly 80 miles of the Catamount Trail are now under easement, though not all held solely by CTA. The CTA's Trail Protection Program includes a program of regular, systematic and well-documented monitoring of our easements. Critical to annual monitoring is baseline documentation made at the time of the acquisition of each easement obtained by the CTA. This document and accompanying photographs are then referred to annually by a volunteer "monitor" who will determine if any provisions of the easement have been violated by a landowner or abutter, or if any significant natural changes have occurred on the property that require attention. If violations exist, CTA will work with the landowner to correct them, with legal action being a last resort. Enforcement costs not recovered from the violator are paid from CTA's Stewardship Fund.
CTA has developed a form for annual monitoring and is seeking volunteers who will walk a protected trail segment each year. Training will be provided. Our protected segments can be found the length of the state. If you would like to participate in the monitoring program, please call Amy Kelsey at the CTA office at 864-5794.
Other Ways to Help CTA
Please select from the tabs on the left for more information on other ways to help CTA.