| Mid-Week Work day: Connector Trail Spruce Up from the Park Abundant rain in August has encouraged weeds, grass, and brambles on areas we thought we had handled already! On Wednesday, September 9, 9:00 a.m. we will mow, trim, and prune the Connector Trail from Crozet Park to Eastern Avenue. We’ll need people to handle mowers and string trimmers, as well as pruning and lopping. Meet at the bottom of the dog park, where the trail crosses the bridge. Bring water, bug spray, hat, and gloves. Use your own tools or ours. Click here to sign up. |
| Saturday Work Day: Trimming Around Lickinghole Basin Did you read the great article about Lickinghole Basin in this month’s Crozet Gazette, and haven’t had a chance to visit yet? Here you go! We will be doing a final end-of-summer trimming from Western Ridge out the the end of the trail at the Basin. Meet on Saturday, September 12, at 9:00 a.m. at the trail entrance on Lake Tree Lane in Western Ridge (directions below) with water, bug spray, gloves, and hat. Sturdy shoes and long pants recommended. Click here to sign up. Directions: From Park Ridge Dr., which is accessible either from Three Notch’d Road at Sentara Crozet Family Medicine, or from Eastern Avenue, turn into Western Ridge on Lake Tree Ln. Trail entrance is on the right, after Vista View Ln. Please consider sharing a ride, or walking/biking to the location, as parking is limited. |
| Saturday Work Day: End of Summer Clean Up for Creekside Trail On Saturday, September 26 at 9:00 a.m. we will be in Old Trail for a good turning-out of the length of the Creekside Trail. This lovely trail follows Lickinghole Creek through the woods, so generally gets by with minimal attention, but at least once a year we like to get out and give it a good going-over. Meet at the large stairway (directions below) to spend a couple hours listening to the creek as you work. As always, we ask you to bring your own water; hat, bug spray, long pants, and sturdy shoes are always wise. Click here to sign up. Directions: Follow Jarmans Gap Rd. past Old Trail Dr., and past Grayrock, then turn left onto Birmingham Dr. Take the first left into Birchwood Hill Rd and park at the trailhead along the street. |
| Other Stuff You Might Want to Know Trail to Chesterfield Landing: We are making big plans for the fall to extend the Crozet Connector Trail out past Sparrow Hill to Chesterfield Landing! We’re going to need lots of help for those work days as we clear new trail and look for the best spots to cross Lickinghole Creek. So keep an eye out for announcements, as we expect to begin work in October as the underbrush dies back. Neighborhood Support: We are hoping to work with neighborhood groups and HOAs to pitch in with more of the work of maintaining local trails. We will work with your group to provide tools and direction as needed. Please contact Terri at terrim@crozettrailscrew.org to get started planning a work day. Chain Saws for Sale: The Trails Crew is selling two of our chain saws, and you get the first chance at them. We are asking $150 each. For more info, email Steve at terik@crozettrailscrew.org. Helping off the Trails: You can help the CTC without touching a weed! We are looking for: – a person familiar with tools to perform regular maintenance on our mowers, string trimmers, and hand tools. The tools are kept in a shed at Crozet Park. – someone who wants to dig into the history of the area our trails cover — can we develop a story of our greenway? – Whiteboard: Do you have a small whiteboard (maybe 1.5′ x 2′ or so) hiding in the basement? We would be able to use it to announce where we are meeting and working. |
| Monthly Meeting Thursday, September 24 We will hold our monthly meeting on Thursday, September 24, 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.. |
| Guidelines for Safe Work Days During the Pandemic 1. 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. 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. |