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Newsletter 1http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
InsIde ThIs Issue
Volume 3, Issue 2 April, 2009
EARTHWORKS
National Trails Day - June 6, 2009This is the fifth year that the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club will be sponsoring a National Trails Day Event at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in conjunction with the National Park Service and the American Hiking Society.
We’ll begin registration at 8 AM and will conclude the event at 2 PM. We have formed a committee to plan the event. We are holding conference calls every Tuesday evening at 7 PM up until the event. If you are interested in being on the committee or can help run the event on the 6th, contact Fred Feltmann (770-516-9120) or Jim Moylan (404-290-9318). Our e-mail addresses are on page 6.
Currently we are planning to have a Trail Work Day in conjunction with the event. We are working on other activities as well. See page 2 for brief synopsis of activities for which we currently need help.
Special Trail ProjectAt our Board meeting on April 28 at REI, I will step down as president of the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club (resignation letter attached) in order to prepare for an Appalachian Trail Through Hike in 2010. However, there is a piece of unfinished business that I need your help to complete. Seven years ago when I stopped in at the Visitor’s Desk to volunteer to do some work on the trails, I really just wanted to fix the old trail on Little Kennesaw. In the fall of 2004 we opened the new 1/2 mile segment that replaces the old “Rock Climb.” That trail segment is now 5 years old, and has become an extremely popular route for hikers runners and other sightseers. The trail is badly in need of expansion and repair. I want to form a volunteer crew of 10 to 20 people to work with me 1 or 2 days a month over the summer and fall, outside of our regularly scheduled 2nd Saturdays, expand and repair the Little Kennesaw Trail from Fort McBride down to the Fire Road Connector between Little K and Pigeon Hill. It will be hard work, with many stone cribs, and steps to be built and repaired as well as widening and benching the tread to handle the increased traffic we’ve seen in this part of the park. If you would like to help with this effort please e-mail, or call me. As soon as we have a few folks to work, we’ll get together to walk the section, and plan the work, and put together a work schedule.
Richard C. AngeliKennesaw Mountain Trail Club
http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org/ [email protected](770) 356-4265
1 National Trails Day -June 6, 20091 Special Trail Project2 National Trails Day Planning Positions2 Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club President Resigns3 Calendar of Events3 Kiosk Installation Completed5 Trail Supervisor’s Corner5 Garlic Mustard Pull - April 4 and 11, 20096 Trail Club Shirts and Merchandise Available6 Contact List - updated 10/086 Reporting Your Hours - An Important Aspect of
Volunteering!8 The Garlic Mustard Pull of 2009 was a great success
!!! 8 Crew Leader Report - April 11, 2009 - Rock Step Project
on Kennesaw Mountain9 The Steps - April 11, 2009!11 Outdoor Scavenger Hunt - NPS12 Sponsors/Partners Corner12 May Newsletter Deadline13 Flyer - NTD
7, 9, 10 - Pictures!!!
Continued on Page 3
Newsletter 2http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
“Earthworks” is published monthly by the Kennesaw Mountain Trails Corps. Editor: Fred Feltmann 770-516-9120 E-mail: [email protected] Volunteers needed! Call today!FAX: 770-516-9120 (Call first, so I can turn it on!)
National Trails Day Planning PositionsRegistration Table - Greet participants, collect and review registration forms, answer questions, etc.
Parking Area - Direct participants to parking area and direct them to parking spaces. After they are parked, direct them to the Registration area.
Set up/Tear down of Information Booths - Get Pop-ups, tables, chairs, brochures ,etc. and bring them to the Burnt Hickory and Kolb Farm locations and set up the information booths. Arrive at Park at 7:30 AM and proceed to locations as soon as you load up your vehicle. Tear down will occur around 1:30 PM, depending on traffic conditions at the various sites. Tear down will include the parking area at the Illinois Monument (we’ll set this site up on Friday, June 5th),
Food/Refreshments Committee - This committee’s participants will solicit donations from various sources in the community. We’ll provide a tax receipt and other information for the donors, along with instructions to the participants on the committee. The goal is to solicit food for lunch and bottled water for those working on the trails on this date.
Logistics Committee - Work with Trail Crew Leaders to get volunteers/tools to the various work sites and also help the set-up/tear down crew as needed. May also provide support as needed to those working at the Information Booths during the day.
Coordinate any activities amongst Trail Crew Leaders on day of event.
Work with Park Staff regarding any emergencies.
Information Booths - Work at the information booths during the day to provide information about the Trail Club, The Trail Ambassadors, Leave-No-Trace, Trails and other Park information. Need at least 2 volunteers per location - 4 locations.
Food Prep - Need volunteers to work lunch - do food pick-ups from sponsors/donors, set up tables, etc.
Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club President Resigns
1 Tuney on the Appalachian Trail
On April 28, 2009, Richard Angeli, (Trail Name - Tuney) the founder and current president of the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club, is resigning in order to pursue his lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain,
Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. There are two stories to tell here and since the spring of 2002 they are inextricably intertwined. The first is the story of a man and his love of his family, nature and the outdoors. The other is the story of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park valued and beloved by the community.
I know for certain that dreams do come true. However, it usually takes a great deal of planning
2 Trail to Kennesaw Mountain
Continued on Page 3
Newsletter 3http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Calendar of events2nd saturday Workday May 9, 2009Park Service area
Time: 8:30 am – 1:30 PmContinue construction of the new mountain trail and other projects depending on the number of volunteers available.
national trails day, June 6, 2009viSiTor cenTer Time: 8 am - 8:30 am regiSTraTion
8:30 am - 2 Pm Work Day acTiviTieS
Pre-regiSTraTion requireD by may 31, 2009. SenD The number anD/or nameS of ParTiciPanTS To [email protected] or by fax aT 678-797-9082.naTional Park Service volunTeer formS are requireD for neW volunTeerS anD are available aT http://www.kennesawmountaintrailclub.org. bring The comPleTeD nPS formS anD Sign in aT The regiSTraTion TenT. nPS formS Will alSo be available aT regiSTraTion.
2nd saturday workday, July 11, 2009Park Service area
Time: 8:30 am – 1:30 PmContinue construction of the new mountain trail and other projects depending on the number of volunteers available.
Kiosk Installation CompletedAs of April 26th, all 4 Kiosks funded by the Leave-No-Trace Grant have been installed. The locations are: Visitor Center Burnt Hickory & Old Mountain Road Cheatham Hill Trail Head end of Picnic Area Parking Equestrian Parking Area at Cheatham Hill Rd and Powder Strings St. See page 10 for photos of installation.
and hard work for that to happen. Which is the principle reason I’m resigning from the Trail Club board of directors now. I decided in January 2009 at the age of 67 and 57 pounds overweight but otherwise in reasonably good health that 2010 is the year that I will spend 6 or 7 months hiking the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Which means that I am spending 2009, planning, training, and putting the rest of my life in order to get ready for the big hike.
3 Me and My Children
I have a daughter and three sons and I have spent years with the boys camping, hiking, canoeing, and sailing with them in the Boy Scouts of America. The three boys are all Eagle Scouts. A highlight of my life up to this point is the week the 5 of us spent backpacking the Sangre De Cristo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico during October 2002. And that is how I got involved with Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
According to the National Park Service I, like a majority of the 1.2 million plus visitors to the park every year, came to the park for the recreation. Boy Scouts and other backpackers hike at Kennesaw to train for trips everywhere from Mt. Rainier in Washington to Kilamanjaro in Africa. Runners from all over Metropolitan Atlanta run and train at Kennesaw Mountain. Equestrians ride the trails in the central and southern parts of the park. During a March 2002 training hike from Burnt Hickory
Continued from Page 2
Continued on Page 4
Pre-registration is required by May 31st for the event. Contact Anne Strand at [email protected] to register. Be sure to include the number in your group! Also be sure to download the standard NPS registration form on the front page of our website, if you have not previously worked on one of Trail Work Days.
Fred FeltmannChairman, KMTC National Trails Day
National Trails Day - Continued from Page 1
Newsletter 4http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
and Old Mountain Road over Pigeon Hill, Little Kennesaw, and Big Kennesaw and back with 50 pounds of sand in my pack I turned to my hiking companion, Fred Feltmann, and said the fateful words “Someone needs to go to the park and volunteer to spend a few hours working on the trails.”
After that hike, I stopped in at the visitor center and offered to help work on the trails. That is how I met the facility manager, Marion Harris, and together we started the nonprofit (IRS 501 (c)(3)) KEMOTrail Corps, Inc. - now known as the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club.
4 First Workday November 9, 2002
5 Barfield Bottoms Bridge August 2007
We held public meetings in September and October, and on our first workday Saturday, November 9, 2002 we had more than 50 volunteers come out
to work on the trail at the top of Big Kennesaw Mountain. Since that time, the Club has donated more than 30,000 volunteer hours to the park.
In 2003 and 2004 we replaced the badly eroded and dangerous fall line trail on Little Kennesaw with a new safer and more scenic 1/2 mile trail segment leading from Pigeon Hill up Little Kennesaw past General French’s rock to Fort McBride. That trail was opened in November 2004.
In 2007 we replaced the board walk over John Ward Creek destroyed by Hurricane Dennis in July of 2005 with a new 60-ft long wood and fiberglass bridge that supports equestrians and pedestrians. The bridge was funded with a $30,000 National Park Service Challenge Grant, and matched with 2,000 volunteer service hours provided by the Trail Club.
In 2006 and 2007 we played a significant role in developing a strategic trail plan for the park that has the potential to open up several currently inaccessible historical areas on the western side of the park along the Union Lines. The trail plan is currently undergoing Environmental Assessment and is expected to be available for public comment later this year.
We are presently working with the National Park Service on the implementation of another $30,000 NPS Challenge Grant to implement a “Leave No Trace” public awareness program that includes new informational displays at trail heads, improved directional signs on the trails, and a visitor host program called the “Trail Ambassadors”.
Through all of these activities, and through all the contacts I’ve made with visitors, volunteers, and the National Park Service Staff in the last seven (7) years, I’ve acquired a deep appreciation for the historical significance of the park and the thousands of casualties of war that occurred here in June and July of 1864, as well as for the natural beauty and wonder that exists on these almost 3,000 acres in the heart of the metropolitan area.
Continued from Page 3
Continued on Page 5
Newsletter 5http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Mine is not the only story of lives that are bound up with and affected by association with Kennesaw Mountain. I’ve heard hundreds of stories of people who have lived near and grown up coming to the park and hold it dear - like the little girl of 5 or 6 years who came to a workday with her daddy who said “This is my Park.” I’m stepping down to pursue my dream confident that the community will continue to love and support the protection and preservation of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Richard C. AngeliP.S. You may follow my adventure on the internet at http://trailjournals.com/tuney.
Trail Supervisor’s CornerOn April 4th and April 11th, members of the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club put down their picks & shovels and joined scores of volunteers from the community in picking hundreds of pounds garlic mustard plants before this invasive species could flower & drop seeds later in the summer. Because Kennesaw Mountain is such a prominent spot on the migratory path of many bird species the Park has been identified as the first positive instance of garlic mustard infestation in the state of Georgia.
Our whole community has benefited from the volunteers’ efforts to keep this invasive plant from gaining a foothold in this area. The Park Service has plans to spray the remaining plants with roundup within the next few weeks. Hopefully, our continued efforts over the next few years will enable us to curtail the danger this plant poses to the native plants & animals in our local environment.
For more information about this fast-spreading menace, visit the national park service web site below:http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/alpe1.htm
Jim Moylan
Continued from Page 4 Garlic Mustard Pull - April 4 and 11, 2009The Garlic Mustard Pull went well from the perspective of the goal we set on the morning of the 4th. We fanned out and covered all of the area that had been targeted in yellow on your map (ref: attached photos - page xx). We filled the trailer two layers deep with bags of plants (and some trash too). One large group worked from the bottom upward and another large group worked from the parking lot downward. Those two groups met at about 11:15 to converge on the last of the targeted areas along the earthworks. Almost a perfect team side for goal.
Melissa took a smaller group up above the parking lot to get the spot that was in the photos you brought this morning. They also pulled plants from the area between the radio tower access road and the paved summit trail. While up there they discovered a large crop of plants to the north side of the first two cannons. These plants were already well flowered and ready to put out seeds. They worked up until noon to pull that area.
With all that, we were quite successful in the fact the we covered all of the area we had set as a goal and also a large area on the summit. However, there are still a lot more plants up there. We could see plants farther up toward the summit and below the parking lot on both the north and south sides. My recommendation is that if we have the volunteers, we should send some up to the summit next weekend to do some more pulling.
For next year, I am wondering if we could get some spraying equipment and cover a larger area.
Melissa’s Mom (Karen) took some additional photos - See: http://picasaweb.google.com/mackay.melissa/GarlicMustardPull.
Scott MackayTrail Maintenance Crew Leader
PS As a follow-up, another 10 - 15 volunteers gathered on April 11th and continued on the area above the parking lot on Big Kennesaw.
Newsletter 6http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Trail Club Shirts and Merchandise Availablehttp://www.cafepress.com/kennesaw_trails
100% Cotton Denim Embroidered Shirt $35.00
Support your club and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park by showing the colors. We have a selection of shirts both long-sleeved a n d s h o r t - s l e e v e d available in our online Gear Store. 20% of the purchase price of any of our products goes directly to support the park.
The yellow tee shirt ($17.99) with the club logo on the back has become the default standard uniform shirt for trail workdays. The bright yellow color stands out in the woods, and the logo is clearly visible when you are bent over swinging a Pulaski or a MacCloud.
We can make bulk orders for 15+ of the yellow shirts and get them for $10.00 each delivered. If you would like to have one or more shirts at this price, e-mail [email protected] with your name, size, and quantity of shirts. We’ll place an order when we have 15 or more orders, and you can pay on delivery.
Contact List - updated 10/08position name e-mailPresident Richard Angeli [email protected] President Jerry Givan [email protected]/Historian Linda Pinch [email protected] Director Jay Haney [email protected] Supervisor Jim Moylan [email protected] Director Anne Strand [email protected] Director Leah Urben [email protected] Service Projects Ed Holsworth [email protected] Director Fred Feltmann [email protected] Fred Feltmann [email protected] Sue Crane [email protected] http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org/
Reporting Your Hours - An Important Aspect of Volunteering!“TIME = Money for the Park - Each Volunteer is currently worth more than $17.00/hr.”Yes, we all are guilty - forgetting/neglecting to report our hours for working. How many hours did we REALLY work for the Park last year? Was it 500 hours, 2000, or maybe 5000???? Have you spent time outside of our 2nd Saturday Workdays helping the Park - e.g. spent time picking up trash, fixing drainage, helping with events, or club administration?
If you signed the roster at an event, your time is recorded. Otherwise you need to report it through the form on the website.
Youth Service Project candidates need to report total hours for their project to the Trail Club and to the Park before their project is considered complete.
Help us out this coming year - Please enter your hours on the website - it’s currently near the top of the first page - or go directly to http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org/formmail.html.
Newsletter 7http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Garlic Mustard Pull - April 4, 2009
Spring Flowers at Kennesaw - compliments of Jay Haney
Newsletter 8http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
The Garlic Mustard Pull of 2009 was a great success !!! • TheGarlicMustardPullonParkDay,April4,2009wasaneventsponsoredbytheKennesawMountainNationalBattlefieldPark(KEMO)inpartnershipwiththeKennesawMountainTrailClub,(KMTC)avolunteergroup.
• FeaturearticlesinboththeMariettaDailyJournalandtheAtlantaJournalpriortotheeventprovidedwonderfulpublicityinadditiontoinformationontheKMTCwebsiteandnewsletter,Earthworksandparktrailsigns.
• GarlicmustardpatchesnearthetopofBigKen-nesawmountainwereidentifiedbyTomSparksandJimMoylanandmarkedwithredflags;FredFeltmannidentifiedpatcheshigheronthemoun-tain,abovetheparkinglot.
• Whilepassingoutblacktrashbagsandglovestothevolunteers,JimMoylandisplayedamapoftheareatobecovered,showedsamplesoftheweedandemphaticallydescribedthedamagingeffectsof the invasive weed.
• Approximately70volunteerswereregisteredbyAnneStrand.ThentheyhikedorwereshuttledtothetopofthemountainbybothCarlosHurstondrivingaparkvanandvolunteerDavidStrand.
• Atthemountaintop,theparkstaff(AdamStrot-man)hadprovidedbottledwaterinacoolerthatwasgreatlyappreciated.Alargeparktruckandtrailerwasinplaceawaitingtrashbagstobefilledwith garlic mustard plants.
• NewlytrainedKMTCcrewleaderScottMackay,aidedbyhisdaughterMelissaandothernewcrewleaders,didanexcellentjobofdirectinganden-couragingvolunteersastheypickedupfilled(andheavy)bagsofweeds.
• Unfortunately,notallthegarlicmustardweedwasremovedinthisvalianteffort,butthankstotheenthusiasticworkofthevolunteers,thelargepark
trailerwasfilledwithblacktrashbagsbynoon.
• WilliamBondslookedforgreatphotoopportuni-tiesupanddownthetrails,findingvolunteershardatworkonthegarlicmustardpatches,takingpicturesonbehalfofthepark.
• AllofthevolunteersweretoldtostopbytheparkVisitorCentertoseeBenitaDuling,CoordinatorforParkDay,inordertoobtainthecolorfulspe-cialT-shirtwiththemotto,“It’sOurTurn:FighttoSaveCivilWarBattlefields”aswellasanembroi-deredpatchforParkDay2009fromtheCivilWarPreservationTrust.
• Allinall,theeventwasahighlysuccessfulpart-nershipofKEMOparkstaffandKMTCvolun-teers.
Anne StrandKMTC Membership Director
Crew Leader Report - April 11, 2009 - Rock Step Project on Kennesaw MountainOn the 2nd Saturday of every month, the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club leads volunteers up the mountain armed with picks, rakes, shovels, & gloves to help fight the effects of erosion on the 21+ miles of trails throughout the park. On Saturday, April 11, about 2 dozen volunteers met at 8:30 am at the maintenace buildings near the park visitor’s center, then proceeded up the mountain with the goal of rebuilding a set of stone steps. The steps had become so badly eroded that hikers were forced to walk AROUND the stairs instead ON them -- which, of course, was creating even more erosion on both sides of the trail.
Even though spring break & the Easter holiday cut our normal volunteer turn out in half, we still managed to complete the primary project of repairing the stone steps and correcting the drainage immediately above & below the steps to prevent further erosion. The weather cooperated to provide an excellent day on the mountain & we can mark that project as “done” on our trail map.
A special thanks goes out to the group of guys from Lockheed who showed up. The main rock they moved over 20 ft. in order to anchor the staircase weighed close to 300 lbs. and we couldn’t have done it without them! See the photos on the next page.
Jim MoylanTrails Supervisor
Newsletter 9http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Additional pictures compliments of Melissa MacKay - http://picasaweb.google.com/mackay.melissa/GarlicMustardPull#
http://picasaweb.google.com/mackay.melissa/AprilTrailDay# April 11, 2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/mackay.melissa/TrailDays# November, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HziL0Cpyu2c
The Steps - April 11, 2009!
Newsletter 10http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Installing a Kiosk.
Garlic Mustard Pull, Part II - April 11, 2009.
The Royal Rangers say Hello!! - April 25, 2009
Newsletter 11http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Kennesaw Mountain
National Battlefield Park
900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr.
Kennesaw, GA 30152
770 427-4686 phone
770 528-8398 fax
www.nps.gov/kemo
Kennesaw Mountain News Release
[March 31, 2009]For Immediate ReleaseBenita Duling 770-427-4686
“Outdoor Educational Scavenger Hunt at Kennesaw Mountain”
On Saturday, May 16, 2009, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is holding an outdoor educational scavenger hunt, the first of its kind for the Battlefield. The “Get Out and Go” Outdoor Educational Scavenger Hunt encourages recreational users to learn about the Battlefield in a way they typically enjoy the site – while running, hiking, or walking. This is a family-friendly activity and is a joint effort between the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and Big Peach Running Co.
Registration for the Hunt is required. Groups of four interested in participating may sign up beginning Monday, April 13, 2009, in all four Atlanta-area Big Peach stores. There is also a $20 registration fee per group. The deadline to register for this event is Friday, May 8, 2009, and space is limited. Proceeds go to the Kennesaw Mountain Historical Association for the benefit of the educational programs of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Participants should meet at the Battlefield’s Visitor Center beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the Hunt begins at 9:00 a.m. All groups must complete the hunt no later than 11:30 a.m. Children age 17 and under need to be accompanied by an adult. All prizes are courtesy of the Big Peach Running Company. For more information, please call 770-427-4686 x 0 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
-NPS-
E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
Newsletter 12http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
Sponsors/Partners CornerMany thanks to our Sponsors and Partners for their
http://americanhiking.org
May Newsletter DeadlineIf you wish to have an article published in the May Newsletter, please submit it to Fred Feltmann at [email protected] no later than May 10th!
Newsletter 13http://kennesawmountaintrailclub.org
American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®
The Kennesaw MountainTrail Club,
in conjuction with theNational Park Service,Kennesaw Mountain
National Battlefield Parkand the
American Hiking Society,proudly announce
National Trails Day at
Kennesaw Mountain NationalBattlefield Park
Saturday, June 6, 20098AM-2PM
Pre-Registration Required!!!!Pre-Registration required by May 31, 2009. Send the number and/or names of
participants to [email protected].
NationalParkServiceVolunteerFormsarerequiredfornewvolunteersandareavailableathttp://www.kennesawmountaintrailclub.org.BringthecompletedNPSformsandsigninat
theRegistrationTent.NPSformswillalsobeavailableatRegistration.
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