Preparing a New Reserve
There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into getting a reserve ready for public use. The Caywood Reserve is no exception. The vast majority of work was accomplished within a month’s time.The first work crew set out Sunday, August 9th to explore and flag the initial trail. There were six in the party, and the day marked a mile and a half of paths which eventually became the yellow and the red trails.
A crew of two set out the following Sunday to walk the tagged trail and add what became the blue loop to the system. GPS units used both days made accurate trails much easier than ever before.
A few days later another small crew set out with a chainsaw, some loppers and clippers to clear the large deadfall blocking a few areas of the proposed trails. There was also a shorter trip with the surveyor to make sure that some upcoming changes would not affect the work in place.
The most concerted effort was Sunday, August 30th. This was a heavily publicized work day, which resulted in a large crew accomplishing many chores. The entrance trail was revised, the trails were trimmed of eye hazards and trippers, and the blazes were painted on the trees. KarenLee Kreger, one of our volunteers, set up a tent and donated cases of water and Gatorade, snack bars and fruit for the workers.
There were several additional projects to be attended to before the scheduled walk on September 19th, and we were quite fortunate that the weather was cooperative for us.
The Caywood Reserve is open to the public at this time. However, there are still several items that need attention before we can schedule its dedication. We need to raise capital for a new reserve map sign as well as for a permanent parking area. We also need to arrange for the removal of the buildings. We are actively gathering bids and estimates for all of this work. If you know of anyone able to donate some of this work we would be happy to hear from you!
