Trails in the Time of COVID
It has been a delight to see so many out on the trails since the COVID lockdown began. Walking, running, biking, birding, catching frogs, and posting messages in the tunnel, Crozetians are doing it all whether alone or with family, friends, or a treasured pet. Our community is a special place. It feels even more so as we safely enjoy the outdoors and time together, even if it is 6’ apart!
As the saying goes when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! The Trails Crew agreed it was prudent to cancel the annual 5K race. But that doesn’t mean we cannot stay connected. So we decided to create a storyboard to capture Crozetians’ experiences on the trails and parks to memorialize this unique time in our lives. We are asking you to share photos (selfies, families, pets, nature) taken on the Crozet trails and parks and to briefly answer the question “How have the trails eased your COVID experience?”
The plan is to post the storyboard and comments on the Crozet Trails Crew website and to share it with local publications. If we receive a solid response, the Crozet Library has agreed to display the story board. We do need permission to print your pictures and comments. Please join in creating a Crozet trails storyboard.
When you’re ready to share your story, click here to send it to us.
And look at some of the ways your neighbors are loving our trails.
August with the Trails Crew
Mid-Summer Cleanup Work Day:
South Side of Crozet Connector Trail
On Saturday, August 1, we will complete our summer maintenance pass of the Connector Trail along the southern side, from Nicolet Court to Jonna Street. We need to mow, use the string trimmers, and prune and lop that section. Given the heat, we will get an early start, meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the trail entrance on Nicolet Court in Westhall (directions below). Bring water, hat, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. Long pants, socks, and work gloves are recommended.
Please click here to sign up with our form.
Directions: From Crozet Park, follow Park Rd. east into Westhall. After crossing Westhall Dr., turn right into Nicolet Ct. The trail entrance is on the left side of the street.
Rowcross Trail Mowing and Trimming
On Wednesday, August 12, we will meet at 8:30 a.m. in Old Trail for a summer spruce up of the trail that parallels Rowcross St. We need folks who can wrangle mowers and string trimmers, plus the usual work of trimming and pruning. Bring water, hat, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. Long pants, socks, and work gloves are recommended. Click here to sign up.
Directions: from Jarmans Gap Rd, turn south on Old Trail Drive. At the third traffic circle (Golf Drive, ACAC at the corner) use the third exit to head east on Golf Drive (away from the golf course). At the end, find a place to park on Rowcross St., near the bank of mailboxes.
Monthly Meeting Thursday, August 27
We will hold our monthly meeting on Thursday, August 27, at 6:30-8:00 p.m. via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to be part of it! If you want to attend, drop me an email by clicking on this link. I will email the meeting link and the agenda before the meeting..
At this meeting we will discuss work to be scheduled and the status of several new trail projects in Crozet.
Mid-Summer Spruce-Up of the Connector Trail
Wednesday, July 1, 9:00 a.m.
Mid-Summer Clean-up, Spruce-up on the Connector Trail
It’s time to catch up on beating back the exuberant summer growth on the Crozet Connector Trail! We will need a good-size group to spread out and cover as much as the trail as possible. We especially need people who are willing to push a lawnmower and people to wield the string trimmers. We also need loppers and pruners for the overhanging branches and brambles.
In order to keep us all safe and healthy, we will be following the guidelines below, starting with the need to sign up in advance. Please click here to sign up with our form.
We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the trail entrance on Fairwinds Lane in Western Ridge (Directions below) Bring water, hat, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. Long pants, socks, and work gloves are recommended.
If You Have Room to Carry a Lawnmower in Your Car or Truck
and can meet at 8:30 that morning at Crozet Park to help transport equipment, please add a note to your sign up. We’d like to bring all the mowers out if possible.
Directions: From Three Notch’d Road turn on to Park Ridge Drive, take first left on to Lake Tree Lane, then third right on to Fairwinds Lane and drive to the end. From Crozet Park, turn left on Park Rd into Westhall, then left on Westhall Drive then quick left onto Eastern Avenue; at the end turn right onto Park Ridge Drive then right onto Lake Tree Lane just before railroad crossing, then third right is Fairwinds Lane. Drive to the end.
Guidelines for Safe Work Days During the Pandemic
1. Work groups will be limited in sizeAll groups will be limited to 10 people or fewer, depending on the space we will be working in. When we go out to prune and trim a trail, we’re able to spread out, so as many as 10 people may be OK. If we are working in a smaller space, the numbers will be smaller.
2. Everyone must sign up in advance
This allows us to control the size of groups, and to follow up with you in case contact tracing is needed. I will link to Sign Up Genius pages for each work day. PLEASE: If you sign up and then have to cancel, remove your Sign Up so we have enough workers for every project!
3. Masks are required; work gloves are encouraged
We will need to wear masks when we are close together–I anticipate this will be when we gather to discuss the work to be done. Once we are spread out, and are not within a few feet of each other, masks can be removed. Please be aware of trail users, though, and make sure to step aside to allow space if people pass on the trail.
4. Tools will be cleaned with disinfectant wipes at the beginning and end of work, and when transferred between people. The Trails Crew doesn’t have an unlimited supply, so it would be great if you bring your own.
5. A hand washing station will be available with soap, water, and paper towels. If you can bring your own hand sanitizer, please do!
6. Social Distancing will be required.
June Work Days
We’ve been depending on individual workers to keep the trails in shape since March, but we’re going to try to step up our game, and start scheduling some small work days. Needless to say, things won’t be like they were before, and we have developed these guidelines to help keep us all safe and healthy.
- Work groups will be limited in size
All groups will be limited to 10 people or fewer, depending on the space we will be working in. When we go out to prune and trim a trail, we’re able to spread out, so as many as 10 people may be OK. If we are working in a smaller space, the numbers will be smaller. - Everyone must sign up in advance
This allows us to control the size of groups, and to follow up with you in case contact tracing is needed. I will link to Sign Up Genius pages for each work day.
PLEASE: If you sign up and then have to cancel, remove your Sign Up so we have enough workers for every project! - Masks are required; work gloves are encouraged
We will need to wear masks when we are close together–I anticipate this will be when we gather to discuss the work to be done. Once we are spread out, and are not within a few feet of each other, masks can be removed. Please be aware of trail users, though, and make sure to step aside to allow space if people pass on the trail. - Tools will be cleaned with disinfectant wipes at the beginning and end of work, and when transferred between people. The Trails Crew doesn’t have an unlimited supply, so it would be great if you bring your own.
- A hand washing station will be available with soap, water, and paper towels. If you can bring your own hand sanitizer, please do!
- Social Distancing will be required.
Work Days Scheduled in June
Wednesday, June 3, 9 a.m.
Transport Lumber from street to boardwalk construction site
We need 6 people to carry pieces of lumber in wheelbarrows from the street to the site where we will be building a small boardwalk (less than 1/4 mile). Meet at the corner of Rowcross St and Fielding Run Dr in Old Trail (directions below) at 9 a.m. This project will probably take no more than an hour. Sign up here.
Directions: From Jarmans Gap Rd, turn on to Old Trail Drive. Pass through three roundabouts, then take the second left on to Glen Valley Drive, then the second right on to Fielding Run Drive. The trail entrance is at the end of the street.
Sunday, June 14, 9 a.m.
Trim trails around the Dog Park in Crozet Park
We need 4-5 people to weed whack and prune the trails that run outside the dog park fences at Crozet Park. This will be a quick project, maybe an hour or two. Meet at the Crozet Trails Crew shed behind the Community Room (aka Radio Building) at Crozet Park (directions below) to choose your tools, then walk to the Dog Park for the work. Sign up here.
Directions: Enter Crozet Park from Park Ave then follow the road to the left of the swimming pool, to the small white building at the very back of the park. Park in the lot near the white shed.
Wednesday, June 10, 9 a.m.
Construct small boardwalk in Old Trail
Looking for 4-5 people to assemble a three-section boardwalk to improve the Rowcross Trail where it is often muddy. This project involves the use of tools such as drills, hammers. levels. and clamps, as well as moving pieces of lumber short distances. Meet at the corner of Rowcross St and Fielding Run Drive to help carry tools to the construction area (less than 1/4 mile). This project is likely to take several hours. Sign up here.
Directions: From Jarmans Gap Rd, turn on to Old Trail Drive. Pass through three roundabouts, then take the second left on to Glen Valley Drive, then the second right on to Fielding Run Drive. The trail entrance is at the end of the street.
April with the Trails Crew
These are strange times…things have changed so quickly, and we’re all trying to adapt to circumstances without knowing how long they will continue. I’ve been walking on the trails, mostly out toward Lickinghole Basin, and it’s just weird to have to notice when people are approaching so I can find a wide place to move over and let them pass with six feet of clearance.
The Crozet Greenway is used by walkers, runners, bicyclists and dog-walkers–many more of us than there were a month ago. Please remember trail courtesy: runners yield to walkers, bicyclists yield to both, and dogs (even friendly ones) need to be on a leash.
Several local parks and recreation areas have been closed because people have not been able to keep safely spread out. With 10 miles of trails in Crozet, and many trail entrances, we have plenty of room to keep “social distance”. Please continue to allow plenty of room and don’t run or walk in groups, so we can continue to use our trails as the spring weather beckons us outdoors.
Trail Maintenance – We Really Need Your Help This Year
The trails are in great shape now, but you know that with a couple days of rain and another week of warm weather, the grass will be springing up and the brambles will be trying to take over. Although folks from Albemarle County Parks & Rec do the big mowing of the Connector Trail, there is a lot of maintenance that volunteers take on to keep the trails in great shape. Up til now, we’ve called work days and mowed and trimmed in a sociable group. But not this spring.
We’re asking for help from anyone who can. If you have pruners or loppers, and can take an hour to clear back vines from section of trail, please do! If you are able to mow a section or weed-whack a trail entrance, we need it done. If you want to perform a task, and need to borrow equipment for it, send an email to me at terrim@crozettrailscrew.org and we’ll make arrangements. (Our equipment is stored at Crozet Park so you’d need to be able to move it from there and back.) If you notice a place that needs work, and can’t get to it yourself, send me a message. We’re all in this together!
Thank You to “Eyes On the Trail” Volunteers
Eight people have volunteered to keep a regular check on our trails. It looks like we’ve got folks claiming responsibility in Old Trail, the entire Crozet Connector trail, and even the Henley Hornets trail out in Beaver Creek park.
Even if you’re not signed up as a regular volunteer, please drop me a message either on email (terrim@CrozetTrailsCrew.org) or via our web page or facebook page if you see anything amiss.
Another big “thank you” to the family that painted over the graffiti in the pedestrian tunnel beneath Eastern Avenue, creating chalkboards for our comments. It’s great to see people pitching in to help keep Crozet the great place we love.
Monthly Meeting via Videoconference
Everyone is invited to join our monthly meeting:
Thursday, April 23, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
We will be conducting the meeting via Zoom, which is accessible to most internet-connected devices, and also via telephone (audio-only). We will be discussing the state of the trails and plans for the next several weeks.
If you would like to attend, please request an invitation from terrim@CrozetTrailsCrew.org)