              |
Board of Directors 1999-2000
June, 2000 Dear Members and Friends: The RMC is gearing up for the summer! In this letter we hope to give you a sense of what is in store in the way of RMC activities and to tell you of the remarkable progress we have made on the new workshop. Progress on the Klaus Goetze Workshop Building of the Klaus Goetze Memorial Trails Workshop is underway! As you will recall, the club has sorely needed a base for its trail crews and a place to store and maintain its significant inventory of tools. Fortunately, Edie and Dan Tucker suggested we use a portion of their land. Subsequently, we completed a thorough permitting process, chose a builder, and broke ground. We hope that the building will be ready for use by the time our trail crews begin in early June. Thanks to more than 130 RMC members and friends we have raised more than $15,000 in case toward our goal, which is $17,000. If you have already contributed, we thank you. If you have not and would like to, we welcome your contributions! (We also need general contributions, which support the ongoing club program.) All RMC members and friends are invited to dedicate the workshop to the memory of Klaus Goetze following the Annual Picnic on August 19th. We hope that you will be there! Archives and Directory Thanks to board member Ginny Folsom Umiker, we now have an official RMC archivist! The position of archivist will be a continuing board position. Ginny is in the process of sorting through the files and devising a system to organize and preserve RMC documents and memorabilia. Should you have items that you would like to donate or you would like to help out, please contact Ginny. This will be the first year in recent memory that the RMC will have a membership directory. There was strong interest expressed in the questionnaires returned by many members. The directory will be available only to members. Cost will be minimal to offset printing. If you would like a directory, they will be available via web, mail, or at events such as the July 4th Tea, the Annual Meeting, and the Annual Picnic. If you haven't yet returned your questionnaire, please do so, whether or not you wish to be listed in the directory. Volunteers Needed Over the years the scope of activities and responsibilities of the RMC has grown considerably. Some of the growth has been dictated by far greater use of our paths and camps than anyone could have imagined. Because of higher usage and Forest Service regulations governing trail maintenance, especially in the area of trail erosion, our trail crew job is larger than the days when we primarily brushed and cleared blowdowns. Old age and usage over the years has also forced the RMC to rebuild the camps. Additionally, the RMC has added activities and services in a number of areas ranging from the web site to improving Randolph Paths to adding different kinds of trips. As a result administrative and programmatic demands on volunteers have increased. Your board has met several times over the last year to discuss how to cope with growth while remaining a volunteer-driven organization, in which we all believe. We think that most of the growth is healthy and we are committed to making the club more responsive to our members. Therefore, we invite you to become more involved. We need your help in several important areas: Club Bookkeeper - a high priority need: Work with the club treasurer with tasks such as deposits, bill paying, and payroll. Accounting and computer skills necessary. Contact Jeff Tirey. Volunteer Work Trips: We need leaders and workers for trail brushing trips during the summer. Leaders help to schedule projects, recruit workers and transport tools. Contact Doug Mayer. Making Signs: RMC trail signs at 40 locations need to be replaced annually. We need help with stenciling, routing, sanding, painting and lettering. Contact Doug Mayer. Trail Crew: Assistance with recruiting trail crew and caretakers. Working with the Camps and Trails board chairs. Contact Doug Mayer. Lead Summer Hiking Trips: Contact Jack Stewart. Camps and Trails We are fortunate to have Matt Labonville as one of our summer caretakers. A second caretaker has yet to be selected. The camps are in excellent condition. Our two trail crews begin in early June. The senior crew, consisting of Ned Green, of North Waterford, ME; Matt Moran, of New London, NH; Pete Sullivan, of Bethesda, MD; and Aaron Parcak, of Bangor, ME, will begin with several weeks of patrolling for blowdowns (of which there have been many on the north side of Route 2). They hope to complete erosion control work on the top of the Brookside and Owl's Head and to start the bottom half of Lowe's Path. The SCA (volunteer) crew, which includes Hillary Seeland, of Sitka, Alaska; Curtis Moore, of Newburyport, MA; and Jessica Lynn Storrer, of Hudson, WI, has quite a bit of ice storm-related brushing to do. They will begin a two-season project on the "waterfall trails" including Beechwood Way, Sylvan Way, Brookbank and the Fallsway in addition to a week in King Ravine. We are committed to improving many of the lower elevation trails that are favorites of many of our members who are interested in short walks. Additionally, there is some unplanned trail work in areas that have recently been harvested. Anne Tomasso will return as Field Supervisor in charge of camps and trails for the second year. Anne's capable leadership was critical to the success of last year's crews and caretakers. Web Site We hope that you will visit the RMC web site, randolphmountainclub.org. In addition to finding lots of information about the club, you can purchase our new "totally awesome" green polo shirts, make a bid for one of the trail signs we are auctioning off, and read the latest weather and trail conditions from Gray Knob. The web site has been quite active with more than 600 visits a month - around 7,500 in total since the site opened in February 1999, reports site master Jeff Smith. The site receives four to five e-mails a week. It has had visitors from many other countries such as Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. The "Weather Conditions at Gray Knob" page has been the most popular feature so far. The site has been a source of new RMC members. Mossy Glen Recently the club and the Randolph Foundation worked with the Conservation Commission and three landowning families to help preserve the area surrounding Mossy Glen through several easements. The area contains some lovely woods, a special section of Carlton Brook, and sections of three paths - the Bee Line, Diagonal, and Burnbrae. In keeping with the club's policy of focusing on preserving its network of paths, the RMC has the right to maintain these portions of trails in perpetuity. The club contributed to the funding of the easements through its Andrew Tucker Fund, which is designated for this purpose. Summer Activities Members and friends of the club are invited to participate in all club activities. May/June 2000 Two trail brushing works trips have been scheduled. First, Saturday, May 27th on lower sections of the Bee Line and Wood Path. Meet at Ravine House site at 8:00am. Leader is Sally Penrose. Second, Saturday, June 10th on the Cook Path. Meet at 8:00am at Mt. Crescent Trail, end of Randolph Hill Road. Leaders are Al Sochard and Andy Fay. July/August 2000 Regular hikes will be scheduled for Tuesdays July 11, 18, 25 and August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 plus two Saturdays in August (12 and 26). Short walks are planned for Thursdays July 6, 13, 20, 27 and August 3 (Gourmet Hike), 10, 17, 24, and 31. Work trips are scheduled for Saturday, July 1 (Monaway, Cliffway and Ladderback. Meet at Appalachia at 8:00am) and Sunday, August 13 (Castle Ravine Trail - combines with regular hike and a few hours of brushing between Roof Rock and Tree Line. Meet at Bowman trailhead at 8:00am). The July 1 work trip will be in conjunction with NH Public Radio.
Dues Reminder If you haven't yet sent in your dues and a contribution for this year, please do so. We rely on dues and contributions to fund our operating budget. Camp fees cover camp expenses only. We are currently 20 percent below our projected dues and contributions. The RMC attempts to keep its dues and fees affordable. We are able to do so because we are a volunteer organization and because of the generosity of our members. Also, please send in the enclosed questionnaire if you did not do so before. We want your feedback. Thank you for your enthusiasm
and support, |
