The Blues Crew schedule for trail work this season has taken two big hits. The flooding in February washed out trail head accesses and Covid-19 closed agencies and trail heads as well as introduced social distancing restrictions such as carpooling. As a result, the 2020 season will involve fewer work parties involving less people.
In the meantime, many area residents are still eager to get out and perform volunteer work in the outdoors to improve recreational experiences and for the good of the community. The leadership team of the Blues Crew has decided to expand their focus from beyond trails to include Road Patrols of our County roads which are enjoyed by cyclists and walkers.
“Our hope is that with the Blues Crew presence on our County roadways, along with educational outreach, people will begin to think twice about tossing their trash along the road,” said Linda Herbert, of the leadership team. “When offenders realize their friends and neighbors are out picking up after them, they may see littering in a new light. We certainly saw this happen when we did the dog poop pickup at Bennington.”
The team has been developing protocols for Road Patrol events to ensure safety of participants in terms of roadway hazards and injuries from sharp objects as well as social distancing and equipment sanitation. They are collaborating with the WW County Road Department for pickup of the collected trash. A trial run by the leadership team last Thursday collected 30 bags of rubbish along a 5.5 mile stretch of road east of town. Valuable lessons surrounding logistics were learned by the crew, and they are ready to invite the public to join in future efforts.
Work parties will be posted on the Blue Mountain Land Trust website and participants will need to register ahead of time (no walk-ons). All equipment will be provided. Registrants will need to arrive at the site in their own vehicles, with carpooling only of members of the same household. Registrants will be required to read Instructions for Road Crew Volunteers (provided with registration) prior to event. Volunteers must be 18 years of age.