When we started our partnership with the Forest Service the trails were in rough shape. Between years of neglect and damage caused by contractors spraying to eliminate the invasive 'Buckthorn' tree there were mud holes and overgrown areas. We've worked with the Forest Service and most of the mud holes have been addressed and we now have a regular mowing and trimming program to keep the trails clear of tall grass. We're also maintaining the parking lot to eliminate the potholes and 3 to 5 tons of gravel are added to it each year. Two of our members have completed the Forest Service's chainsaw operator certification process and are class A sawyers. This allows them to remove fallen trees, as long as they have a helper. This is a great improvement as we used to have to wait unit ANF personnel were available to remove trees.
In the winter we install boards and windows so that the warming hut can be heated. But long time visitors will notice that the warming hut has had some roof issues that have gotten pretty bad. Repairing the roof was on the Forest Service's 'to-do' list, but due to budgetary and other issues it never got done and now the damage is significant. Besides the roof, a section of wall and several roof beams will have to be replaced - a $27,000 project. With all the recent cut backs the Forest Service didn't have the funds available and for a while it looked like demolition was in its future. But the ANF said that if we could find the money, we could hire a contractor to fix the warming hut. So we got to work and were quite excited when the Stackpole-Hall Foundation here in Elk County awarded us a $25,000 grant to help pay to repair the warming hut. We've still got a little more money to raise, but repair work is scheduled to start in the spring of 2026! If you'd like to make a donation to help, please visit the 'donate' page.
We've still got a lot of work ahead of us to get the area back into good shape here's a short list of our top priorities -
Clear fallen trees as soon as they are reported
Repair wet and washed out areas
Clean out drainage ditches and culverts
We will be scheduling work days throughout the year and would love your help. Forest Service procedures require us to notify them several days in advance and there is a little paperwork involved, but we can usually get something set up quickly. For safety reasons they require at least two people for any work day. Often we have volunteers who would like to work, but no one to be that second person. So if you think you'll have some extra time, please let us know and we'll try to match you up with someone to work with.
Stabilizing NFG Hill on the Perseverance Loop with 6 tons of new trail surface . . .
Adding and maintaining trail signs so you don't get lost . . .
Become a member so you'll be notified about work days.
If you have an idea for a project or would like to coordinate a work day please let us know
Please don't work on your own. The Forest Service has a set of procedures that must be followed for any work on the trails and we want to abide by them. So please only work during an official work days.
Each year our two ANF certified Class A sawyers remove over 40 fallen trees from the trails!
