Dear (Contact First Name),    
 

Our practice to date has been to send out "single issue" emails, e.g. work crews, bridge paving, one-way bike rides, etc.

This email's different --- it's meant to be "newsy" with the most important "stuff" first. We're now on FaceBook --- you'll find this same material (and more!) there.

• Board Meetings.  Our Board meetings are open to the public and we very much encourage you to come. Our only request is that you notify president@flmsp.org of your intention to attend so that we can make sure we have enough seating. The next meeting is Sunday January 16 4:00PM at the Wayne Township Administration building, 6050 North Clarksville Road, Waynesville OH 45068.  

 

• Adopt-a-Trail: Work Crews.  Saturday & Sunday work sessions started earlier this month and will continue through the winter as often as trained crew leaders are available to lead them.  Week-day dates will also be added.  We now have two Stihl Kombi-motors with three attachments for cutting weeds, honeysuckle and saplings, including a string trimmer, a circular saw, and a pole saw.  According to Aaron Rourke, Adopt-a-Trail Coordinator, these tools act as a "force multiplier" for what our volunteers could accomplish by hand.  We also have been cleared to treat cut stumps with Roundup.  Crews have cleared more than 1,700 feet of board fences, and the goal for the winter is two-fold: clear the rest of the fences, and push back encroaching vegetation all along the trail to reclaim the full width of the mowed right-of-way.
   
• Adopt-a-Trail: Leaf-blowing Solution Needed.  At this time of year, leaves on the trail can be a safety issue for ALL trail users in that the leaves can obscure safety threats, e.g. nuts, stones, branches, etc.

 

John Biederman has volunteered to come up with a solution to clear the trail of leaves. John's current thinking is to get a bike trailer from Simeon Copple of the Corwin Peddler, attach two gas-powered leaf-blowers to the bike trailer, and start pedaling. So if you have a gas-powered leaf blower we can borrow OR a better idea (e.g. a jet engine in the bed of a pickup truck), please contact John Biederman ntn43@fuse.net 513-321-5985.

  

• Adopt-a-Trail: New Segment Adoption.  The trail is comprised of 24 "segments". These trail segments are anywhere from .5 to 2.5 miles in length and are bounded on either end by a road. Last week Don Hahn agreed to adopt the trail segment from Foster's (the old CCC highway) to Peter's Cartridge Company (Grandin Road). There are 13 fences in this segment and Don has already cleared 9 of them. Thank you, Don.

 

• Adopt-a-Trail: Crack Filling Research.  As part of our ongoing efforts to find a solution for our asphalt cracking issues, last week Tony Blizniak repaired a major crack north of Loveland with a "cold patch" material he'd researched. We'll be monitoring this patch throughout the winter.

 

• Trail Closure.  The 50-mile Little Miami State Park is the southern portion of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. On November 2, Clark County voters rejected a levy that would have funded the maintenance of the bike paths in Clark County --- including a section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Since the levy failed, barricades have gone up on the Little Miami Scenic Trail closing 6 miles of trail. The final chapter of this story has yet to be written, but it does bring home the reality that the future of our trails is not guaranteed.

  

• $1,000 Donation from North Face of Cincinnati.  During 2010 volunteers from North Face of Cincinnati under the leadership of store manager E J Reiser have donated over 100 hours to the Adopt-a-Trail program --- primarily in the Ft. Ancient area.  Last week we received a $1,000 donation from North Face Corporate in E J's name recognizing his efforts. 

 

• State of Ohio: Trail Maintenance.  State Park staff swept the 50-mile trail of leaves and debris over a 3-day period (November 2-4) using high powered blowers mounted to the front of two State Park mowers. 

 

Unfortunately, one windy day can undo all their work. Therefore, the primary maintenance goal during the autumn months is to remove the leaf litter before it forms a wet mat over the trail --- making removal that much more difficult and therefore that much more expensive.

 

• State of Ohio: Bridge Structures.  There's more to the trail than leaves, branches, asphalt cracking, etc. --- there's the issue of the bridge structures themselves. This from Gus Smithhisler P.E., ODNR Division of Engineering: "We're in the midst of reviewing and maintaining all the bridges on the trail.  We hope to have a construction project out this spring to clear brush around the bridges, make sure the waterways are clear, and correct some minor deficiencies.  This should bring all of our bridges up to a satisfactory level that will keep them operating safely for many years to come.  Our consultant is also monitoring the Glady Run bridge to see if a more significant project will be required in the near future."

 

• State of Ohio: Beech Road Washover.  During 2010's May-June "rainy season", we noticed that the drainage ditch to the east of the trail just south of Beech Road was no longer "draining". During September the State of Ohio Southern Equipment Crew, along with local staff, "reditched" the line from the Beech Road intersection south. While it remains to be seen whether this is a permanent fix (we still think there may be a missing culvert there somewhere), it should help with the standing water that's in evidence whenever it rains.

 

• StreamBank Restoration.  Over the summer, Adopt-a-Trail and State of Ohio park staff moved the fence posts from Morgan's Campground at Stroudt Road to the streambank restoration area south of Corwin. In September, State of Ohio park staff installed the horizontal boards to complete this fence project --- this is now one of the prettiest areas of the trail. 

 

• Pipe Safes.  We currently have 11 pipe safes installed along the trail.  To date these pipe safes have generated almost $500 in donations.  We've ordered 10 more pipe safes from the State of Ohio --- we'll put these in place after they've been painted and "decaled".

  

• Surveys.  Over the next two weeks we'll be sending out two surveys: 1) what are your preferred days of the week and time of day for Adopt-a-Trail work crews and 2) what are your preferred days of the week and time of day for one-way bike shuttles. 

Not a member of Friends of the Little Miami State Park? Become one today. Go to www.flmsp.org, click on Membership, print the Adobe membership form, fill it out, and mail it in. $20 for Individual memberships; $35 for Family.