By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — The Sullivan County Conservation District is hosting a weekly trail-building morning on the Ko’asek land in Claremont, where they will be building a community nature trail that coincides with the vision of the Ko’asek Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation.
According to Dawn Dextraze, who is the Sullivan County Education and Outreach Specialist, the next trail building day is on Friday morning. Volunteers are being sought to help with the trail building endeavor, and they will meet at the parking area located on Elm Street in an area diagonal from Valley Regional Hospital.
June 22 was the first day of trail building, and Dextraze said about 14 or 15 volunteers took part in the project. She hopes for a similar turnout for the upcoming days scheduled over the course of the summer.
“We have been working with Upper Valley Trail Alliance, and they have a location in Norwich, Vermont with a tool lending library,” she said. “The Natural Resources Department of the county is an organizational member, so we were able to borrow tools for the day. We were able to get the trail area’s corridor cleared, and we cleared brush and limbs. Another team worked on the tread where you walk.”
The tread is what most of the work will go toward this summer, as Dextraze said it takes longer to dig into the side of the hill and pull the soil out so it can be flat. They are also digging down to the mineral soil layer so it can be compacted. This stops roots and debris from growing back up into the trail. Dextraze explained that the project has started at the middle of the trail working outward.
According to Dextraze, the Conservation District and the Natural Resources Department of Sullivan County have been working with the Ko’Asek Tribe, who are creating a cultural center on the land given to them in Claremont. Currently that land has a driveway up to a gravel parking area, and now they are creating a trail.
In the fall and winter, the Natural Resources Department walked the trail with a tribe member to mark it, Dextraze explained. This spring they went out with New Hampshire Trailwright, which is a volunteer trail work organization that is helping with rerouting based on slope and ease for people to walk on. Upper Valley Trail Alliance also came out for free consultation on how they work with volunteers.
“This is hopefully going to be a trail that is pretty accessible to most people,” Dextraze said. “We want the most people to get access out of it. The first trail day was a big success.”
In July and August there will be staff working on the trail with volunteers once a week before a final volunteer day on Sept. 14. That day will involve finishing touches, and the hope is to have a bridge installed given proper permitting is acquired.
Chief Paul Bunnell, of the Ko’Asek Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation, is part of the Claremont Historical Society, and Dextraze explained that he put out information to his tribe and through Facebook about coming to volunteer. Those volunteers would gain membership to the Claremont Historical Society, as well. Bunnell and members of the Ko’Asek have been integral in the process, Dextraze said.
The Natural Resources Department has included outreach through their newsletter, and the Conservation District has gotten the word out through Facebook and town pages. The Upper Valley Trail Alliance has also notified their members, and Nature Groupie through the UNH Cooperative Extension has been a source to find volunteers.
“There are quite a few ways to connect with people, and we also have our volunteers here at the county who do gardening,” Dextraze said. “We have trails that they maintain, and we try to tap into that network of volunteers, as well.”
Dextraze said this is a very good first step that is achievable for the tribe on that land. She said it doesn’t take a ton of time but allows people to get to know that spot.
“Quite a few of the people who have volunteered are the people who are right next door, so it is great for the tribe to be able to have relationships built with their neighbors,” Dextraze said.
Dextraze said the tribe hopes to build a model village that they are working to build on the property, and a trail will go right around the outside of it, and a little trail to it. It is a foundation to provide educational programming.
This loop trail should be an excellent addition to the community, Dextraze said, and the goal is to have it all completed in the fall.
Dextraze said it is preferred that those who would like to volunteer email her so she can provide them a full schedule for upcoming events as they do not always land on the same day of the week.
The next trail work session will be on Friday from 8 to 10 a.m.
To sign up, and for more information, contact Dextraze at [email protected].
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