Plans for 2010
Greyling Brandt (USFS), Ted Young (BCT), Steve Schug (USFS), Barb Bottger (BTA)
Forest Service Unable To Offer Financial Assistance For Banadad Trail in 2010
Barb Bottger, Gunflint Trail- Jim Morrison, Ted Young and I met with Steve Schug and Greyling Brandt from the Gunflint Ranger District, USFS, on April 23 to discuss the 2010 Banadad Trail Work Plan. Steve commended the BTA for the excellent report/plan that was submitted and stated that none of the other trail associations they work with have even submitted a plan yet. (Jim Morrison was paged out on a fire call before we took the photo!)
The tough news from Steve was the fact that they have no funds to offer this year. In past years, the USFS contributed up $1500 toward the maintenance of the Banadad through the Forest Service’s Cost Share program.
Schug said the only aid would come through the Minnesota Conservation Corp crew (MCC) whose budget comes from federal stimulus funds. The MCC would work on the interior widening project near the Banadad Bridge with the Forest Service providing two canoes for MCC to travel to the work site. The possibility of another MCC crew for some additional work was left open.
Greyling agreed to assist the Association in preparing large trail maps and to provide map display posts and boards (called “bird cages”) for along the trail.
Schug also informed us that the USFS would no longer be able to provide liability insurance for our volunteer trail crews.
According to Ted Young, “Without finance assistance from the USFS we are confronted with about a $2000 deficit in this year’s $9000 projected maintenance budget. (See Trail Plan- section IV. Projects and Plans)