Trail work a rewarding experience
While there are no national parks in Butler County, locals still can volunteer for the National Park Service and earn themselves a pass to the national parks right in their home region.
The Butler Chapter of the North Country Trail Association has opportunities for people to volunteer to earn a National Park Pass, and some of those duties involve just walking on part of the 57 miles of the trail that are within Butler County.
“We would like to hear if they see a tree down or if the grass is too tall; anything that might come about on the trail that needs maintained,” said Jan Genaway, president of the Butler Chapter of the North Country Trail Association. “Anybody can volunteer to do those things.”
The Butler County chapter is having a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 at the Butler YMCA, 339 N. Washington St., in the trustees meeting room, where people can learn about volunteer opportunities coming up this year.
The North Country Trail is the longest trail system in the United States, covering more than 4,800 miles from Vermont to North Dakota. In Butler County, the trail goes from McConnells Mill State Park and through Parker to adjoining counties.
Numerous organizations across the states maintain parts of the trail in their regions. The National Park Service administers the North Country National Scenic Trail, providing management oversight to the entire trail by working with the federal agencies, state and local governments, private organizations, landowners and land users.
Representatives from the National Park Service and the overall North Country Trail organization will be at Wednesday’s meeting to talk about maintaining and enhancing the trail, according to Genaway.
“This meeting is a great way to find out more about it,” Genaway said. “It's a great way to meet new people, make new friends, develop community.”
A heavy amount of maintenance work takes place in the spring, when the trail needs to be restored from winter wear, Genaway said.
“The section we maintain goes through Moraine State Park, goes past many bodies of water, many bridges, lots of woods,” she said. “We maintain the trail by mowing grass, we trim back the moss, we build and maintain bridges, we put up the signs for the trail heads.”
Officials and volunteers with the Butler County chapter also troubleshoot problems that arise on the trail through the summer. That’s why the association needs volunteers to regularly check the status of the trail, and it’s what Genaway said she hopes people will take away from attending the agency’s next meeting.
“When they put in hours, there are some benefits to doing that — they can earn a pass to go to the national parks for a year,” Genaway said. “Generally we have trail work days that could be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 8 a.m. to noon. That's generally the schedule. It depends on the weather, what needs to be done.”
The next scheduled group trail work session is Tuesday, July 11. Crews are meeting at the Mt. Union Road trailhead to do some trimming along the trail west toward the Link Road shelters.
To volunteer for the Butler County Chapter of the North Country Trail Association, email but@northcountrytrail.org, or attend the meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 at the Butler YMCA, 339 N. Washington St. in the trustees meeting room.
